For our American readers ...
Unless you have been in a Rip-Van-Winkle nap, it has to have been abundantly obvious that, leading up to this election, the mainstream media has been on a desperate mission to persuade the populace towards its worldview. The deep bias in reporting has been breathtaking, to say the least. It used to be just a sly wink or the well-timed smirk. Now it is blatant.
None of this, of course, should be surprising to any of us. The Pew Research Poll of 2004 showed what anyone with a half-discerning eye and ear already knew: "liberals" outnumber "conservatives" by a whopping 5 to 1 ratio in the old mainline media outlets. And, it clearly shows.
Why?
Because our worldview shapes everything we do, both professionally and personally, and it is especially evident in the creative works of man. The painter seldom paints that which does not come from his own passions. The filmmaker rarely produces a movie that does not send an underlying message about which he deeply believes.
So, the lofty notion that a journalist or a newscaster can be totally "unbiased" in their work is virtually impossible to achieve--on either side. The selection of stories, their order and timing, the wording of a headline, the data reported versus the data left on the floor, page one versus buried in Section D--all of it is going to be crafted, consciously or subconsciously, according to one's worldview.
Now, this is not meant to be partisan, but it is meant to make us aware that we have all been affected by this. We live in a culture in which much of the media that bombards us is heavily slanted and often represents a worldview standing diametrically opposed to God's truth.
So, on this election eve, I want to remind you how deeply possible it is that you and I have been swayed by this onslaught. In many cases it has been carefully orchestrated, not so much to get you to change your position, but to get you to remain at home on Election Day. In today's world, the way to win at the ballot box is not so much to change minds, but to get more of your people to the polls and discourage more of the opponent's people so that they stay home. The people who stay home lose.
This is not an option for us.
In God's design for the state, He has placed the civil magistrate in a position of authority and holds him accountable for how he wields that authority. He is to punish evil and not allow it to reign. He is to condone what is good. In our constitutional republic, part of that authority has been delegated to us and placed into our hands. We bear the authority of appointment, the selection of those who will provide leadership within the civil government. This is a high responsibility and we are bound by duty and obligation to act righteously with that authority.
I know that this is sometimes very frustrating, especially when we are faced with having to make a selection between two imperfect alternatives. But, my friends, that is always the case. No one is perfect. So, spend the time and effort to determine which appointee will do the best job at diminishing evil and condoning good. Do not stay at home as the media has been persuading you to do. To do so is to let the greater evil reign.
See you at the polls.
Del
"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
-James 4:17
P.S. Information regarding the moral failure of a leader is often held until the closing days of an election. This has happened again. Though we find ourselves disappointed, discouraged, or even disgusted by these revelations, they should not be allowed to dissuade us from setting our minds to persevere and act righteously. Resolve to do just that. Pray fervently and then do what is right.
by, Dr. Dell Tacket
The Truth Project, Focus on the Family
