If you plan to vote and you know who you will vote for president, this message is not for you.  If you are a Christian Evangelical and do not plan on voting because Gov. Romney is a Mormon, this is for you.

Have you ever voted for a president that did not seem to have a strong Christian faith?  Do you remember when John Kennedy was running for president; we were told that he would get his directions from the Pope?  Shortly we will be bombarded with why Gov. Romney should not become president because he is a Mormon and must therefore obey the Mormon leadership’s direction.

There is a lot of disagreement in beliefs.  However, that does not mean that a person cannot be a great president because their religious beliefs differ.  We elected a president that comes from a denomination that wants to “Dam America”.  His beliefs are much different from most of the Evangelicals that I know.  Did that stop Americans from voting for him?   Romney’s being a Mormon, should that keep him from becoming president?

For 20 years I have been on the church board of one of the top ten largest Evangelical churches in America.  I am amazed at the number of believers who have chosen not to vote for a Mormon.  Therefore, I have felt led to have you consider why this should not keep you from voting.

Luke 9:49 – 50 – “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”   “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

A story found in the Old Testament has always intrigued me.  It is found in Numbers, chapters 22 thru 24.  Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to summon Balaam, a prophet or perhaps a cult leader, so that he could place a curse on the Israelites as they were coming out of Egypt.  The king believed with Balaam’s curse he would be able to fight them and drive them away.  Balaam asked God what he should do.  God told him not to go to Moab.  Later God told him to go with them, but to do only what God would tell him.  He climbed on his donkey, but as he rode on, the donkey stopped. Three times the donkey stopped after seeing God’s angel blocking him.  Balaam was unaware why his normally faithful donkey stopped and refused to go forward.  Each time, Balaam beat the donkey.  Finally, the donkey spoke, and asked Balaam why he was being beaten because the Lord’s angel had stopped him from going forward.  Balaam then saw the angel and asked what he should do.  He was told to go on to Moab, but do only that which God would tell him to do.

Balaam is told by the Moab king that if he will curse the Jews he will be rewarded greatly.  But God tells him not to curse them, but to bless his people.  This frightens the Moabites and Balaam returns home.

What I learned from these stories was that God used others who were not Jewish, who did not follow the Jewish traditions and laws, to be used by Him.  Just because a person believes differently does not mean that God cannot use them.  Evangelicals have a choice between two men who differ in their Christian beliefs.  One man tithes and the other does not.  One has leadership experience and one does not.  One man’s religion promotes patriotic duty and a love for America, the other’s church does not.  Look who their friends are.  One is surrounded by the Hollywood crowd who believe that babies can be aborted at anytime for any reason.  The other believes in limited abortion.  One supports same-sex marriage, the other believes marriage is between a man and a woman.  One wants to appoint Supreme Court judges who want to change our constitution.  The other wants to appoint individuals who will support the original meaning of our founding fathers.  One believes in the re-distribution of wealth.  The other recognizes the importance of a free enterprise system, where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.  One believes in big government and high taxes, the other believes in reduced government and lower taxes.  Would you prefer a Chicago politician or a politician with Utah principles?

Mormon church sponsored BYU dropped one of their best athletes from the basketball team because he had pre-marital sex with his girlfriend, an indicator of the commitment to moral values.  How important is morality in choosing a president?  Based on your belief as an Evangelical, which person do you believe would make decisions more aligned with your standards of morality?

I believe there are enough differences between the two candidates to make a righteous judgment. Both candidates hold beliefs that differ from Evangelical beliefs, but I don’t believe being a Mormon should keep anyone from voting.  President Obama may be a Christian, and yet not believe as Evangelicals believe.  Should Obama not have been elected because his church’s beliefs are so much different from what you and I may believe?

The question is this: can a man who professes a belief in Christ and who lives according to those values be the guardian of this great nation, despite having views different from Evangelical Christians? If we are to judge our next president by his religion, look at what the people of his religious affiliation do as American citizens; look at how they treat others not of their faith; measure the man’s religious affiliation, not by his differing views of Christ or God, but by his commitment to the values every Christian holds dear.

The United States of America is a land of liberty built on the principles of Christian values, and on religious freedom. The moral fiber of our nation has been weakened, our values are challenged at every turn, and even our own religious freedom may be at risk. It is incumbent upon every Christian to elect righteous men and women of good moral character to positions of leadership, and to defend the right of every person to worship God as he or she chooses to do.  I believe that Evangelical Christian support for Romney is a vote for Evangelical Christian values. What about you?