Episode 45 | Voting Biblical Values in a Divided Culture

What role should Christians play in politics—and should our faith influence the way we vote?

In this episode of the OneFamily Podcast, Stephen Hogue sits down with Pastor Al Stewart of Greater Grace Chapel for a candid conversation about faith, family, politics, and civic responsibility. They discuss the importance of becoming informed voters, evaluating cultural and political issues through Scripture, praying for our leaders, and considering how government policies affect parents, children, and families.

Rather than leaving faith at the door of the voting booth, Stephen and Pastor Al challenge believers to seek discernment, know what candidates and issues actually represent, and vote according to biblical convictions.

Learn more about OneFamily at OneFamilyFL.com.

Because when the family flourishes, the community flourishes.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:06

We are going to world towards the wide.

SPEAKER_02 0:38

Hello, everybody. Welcome to the One Family Podcast. My name is Stephen Hogue. We thank you for joining us today. One Family Podcast exists to help families flourish. And we have a great episode for you today. I first, though, want to spend want to thank Greater Grace Chapel in the Daytona Beach area. They're actually in Holly Hill, and they are sponsoring this episode today. And want to encourage you to go to GGCVC.com. That's Greater Grace Chapel here in Felusha County. So GGCVC.com. Check out their church for the great people. And speaking of great people, their pastor is here today, Pastor Al Stewart. Nice to see you. It's always an honor to be here with you. I am so glad that you're with me today. He's a very good friend of mine. There are colleagues in ministry, and then there are covenant friends. And this guy's a covenant friend. Quick story: you bought a little um older BMW convertible. That's really cool. It's a six shift. And he called me one day and said, I just got this convertible. I want you to go take your wife out on a date. And I hadn't driven sick in about 25 years. So I you never told me that. Well, if you can't find them, grind them, right? So no, no, no, I figured it out quickly. I love it. Um, but, anyways, you're a good friend. You always call us in our time of need. And if there's a hurricane, you always check on us. So thank you so much. What I want to do today is I want to talk about politics. Now, I had a I heard a comedian say, if you really define the word politics, poly means many, and ticks are blood-sucking creatures. Uh, so we find that sometimes in politics uh is uh, and we want to stay away from that sometimes. But Matthew 5, 13 through 16 says, You are the salt of the earth. So, as Christians, we're the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it loses its flavor? Can you can you make it salty again? It would be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world. A light like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly father. So, um, Pastorel, first I want to do is I want to just you give us a tiny background of who you are and what you're doing, but also our role in the political world to shine our light, because there is a temptation to stay within the four walls of our church, just deal with our flock, deal with our people, stay separate, don't get involved, uh, can't be political. And we want to talk about all those things and then how they affect families. So tell me briefly, uh, you've been here in Florida. So by the way, we're in Florida, so some of the things we're gonna say has politically to do with Florida and maybe even our area, but we're also talking about principles that affect you where you live, no matter where you are in the United States. So give us some background. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

And I my apologies in advance because I'm you know I'm doing really well now, but you know, just getting over that little lingering thing of just like this crop that won't go away. Um, so and I kind of walked in that for many years, you know, kind of set up the goalposts and you know, let's not go there. And and ironically, I did that despite the fact that in 1991 in Connecticut, I resigned my credentials and ran for office and and won. Uh in my local town, I was like like what in Florida we called a commissioner. Up there was a council member. Um, and so I, you know, I've been involved, they've been elected, um, then ran for state rep as an independent because of you know different things up there and whatnot. Um, and I'll say this like I definitely think we we need to talk about politics in the church, we need to talk about things, uh we need to talk about issues, and they are political, but really many of them are not political, they're moral. And and right now, with and I hate to say it is I don't know how what other word to use, but with the insanity that we are seeing, I mean, most of us, I'm 66. I never dreamed that I would live for a time where a Supreme Court nominee would be asked what a woman is and and would say, I'm not a biologist. Tom Jones wrote a song 40 years ago, she's a woman, and he's not a biologist, and he knew the difference. I mean, it's like crazy. It's crazy because this is the times we we we live in, and it's just hard to believe. So, you know, I'm never for endorsing candidates from the pulpit. I've never done that, and I and I never will.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

