Dear Democratic and Republican Parties

Dear Democratic and Republican Parties
An Open Letter by Dr. Ronnie Floyd

As you near your respective conventions where you will make final decisions regarding your nominees for the Office of President, I—as an evangelical leader and fellow American—feel deeply compelled to make this humble request of you:

Tell the American public what you truly believe about the things that matter to us.

As leaders in our nation, in your formulation of your respective platforms, please leave your conventions with a clear message about your stance on the subjects we care about.

Live out what you say you believe.

Americans as a whole, not just evangelicals, are weary of words alone. Our nation needs more than rhetoric. We need to act, to do our rightful duty of honoring God with the way we confront the issues of today and prepare a future for tomorrow.

Please tell us what you believe about these things that are important to us as evangelicals:

The Supreme Court and Its Future

The next president will appoint at least one justice to the Supreme Court, but some believe as many as four could be appointed if the next president serves eight years. This is important to us because a president can shape a generation, but his or her appointments can shape generations. This could tilt America further toward the precipice of moral decadence we are barely hanging over or move us in the direction of rebuilding our society on the truths it was originally founded upon. I pray the mercy of God would be extended to us as a nation.

The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life From the Womb to the Tomb

For evangelicals, and as it’s clear for many Americans as well, protecting the sanctity of each human life living in the womb of each mother is a priority. If we destroy human life in the womb, our view of human life between birth and death becomes distorted, which leads to a de-valuing of each person created in the image of God. This trajectory paves a way to a disrespect of one another, increased violence, crime, poverty, racial unrest, and terrorism. Even our country’s view of death has been influenced by the ramifications of this view. As a society we must return the value of human life to its God-given status if we are to overcome these other issues.

Religious Liberty in America and Across The World

We desire that our government live up to the first amendment in our constitution, which grants the blessing of religious liberty for all Americans. Enough is enough. This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Any political party, leader in our nation, or Supreme Court justice, including the government itself, needs to stop trying to redefine what our constitution states and what our heritage has been. America was birthed because of a conviction in religious freedom.

National Security

The Bible makes it more than clear in Romans 13:4-7 that the role of government in society is to exist for our good. Unquestionably, the government’s responsibility to protect the people within our nation. How national security is done may be debatable, but it is not debatable that our government is to protect us—not just from one another, but from those outside of our nation that want to do us harm.

Economy

As you know, America is more than $19 trillion in debt. This is not healthy for our present or for our future. A healthy economy can create more jobs, more opportunities, contribute to building families that are successful, and help provide our nation with an even greater defense.

Therefore, as evangelicals, we want you and your respective nominees to tell the American public what you truly believe, and then to live out what you say you believe about these things that matter most to us. For the sake of integrity and trust, hold your nominees accountable. Given the unusual nature of the primary season, the clarity and conciseness of your respective platforms may speak louder than ever before in our generation.

I am praying for you. May God grant mercy upon the United States of America.

Dr. Ronnie Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church, Northwest Arkansas
Immediate Past President, Southern Baptist Convention