What Will Republicans Do After Midterm Setbacks?

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday concerns the constitutional principle that “We the People” are the power behind the government. Nothing shows this principle more clearly than the way that any election flips the power switch. Whereas Republicans were in control of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, the mid-term election switched power in both houses to Democrats.

In his article published at the Daily Signal, Rob Bluey discussed what comes next for Republicans in his article titled “What Conservatives Are Planning After Midterm Defeat” as they regroup after midterm setbacks. 

Conservatives are wasting no time regrouping after this year’s midterm election setbacks. Next week, hundreds of movement leaders will gather in a Washington, D.C., suburb to plot their comeback in 2028.

The inaugural event, called The Forum, will bring together disparate segments of the conservative movement for an honest reckoning about Tuesday’s results.

Policymakers will also debate solutions to some of America’s most vexing challenges, including affordability, China, Islamification, and socialism, with an eye toward shaping public opinion and countering an emboldened Left.

Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action, joined the final episode of the Daily Signal’s “Midterm Report” to share his aspirations for the event. He also diagnosed what went wrong for Republicans and explained why conservatives shouldn’t despair.

What Went Wrong

In the days following Republicans’ electoral drubbing, pollsters and pundits have analyzed exit polls for clues about voters’ dissatisfaction.

Roberts attributed the losses primarily to the war and lingering concerns about affordability. “The Trump-Vance coalition was put together on a lot of issues, but two of the most central ones were that there would be no new wars and that prices would go down,” Roberts said. “This is just Politics 101 in any representative government.”

Roberts said he still defends President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran but believes “the war went on too long,” particularly given its economic consequences.

Many of those voters were disillusioned by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ policies, which contributed to inflation not seen in 40 years.

Trump benefited from Americans’ frustration with the high cost of living two years ago when he defeated Harris. Despite inheriting an economic mess, Trump quickly went to work addressing affordability through executive orders and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the Working Families Tax Cut.

Americans responded favorably. By early February, more than a year into Trump’s presidency, 32% of voters said their finances were getting better, compared with 30% who said they were getting worse.

Pollster Scott Rasmussen, who has consistently asked voters about their personal finances in his RMG Research surveys, said those were the best numbers he had seen in five years.

Then the U.S. attacked Iran at the end of February. The numbers have only grown worse since then.

It’s why Roberts said affordability must be an important focus for conservatives over the next two years….

He also cited housing as an area ripe for action, pointing to regulations that restrict new construction and the large share of homes owned by corporations in some metropolitan areas.

Why Conservatives Shouldn’t Despair

Roberts, a historian, reflected on other moments in American history when presidents suffered midterm defeats, only to continue wielding great influence over the country’s direction.

He pointed to 1894, when President Grover Cleveland’s unpopularity helped Republicans pick up 130 House seats, as well as midterm setbacks suffered by Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

“Some of our most high-profile presidents – FDR, Truman, Reagan, Clinton, Obama – have suffered these kinds of defeats,” Roberts said. “And it’s not as if their respective political movements cease to exist.”

More importantly, Roberts rejected the notion that Tuesday’s results represented an ideological rejection of the conservative movement.

“This is not a repudiation of conservatism or America First,” Roberts said. “In fact, the Left very successfully co-opted the messaging and some of the policies of America First, especially economic populism.”

The lesson, Roberts argued, isn’t for conservatives to abandon their principes but to make a stronger case for them.

“We need to talk about what we stand for,” he said. “We need to talk about affordability. We need to hammer that freedom is more important than socialism.”

The Forum

That effort will begin almost immediately at The Forum from Nov 10-12 in National Harbor, Maryland….

The gathering will feature leaders from government, conservative organizations, media, and business. Roberts cited Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and commentator Scott Jennings among the headliners, along with entrepreneur Palmer Luckey….

“The point is not just to sit around and talk, but to really cohere the movement around these big focus areas,” he said.

Those priorities include making life more affordable for everyday Americans, defending freedom against socialism, confronting the Islamification of the United States, and countering China….

What Americans Can Do

Roberts also had a message for conservatives wondering what they can do after a disappointing election: Get involved locally….

