The 2016 presidential election is upon us, and pastors across the country are taking to social media to offer a plethora of responses. From lament to praise, their messages about faith, hope and electoral prospects are certainly diverse.
Let’s start with Baltimore Pastor Westley West, who published a prayer to God on Tuesday. It read, “Dear Lord, Today, bless my country. Protect my future & no matter who wins this election, remind them that you are still in charge. Amen.”
Dear Lord,
Today, bless my country. protect my future & no matter who wins this Election, remind them that you are still in charge. Amen🙏🏾
— Pastor West (@Pastor__West) November 8, 2016
Then there’s Texas preacher John Hagee, who tweeted on Monday that Americans need God now more than ever, asking the Lord to “watch over us, protect us, lead us, and guide us.”
If there was ever a time when we needed to hear from heaven, it is now. We need God to watch over us, protect us, lead us, and guide us.
— Pastor John Hagee (@PastorJohnHagee) November 7, 2016
Evangelist Franklin Graham issued a bit of a longer message on his Facebook page on Tuesday, saying he’s continuing to pray for Americans as they head to the polls, while also asking for God to guide them through “his will and purpose.”
“God may choose to bless our country again, or He may bring judgment, which we deserve,” Graham wrote. “My prayer is that He would show us His grace and mercy.”
Others have chosen more benign methods of conveying electoral messages. Pastor John Piper, for instance, left a tweet from August pinned to the top of his Twitter page.
That message read, “One day America and all its presidents will be a footnote in history, but the kingdom of Jesus will never end.”
One day America and all its presidents will be a footnote in history, but the kingdom of Jesus will never end.
— John Piper (@JohnPiper) August 21, 2016
Others took a more fervent and targeted approach. Jim Wallis of Sojourners, for instance, posted a proclamation against Trump, saying a vote for the Republican candidate is essentially a choice for “racial bigotry, for disrespect & mistreatment of women, and for xenophobia.”
And Pastor Robert Jeffress, who has supported Trump during the campaign, said over the weekend that the election is essentially a choice between “righteousness or evil.”
A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for racial bigotry, for disrespect & mistreatment of women, and for xenophobia. It all comes down to that.
— Jim Wallis (@jimwallis) November 7, 2016
This #election, we have a choice to make at the polls to #vote for righteousness or evil. Watch & share: https://t.co/8ZMvZcFikY
— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) November 6, 2016
For some faith leaders, though, comedy was seen as a more appropriate approach, with Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, sending two particularly comedic tweets on Tuesday — one about Christmas music and the other about the sanity of the American electorate.
“Anyone who has enjoyed this election year needs to seek counseling,” Moore quipped.
Well, it's almost over. What we can all agree on: anyone who has enjoyed this election year needs to seek counseling.
— Russell Moore (@drmoore) November 8, 2016
Yes, I'm listening to Christmas music while I work today, and I don't feel one bit guilty about it. It's been a long, hard year.
— Russell Moore (@drmoore) November 8, 2016
And that, of course, is only a small subset of the pastoral messages out there. Read Faithwire’s complete election coverage here.
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