Well, speaking of the church, it's why do you believe it's important for Christians to vote and to be involved in the political process? Or um, should we, why should we? And a lot of people, and I had a good friend for years, he just never voted. He could care less about it, doesn't know anything about it. I heard today that the with this whole democratic socialistic movement, half of America doesn't even know what it is. That this is a big movement now that's happening where socialism is no longer uh in the shadows, it's actually being broadcast. This is what we want to do. We want to we want to end the Senate, we want to add to the um Supreme Court, we want to get other countries to become states, we want to get all the all these things, oh, abolish police, all these stuff. So, all this different things is pretty radical, and most people don't even know it's happening. Why should we be involved?

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Well, the first reason would be um because Jesus said render unto Caesars what is Caesar's and rent unto God what is God's. We there are graveyards all over this world with American soldiers bloodshed for the right that we have, and it is it is horrific to just bypass that and not get out and vote, regardless of who you vote for, whatever. That's a God-given right, and if we don't use it, we're gonna lose it. I mean, that's the bottom line. So there's one reason um to to be able to do that. Um, the other is is that you know, the reason I wanted to come on this podcast is because I and I don't mean to offend people when I say this, but American voters are some of the most woefully informed voters. How else could I mean you're right, they got up and and said they want to abolish our way of life completely. And and and two of their candidates, one's running for governor in Wisconsin, and the other's running for Senate in Michigan. How did they even get that far? The mere fact that they got that far, it and and I really believe the big problem is the 18 to 38 year olds. Um, they have been co-opted by radically anti-Semitic professors. Look at what happened in uh Michigan, a horrific commencement. Yeah, look at think of the Jewish students who were at Columbia University and Bernard College. Uh, when they were barricaded in those rooms, I wonder how many of them, you know, their their grandmothers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers were telling them. I w there's still some people who have marks on their arms from the Holy Gross. And they're like, oh my god, it's happening all over again. I mean, that's what's happening. Our youth have been, whether we admit this or not, after uh Charlie Kirk was shot, 42% of kids that were polled, I think they're called Gen Z, I think. Um 18 to 38 year olds said this after he was shot, where it was fresh, where you would where it would be like the most abhorrent, right? 42% said that violence in the face of political indifference was acceptable. There's your answer right there.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

Wow. And I also think entertainment plays a role because I talk to people and I talk to my kids all the time. I'm asking them what are the three forms of government or three divisions of government, what is a senator, what is what is a congressman, what are what what are these roles? And I want them to uh understand that civics, and you know, but you ask them the lyrics to a popular singer's uh, you know, lyrics, they'll know you're that, or the latest TV show or the movies that are coming, new Spider-Man movie, and then all about that. Well, what about the the civics? What about the politics? And what about knowing, uh being informed, right? That's a very, very important. My kids asked me yesterday, how do you know who you're gonna vote for here locally? I said, I'm gonna look, I'm learning about the candidates. I'm getting information, I'm gonna call you.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Yeah, your your wife actually sent me a note a while back and said that very thing. And I said, Okay, and I sent her a bunch of information and you know, basically it is, and yeah, so many of them are uninformed.

SPEAKER_02 9:10

Yes. Um, this podcast is about family. When what you see in politics, I know we're in Florida, but in general, even coming down from DC, um, how are these policies either helping or hurting families? So do you see that?