But political involvement doesn’t have to begin in Washington or with a national organization.

“The best way to kind of get back into the groove politically, or maybe into the groove for the first time, is to go to your local city council or local school board meeting,” Roberts said. “And just sit there. No one expects you to be an expert when you go there.”

What Americans will often discover, he said, is “a lack of transparency and competence and a need for good, virtuous, smart Americans to be involved.” …

“Find the one thing locally that excites you,” Roberts said, joking that it could even mean running for a homeowner’s association to defend private property rights. “Just go get involved.” For conservatives discouraged by Tuesday’s results, Roberts’ message was clear: The next election might be two years away, but the comeback starts now.

Does the Old Testament Describe the Gathering of Israel?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to the book of Ezekiel in a lesson titled “A New Spirit Will I Put within You” (Ezekiel 1-3; 33-34; 36-37; 47). The following information introduced the lesson. 

Ezekiel was a prophet in exile. Along with other Israelites, he had been captured and sent to Babylon. In Jerusalem, Ezekiel would have been a priest serving in the temple. In Babylon, he was among “them of the captivity,” and he “sat where they sat” (Ezekiel 3:15), hundreds of miles from the beloved house of God and with little hope of returning. Then one day Ezekiel had a vision. He saw “the glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 1:28) – not back in the temple at Jerusalem but there in Babylon among the exiles. The wickedness in Jerusalem, he learned, had become so severe that God’s presence was no longer there (see Ezekiel 8-11; 33:21).

And yet there’s something hopeful about Ezekiel’s message. Despite how far the covenant people had fallen, God had not totally abandoned them. If they would “hear the word of the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4), what was once dead could be revived. Their “stony heart” could be replaced with “a new heart” (Ezekiel 36:26). And in the future, the Lord would establish a new temple and a new Jerusalem, “and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).

The scripture block teaches the following principles: (1) The Lord invites me to feed His sheep (Ezekiel 3; 34); (2) The Lord wants to forgive (Ezekiel 33:10-19); (3) The Lord is gathering His people and giving them new life (Ezekiel 37); (4) I can find spiritual healing in the house of the Lord (Ezekiel 47:1-12). This essay will discuss principle #4 about the Lord gathering His people.

The gathering of Israel is portrayed in Ezekiel 37 through two symbols. The first symbol is dead bones being restored to life (see verses 1-14). As you read the following verses, consider questions such as the following: (1) What is the Lord trying to accomplish through the gathering of Israel? (2) How is He accomplishing it?

1 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

5 Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

11 ¶ Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,

14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

These verses describe the order of the resurrection: first, the bones, which are followed by sinews, flesh, and skin. Last of all, the spirit enters the body.

You could ask yourself these same questions as you read about the second symbol, in verses 15-28: (1) What is the Lord trying to accomplish through the gathering of Israel? (2) How is He accomplishing it?

15 ¶ The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18 ¶ And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20 ¶ And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.

21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:

22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

24 And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.

26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28 And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

This symbol involves two sticks, which many scholars interpret as wooden writing boards joined by a hinge. The stick of Judah can represent the Bible (since much of the Bible was written by Judah’s descendants), and the stick of Joseph can represent the Book of Mormon (since Lehi’s family were descendants of Joseph of Egypt). With that in mind, what do these verses teach you about the role of the scriptures in the gathering of Israel?

The Bible and the Book of Mormon work together. The Book of Mormon is a second witness to the Bible that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The gathering of the house of Israel began with the publication of the Book of Mormon and continues today.

 

What Qualities Are Essential for Thriving Families?

Healthy families are strong families, and strong families strengthen their communities, states, and nations. Certain qualities are essential for thriving families. In her article published at Psychology Today, Randi Gunther, Ph.D., discusses “essential traits that help families thrive through life’s challenges.” 

There is a great deal of published data on individual and partner qualities that define which people consistently create successful relationships. The building of a healthy family takes more than just currently evolved individuals. When all factors are considered, families inevitably shift – especially as more new people are added to that mix, finances are stressed, families of origin are allowed to vote, unexpected crises arise, and socio-economic conditions remain unpredictable.