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Um well, yeah. I mean, Washington, uh, you know, I go back, I always go back to the forefathers. I mean, if they were resurrected, they would they would they would show up at Congress and they'd be walking right back to like, get me out of here. Like, you know, the Supreme Court is really the Supreme Court has become the power that was never meant to do that. If you notice, and I and a lot of people criticize the Supreme Court, I'm I'm not so critical of it because they are throwing the issues back to the states. Why? Because that's a republic. Yeah, that in other words, I look, I'm gonna say this. I I hope this is okay. If a woman wants to have an abortion and we're against abortion as a contraceptive on demand, we're not talking about that one percent of rape and incest and those things. That's totally different. We're talking about using abortion, you know, as a method of contraception, throwing, you know, making human life disposable. If a state wants to do that, then and you want you're okay with it, then you move to that state. And and the judgment will be on that state, you know. I'm in the free state of Florida as you are. Thank God for it. You know, we we're voting against those things, and we have a right to. So, you know, I'm from Connecticut, a deep blue state. I actually got you know elected with the other party in the deep blue state, you know, without compromising. Very rare. So, you know, it's it's um, it's basically, I love that it goes back to the states. That was the original vision. But you know, when we have far left people in office, as we've had, you know, um, we have tribalization where they set us against each other. We have rulings where under the Obama administration, look at it for yourself. They they were trying to force the Catholic hospitals to, you know, to to give that 4RU86 drum or whatever. And and two hospitals in Connecticut, big Catholic hospitals, were considering closing. Yeah, and and and one was St. Raphael's, I think, you know, where people got heart operation. That would have been devastating. Sure. I mean, it's just it gets cruel. I mean, uh we could we're on a slipper, such a slippery flow.

SPEAKER_02 11:39

And even recently was there one um Supreme Court um ruling regarding a parent's role in their kids' life if they want to be transgender, that they allow they're they're actually allowed to be the parent and be involved. Uh, that's unbelievable that it's even gotten to that point. But you talk about the destruction of family. I think whatever God institutes, the enemy either counterfeits or tries to destroy. So when he instituted husband and wife in the garden, since then he's trying to destroy destroy a marriage. When he when he um instituted family, the family is is under attack, right? When he um when when he made male and female in his image, that's trying to be blurred. All of the the the ten commandments, all of the things that that morally we said this is wrong, is now becoming good. And what's and what's e when the Bible says it called it?

SPEAKER_01 12:34

You know, in Alabama, when that whole thing was with the judge, and and there were some problems with that judge, Roy Moore, and all that stuff. But he had the Ten Commandments. Do you know that when the ACLU filed a brief to remove them? Do you do you know what they said? This is like I I can't believe this. Do you know what their argument was? This is sad, man. That they can they they can persuade people. In other words, God the ACLU said, God forbid that that a guy cheating on his wife should happen to go into that court and see thou shall not commit adultery and stop. God forbid a thief would walk in and see thou shall not if you can find a problem with the Ten Commandments, you got a problem. And the ACLU's got big problems.

SPEAKER_02 13:19

Well, the freedom we live under that you talked about that we shouldn't take for granted is really founded on the basis of what we call Judeo-Christian principles, the Ten Commandments. Without the 10, I mean we it if and I don't know who said this, but one of our founding fathers basically said the freedom that we've given you will fall apart without the foundational structure of these. John Adams, John Adams.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

He said our laws pertaining to a non-religious society are just throw them out. And and even Thomas Paine and the forefathers who weren't Christians, and we don't know, you know, Ben Franklin, deist, Thomas Jefferson wrote a Bible and took all the miracles out, you know, like I don't know what to make of those guys. But one thing I do know, they were respective of those values. That's long since out the window.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

Absolutely. Well, I want to encourage you that watching today and get involved. I'm homeschooling kids this summer, this year, and we're gonna be doing a lot in the area of politics and civics and learning this stuff. I want them to understand, I want them to be informed voters and not only vote, but understand biblically uh why we're voting. And I, you know, a lot of times too, there is this push that what a politician can do for you. Now, our source is the Lord. And so we have to vote in such a way, not just because that guy or that girl is is doing something just for me that I need, but that it's based on biblical principles, like for me when it comes to life. You know, that is a big deal. And I look at it's a non-negotiable for me. I look at families, I look at um children, I look at all of that and and the the importance of the family saying intact and how there's such an attack on the family. So all of those mean a lot to me. I and I want you to be informed. Um, before we close here, I want you to pray um over those families watching, but also here in Florida, I want you to address amendment three.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Yeah, so amendment three quickly is I guess two quick things. One is one is we have a good gentleman running for governor, he's a believer. He's also checked every box, his name is Jim Shaw, and he can't be bought. Good guy, just thought I'd bring that up. Look up Jim Shaw for governor on amendment three. Um, like I I put some things out and framed it as a moral thing, and people are like, God, I never thought of it that way. Amendment three is basically it will take our homestead assignment from 50,000 to 250,000. Without this is where the information misinformation, merchants of misinformation are going to be all over the place. You're gonna get mailers, it's gonna tsunamis coming, um, where it does not touch teachers or first responders. Okay. Now, having said that, our teachers in Florida, as compared to other states, are woefully paid. And I wish something would happen here. So I I need to put that caveat in there, but they're not gonna take what they have, so that's not an issue, but they're gonna make it an issue. Um, meaning that all the municipalities, like here in Norman Beach, are gonna have to live, guess what? Like you do, like I do with a budget. Imagine that. And and that's like Martha Stewart said, that's always a good thing, you know. Um, so you got to be careful with that. But the moral issue is this the Bible has a God had a lot to say about property rights, that when you hit 62 and you've been paying your taxes all your life and you own your house outright. I I just think it's immoral to continue to be taxed on that because you don't own it, but it's yours. If it's really yours, and you know what? As far as your electric lights and all that, if you want to live off the grid, get solder and and never have to pay anything, God help you. Good. You can one dig your own well, whatever. I you know, fine, it's your property. You should own that. People really we we don't own property. I mean, that's a fallacy. This will make it a reality, and and I think that's a good thing, but watch out for the misinformation that's coming. Um, the the municipalities, first responders, they're gonna be really upset there we are because they want more money, and when we give them more money, they spend it. That's always gonna be a problem.