Families that weather these changes as a team must have a number of qualities that ensure they can not only face these challenges but grow stronger from them.

Working with families for over 50 years, I have kept track of the 10 most crucial qualities that stand out in every truly healthy family I have encountered. [Emphasis added.]

1. Individuals are respected.

A family is both a team and a collection of unique individuals. Each person must be respected and honored for who they are and not just a part of a whole. There must be room for each member to have the opportunity to speak their truth with encouragement and respect.

2. Everyone contributes as best as they can.

No matter how young or old, people feel better about themselves when they are earning their way as best as they can. That place of personal respect requires that each member of the family has responsibilities to enhance the family and each other in whatever way they can contribute.

3. There is hierarchy, but everyone gets a fair vote.

It is reasonable to assume that the most contributory members of the family have the greater responsibility and power to make the decisions that are best for the team. However, as each member of the family attains capability, they are given a more prominent vote as to how that power is distributed. Though there always will be a hierarchy of some kind, the family goal is to achieve as much democracy as possible as it grows so that the younger members are prepared to contribute to the goals and decision-making when it’s their turn to take on the role of their elders.

4. There is room for the expression of all emotions and needs, but mutual respect is required. Each member of the family, no matter how young or old, must feel heard, seen, and attuned to. The distribution of resources of time, energy, love, and availability must be shared but every member of the family is constantly guided to make certain all are served as much as possible. Children must be included as to when and why their needs will be met and why they must give way to others.

5. They plan and work on mutual goals for each individual and for the team.

No two family members are the same and their individuality must be recognized even as they are willing and collective members of the team. Each knows what the other’s goals are and they work together to do everything they can to help each other achieve them.

6. The distribution of resources is open and understood by everyone.

People of all ages, depending on their ability to understand, must be in on the plan as to what resources are available at any one time, and why they are allocated in the way they are. When all members of the family work together, they try to wait their turn, knowing when and how their needs will be met.

7. The focus is on learning rather than punishment or embarrassment.

A healthy family does not keep score nor blame. They know that everyone makes mistakes, but they are never chastised when they are doing the best they can. Requirements are based on what each member of the family can do, how they learn, and how they make future plans that incorporate what they have integrated. Lapses to the mutual rules are not only tolerated but understood that they will create opportunities for better choices in the future. Even younger children can help set their own goals. Ask them to review any mistakes, what they could have done differently, and how they can help create a plan to improve their behavior over time. Each member of the family is willing to encourage the others to learn and help create an atmosphere of self-respect and support.

8. Making the team stronger by each member helping the other.

Those who are more resilient help those who are less so when they can. Each member of the family, knowing their time will come and when, can draw on their own resilience to lend a helping hand. The goal is for each member of the family to be a support for whatever the others need. The key is constant and clear communication and current updates for everyone. Being part of each plan and how and why it is devised makes them feel more motivated, as they feel seen and recognize the needs of others.

9. Affection, caring, support, and encouragement are prevalent.

Healthy families do not let a day go by without expressing their love for each other and the gratitude that they still have each other. There is never a feeling of what should have or could have been shared. When you are in the presence of a successful family, you can feel how those encouraging words, expressions of affection and gratefulness abound. They know how to grieve together when they experience disappointment or loss. There is an immediate pulling together to help one another get through the loss no matter how great or small.

10. They look forward to the future together.

Each member of a healthy family is profoundly interested in the future of the other. They celebrate wins but share the experience of loss together. They live in the moment but always think of what each member can achieve in the future and are there to encourage even when goals may change. They always remember that they treasure and need each other.

Do You Like the Results of the Mid-Term Election?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns the responsibility that citizens carry in the fight to maintain freedom in America. At this point [late on election night], it looks like Democrats will control the U.S. House of Representatives in January. It also looks possible for Democrats to control the U.S. Senate. The policies and environment of America will change.

If you like the results of the mid-term election, will you like them next year? In two years?

Under Democrat congresses, lots of bills were signed into law and policies were passed that did not put America and Americans first. A well-known example is President Joe Biden’s policy to open the borders and invite 10+ million people to enter the United States illegally. This affected the housing situation in the United States as well as cost of supporting such people.

America is in this terrible situation today because liberals led America down the hill to destruction. Those who voted for Democrats –those who are also known as socialists, communists, and radical Islamists -- either support those ideas or they did not vote responsibly. They voted for members of Congress who will pass laws that will take America down to destruction. That is their stated aim.

It is possible – and likely – that some voters voted against Trump policies simply because they hate him and would never give any support to him. One of those people is former President George W. Bush and his family. It is likely that some voters voted Democrat because they do not like the economy as it is right now. Do they not remember how terrible things were under Biden? It is also possible that some voters voted against Republicans because of the war in Iran. Do they not remember that America has been involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine for at least six years, a war that has cost billions of American dollars?

Whatever the reason for people to vote Democrat, the consequences of electing socialists, communists, and Islamists will be the same: All Americans will suffer with less freedom under tyrannical politicians.

It is also possible that many Republicans stayed home – and they probably had different reasons for doing so. America needs patriots – not socialists, communists, and Islamists – to remain strong. Anyone who does not support America first candidates – no matter their party – vote for the destruction of America.

The bottom line: American citizens have the responsibility to vote responsibly. The important first step of voting responsibly is to inform oneself of truths. The second most important responsibility is to VOTE.

In her article published in the Deseret News, Heather Gerken wrote on the topic “Your Choices Matter.” Her article begins with a story about a teacher in Salt Lake City. 

On Valentine’s Day, 1870, a young Salt Lake City teacher, Seraph Young Ford, made a stop on her way to school.

Two days earlier, Utah’s territorial Legislature had unanimously passed a law extending the franchise to women. So, on this cold winter’s morning, as a brass band played outside City Hall, Seraph cast her ballot in a local election – and became the first woman in the United States to vote under an equal-suffrage law. [Emphasis added.]

Today, it is all too tempting to assume that the forces controlling our civic life are too formidable, too distant and too entrenched for any ordinary person like Seraph to influence an election. There is no doubt we are living through an era of degraded public discourse, shattering our shared recognition of basic facts, let alone our sense of shared responsibility for our communities. In the face of our polarized politics, many throw up their hands and conclude: “What difference can my vote make anyway? And yet, as American citizens, we owe ourselves and each other better.

This is not because politics need be everything in our lives. It is because, in a democracy, we, the people—to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln – will be either the authors or the finishers of our fate. It is on us, and only us, to decide whether government will make our families, schools, neighborhoods and communities stronger.

As a scholar, I spent much of my career studying the power we exercise through the institutions closest to our lives: school boards, city councils, sheriffs, prosecutors and judges. Leadership in Washington is important, especially now. But it is the local leaders who decide how to invest taxpayer dollars and determine whether our communities feel vibrant, welcoming and full of possibility.

A vote for a local official or initiative is an expression of self-government. It is a declaration that the people who live in a community have both the right and the responsibility to shape it. It is an affirmation of that sacred ideal to which Thomas Jefferson and others gave voice 250 years ago: Government derives its power from the consent of the governed, not the other way around….

At a time when so much in public life spurs us to look away or tune out, election seasons ought to remind us that we must be more than passive bystanders of our politics. We are citizens – with a voice, with a vote and with mutual obligations to our neighbors and our children. We all can learn who and what is on the ballot. Ask the candidates what they hope to build. Check potentially false information before clicking “like” or “share.” Volunteer at the polls – and encourage others to respect election officials as they carry out a critical, difficult job.

            And remember Seraph, who blazed a trail for untold millions of women to follow. She went to                the polls, and then she went to work. We honor her American story – and our own – by doing no            less. 

Articles of Faith: What Do Latter-day Saints Believe About the Atonement of Jesus Christ? 9

                                                                       Article of Faith 3

We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved,

by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

This is the ninth and last essay about the Atonement of Jesus Christ as stated in the third Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first week, I discussed the importance of understanding how the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as the third pillar of eternity, is essential to Heavenly Father’s plan for the eternal happiness of His children. The second week, the discussion was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the nature of the atonement. The third week, the discussion concerned the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a vicarious sacrifice. The fourth week, the discussion was about Christ’s sacrifice being voluntary and love inspired. The fifth week, the discussion was about the Atonement being foreordained and foretold. The discussion for the sixth week was about extent of the Atonement of Christ. For the seventh week, the essay was about the general effect of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Last week the discussion was about the individual effect of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This week’s discussion will use the words of Elder James E. Talmage to discuss salvation and Exaltation (Articles of Faith [1913], 91-93).

Salvation and Exaltation – Some degree of salvation will come to all who have not forfeited their right to it; exaltation is given to those only who by righteous effort have won a claim to God’s merciful liberality by which it is bestowed. Of the saved, not all will be exalted to the higher glories; rewards will not be bestowed in violation of justice [emphasis added]; punishments will not be meted out to the ignoring of mercy. No one can be admitted to any order of glory, in short, no soul can be saved until justice has been satisfied for violated law. Our belief in the universal application of the atonement implies no supposition that all mankind will be saved with like endowments of glory and power. In the kingdom of God there are numerous degrees or gradations provided for those who are worthy of them; in the house of our Father there are many mansions, into which only those who are prepared are admitted. The false assumption, based upon sectarian dogma, that in the hereafter there shall be but two places, states, or conditions for the souls of mankind – heaven and hell, with the same glory in all parts of the one and the same terrors throughout the other – is untenable in the light of divine revelation. Through the direct word of the Lord we learn of varied kingdoms or glories.

Degrees of Glory – The revelations of God have defined the following principal kingdoms or degrees of glory, as prepared through Christ for the children of men.

1. The Celestial Glory [Doctrine and Covenants 76:50-70, 92-96] – There are some who have striven to obey all the divine commandments, who have accepted the testimony of Christ, obeyed “the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,” and received the Holy Spirit; these are they who have overcome evil by godly works and who are therefore entitled to the highest glory; these belong to the Church of the Firstborn, unto whom the Father has given all things; they are made kings and priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek; they possess celestial bodies, “whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical”; they are admitted to the glorified company, crowned with exaltation in the celestial kingdom

2. The Terrestrial Glory [Doctrine and Covenants 76:71-80, 87, 91, 97] – We read of others who receive glory of a secondary order, differing from the highest as “the moon differs from the sun in the firmament.” These are they who, though honorable, failed to comply with the requirements for exaltation, were blinded by the craftiness of men and unable to receive and obey the higher laws of God. They proved “not valiant in the testimony of Jesus,” and therefore are not entitled to the fulness of glory.

            3. The Telestial Glory [Doctrine and Covenants 76:81-86, 88-90, 98-106, 109-112] – There is                 another grade, differing from the higher orders as the stars differ from the brighter orbs of the                 firmament; this is for those who received not the testimony of Christ, but who, nevertheless, did              not deny the Holy Spirit; who have led lives exempting them from the heaviest punishment, yet             whose redemption will be delayed until the last resurrection. In the telestial world there are                    innumerable degrees comparable to the varying light of the stars [See Doctrine and Covenants                76:81-86, 98]. Yet all who receive of any one of these orders of glory are at last saved, and upon             them Satan will finally have no claim [emphasis added]. Even the telestial glory “surpasses all                understanding; And no man knows it except him to whom God has revealed it” [Doctrine and                Covenants 76:89, 90). Then there are those who have lost all claim upon the immediate mercy of             God, whose deeds have numbered them with Perdition and his angels. 

Should American Christians Take the Lead in American Politics?

Pastor Dervin L. Gray thinks Christians in America should remember that Jesus Christ is the King that we should follow because no political party or any politician can claim the throne of God. Gray states, “The most revolutionary political announcement in history was not made in Washington, Rome, or any earthly capital. He continued: 

It came when the earliest Christians proclaimed: Jesus is Lord (Acts 2:36). In the Roman Empire, this confession was revolutionary. Caesar Augustus was celebrated as a divinely favored ruler who brought peace and salvation. An ancient inscription even described his birth as the beginning of “good news” (euangelion) for the world.

Rome had its good news, savior, and emperor. Then came the followers of a crucified and risen Jewish Messiah, announcing that Jesus was the world’s true Savior, rightful Lord, and everlasting King.

Paul declared that every knee would bow and every tongue acknowledge that “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

Something greater than politics

The earliest Christians were not trying to seize Caesar’s throne. They were announcing that Caesar’s throne was never ultimate.

What they were saying isn’t that the gospel was less than political. It was more than political. As a pastor and theologian, I believe Christians should care deeply about political issues because they affect our neighbors, especially the vulnerable.

But the church does not exist to advance MAGA, Republicans, Democrats, or any political party. The church exists to proclaim King Jesus, make disciples, love our neighbors, and embody God’s justice and mercy.

When political loyalty becomes our primary identity, we diminish the gospel. Instead of being the truth-telling conscience of political parties, we become puppets of political parties.

Likewise, when we demonize opponents, excuse cruelty, or place our ultimate hope in elections, we compromise our witness.

While political parties may pursue aspects of justice, they cannot establish God’s kingdom. No political ideology can contain the glory, holiness, justice, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ. Our allegiance belongs to King Jesus. Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not.

Wisdom from 1984 that the world still needs

A 1984 Assemblies of Goe voter guide recently resurfaced online, reminding Christians that the challenges of political discipleship are not new. Historian Daniel Isgrigg shared 10 principles from that guide for Christian participation in elections, and their wisdom remains striking.

1.     Do not confuse patriotism, national pride, or Western culture with Christianity.

2.     Do not confuse political campaigning with the church’s mission of preaching and witnessing.

3.     Verify information before sharing or repeating it.

4.     Refuse to spread slander, rumors, and personal attacks.

5.     Take time to understand the issues rather than relying on slogans.

6.     Evaluate candidates with honesty and integrity.

7.     Do not vote for someone simply because that person claims to be a Christian.

8.     Do not neglect your family, worship, prayer, or scripture because of political activity.

9.     Do not treat fellow Christians as adversaries because they hold different political views.

10.  Keep your ultimate allegiance centered on Jesus Christ rather than on any candidate, party or election.

This is not a call to abandon conviction in the political realm. It is a call to let our convictions be shaped by Jesus’ character.

5 ways Christians can practice the politics of King Jesus

As we navigate political disagreements, I encourage Christians to practice five commitments.

First, give Jesus your ultimate allegiance, not a political party.

Second, tell the truth. Refuse to overlook political corruption or spread misinformation, even if this defends or advances a political issue you care about. Simply do not participate in slander and lies.

Third, love your political opponents as neighbors. Jesus commanded us t love even our enemies (Matthew 5:44). You can oppose someone’s ideas while honoring their God-given dignity.

Fourth, defend this same God-given dignity of every person, whether they are American citizens, legal immigrants, or undocumented immigrants. We can uphold the rule of law, secure our borders, and treat every human being with compassion, justice, and dignity. These convictions are not in conflict.

Fifth, make disciples, not political converts. The Great commission is to make disciples of Jesus from all nations, not MAGA, Republicans or Democrats (Matthew 28:18-20). We do this by fulfilling the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40).

The world needs a body of believers that looks like Jesus.

I love my country. I am grateful for the Constitution and the religious freedom it ensures for all American citizens, regardless of their religious practices.

But America is not my savior.

No president is my messiah.

And no political party is my church.

We need Christians who take civic responsibilities seriously without confusing them with eternal identity, and churches that form disciples whose political engagement reflects the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Believers, please don’t forget:

Caesar is not Lord.

The state is not our savior.

Jesus Christ is King.

And his kingdom is greater than them all.

Who Is Sir Patrick Stewart?

My VIP for this week is Sir Patrick Stewart, a remarkable actor who starred in productions such as “Star Trek,” “X-Men,” and others for nearly 40 years. According to Samuel J. Abrams in an article published in the Deseret News, Stewart spoke “openly about his difficult childhood, his father’s violence at home, and the many struggles that shaped him.” Abrams shared the following thoughts about Stewart. 

Stewart’s character showed that he respected knowledge, valued competence and understood that leadership required judgment rather than popularity, and this hit me right at a time when I was figuring out what type of person I was hoping to become. But for me, and I suspect for countless other men of my Gen X generation, Patrick Stewart will always be Captain Jean-Luc Picard from “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Tributes, stories and memories are already pouring in on social media and, for me, what makes his death particularly difficult is that his character – Picard – gave me something important twice in my life, separated by more than 30 years.

What Patrick Stewart taught a young boy

The first gift came when I was a boy, and it involved his performance in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” where he served as the show’s protagonist as captain of the USS Enterprise. The show premiered in 1987, when I was very much looking up to older men for examples of how to live life, and Picard was an extraordinary figure to encounter at that age.

Stewart’s character was intelligent, disciplined, thoughtful and principled, and the many episodes – which were drawn from the Western literary canon – illustrated just how much Picard believed in duty, obligation and the responsibilities that came with authority. If one watches even a handful of episodes in the series from any of its many seasons, it’s hard to miss that Picard understood that commanding a starship meant being responsible for hundreds of lives and that his decisions carried enormous consequences….

So, for a young man trying to understand adulthood, that was an incredible set of values and virtues. Patrick Stewart certainly never knew me, but his character helped shape the man I wanted to become.

The original “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series ended in 1994, and I grew older, went to college, became a professor and was blessed to have my own family. Picard remained a figure I admired and inspired a significant amount of my thinking, but the character now belonged largely to an earlier chapter of my life.

Patrick Stewart’s influence carried over into fatherhood

Then, in 2020, my relationship with Picard changed dramatically when Stewart returned to the role in “Star Trek: Picard.” This was a short three-season series, and I was a father at that point, and the timing could hardly have been better. The same actor portraying the same character in name, but now older and changed by life, who once taught me something about duty and leadership when I was young, was suddenly confronting questions about family, regret and love, and Picard taught me more lessons. The final season revealed that Picard had a son, Jack Crusher, whom he had never known.

And I – along with the rest of the world – was experiencing and learning from a very different version of Picard. We were now watching a celebrated character who was appreciably older, more vulnerable and increasingly aware of what he had missed earlier. The world and I had the chance to see a real growth and change in a beloved character who had spent so much of his life keeping people at a distance and was discovering that there were obligations and attachments beyond his role as a captain of a spaceship.

Then came the series finale, which was just devastatingly beautiful and gave so many of us another critical lesson about life. Jack had been assimilated by the Borg, another antagonistic cybernetic race whick once robbed Picard himself of his humanity. Picard enters the Borg ship – known as “the cube” – to rescue his son, but Jack refuses to leave. Jack believes that he belongs there, connected to the collective, and cannot imagine returning to an existence in which he feels alone.

Here, we quickly see that Picard cannot command his son to come home, nor can he reason his way out of the situation or rely on the authority that served him so well aboard the Enterprise. So instead, he tells Jack that he is the part of himself he never knew was missing. When Jack refuses to leave, Picard makes a decision that brings tears to my eyes whenever I watch this scene: He embraces his son and tells him, “Then, if you won’t leave, I’ll stay with you. Till the end. You have changed my life. Forever.”

Picard’s decision and words are the second gift. Here was the man who had taught me about duty, sacrifice and leadership when I was a boy, and now, when I am a father, he is teaching me something about fatherhood. His son needed him, and nothing else mattered, and Picard was willing to die rather than leave his child alone. We saw unconditional love, expressed by a man who had spent much of his life struggling to show it.

I have my own children now, and I regularly pause and like to think about what it means to be a good father. There are obligations to meet, examples to set and countless decisions to make, and I know that some will be wrong even with the best of intentions. But beneath all of that is something far simpler – our children need to know that we will be there for them, whatever happens….

Picard, as played by the brilliant Stewart, helped make me the man and father I am today…. Thank you, Sir Patrick. For both gifts.