SPEAKER_02 17:40

Thank you for sharing that. And we're gonna pray here. I'm gonna ask you to pray. And I want to emphasize prayer when we vote. Again, not just my agenda or how that person's gonna help me. Property taxes, that's a big deal. I like that. That's gonna be really nice. Um, and because the property taxes stay with the property even when you die, right? And they get handed on to your yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

If you have anything a hundred square foot home, you're gonna be paying in Oregon Beach somewhere between 42 and 4,500 hours, right? A year. Yeah, your tax bill will now be 1900. Wow, very manageable. Uh and I'm you know, I'm you know, I don't I don't accept, you know, you know my you know me, you know, I don't accept much for what I do as a pastor. I that's me. That's I say that for myself. And it's a supplement to my social security because they get social security, and you know, we're on fixed incomes, and when you're on a fixed income, it's deadly when these these you know taxes just keep rising and rising, and there's so many people suffering because of it, and they shouldn't be. They've worked all their life, they've earned this. The president has talked about this many times, and I and that I I like the fact that he has. So this is a really good thing. Vote yes if you're in Florida on amendment three, and don't buy into the misinformation, and that's a problem. We haven't talked about this, but if I might the fourth estate, the media. It if is if you're getting your information from mainstream media, you're in you're in trouble. You're in massive trouble because it's it's hopelessly biased, if I might use that term. It's that bad.

SPEAKER_02 19:13

Well, I think that what what we often can do is you can go to meet mainstream media or to this camp for all your information. Uh, if you're on the left, if you're on the right, you can go to this side for all your information. Uh, what we really need to do is take the information that we're getting and filter it through the truth of God's word through prayer. That's what I want you to pray. Is you getting all this. What's actually true? So my kids came to me and said some stuff that they heard about Israel. Now it was from some feed, right? Who is the person who's that's the worst? That's the big one. That's and I heard 70% of this is true, 70% of the feeds that we're getting are coming from out of the country. So no wonder you're gonna get all this stuff. Well, let's filter it through the truth of God's word. Well, I don't know the Israel, they're there, they're this and that. Well, let's look at what the word says about Israel, let's pray about it. Uh, but when it comes to the media that we're getting, you need to be careful to not only be you know be very selective about you know what what you're getting, but what how does it filter through the truth of God's word? Is that's yeah, because you do want information, you need information.

SPEAKER_01 20:19

Yes, if there's an opportunity in some other package, I would love to come on and just talk about the Israeli-Palestinian thing that's going on and shed a lot of light on that. Um, I would recommend two sources 1440.com is a news source that filters through the word of God, and the poorover.com. Those are two very good news sources where you're gonna get it about as unbiased coming through the a Christian lens. Now, people are gonna say, Well, that's biased. Well, yeah, we love the Lord, we're looking for we love the Lord. You know, I I don't believe Jesus is Republican, Democrat, libertarian, or anything, but don't tell me for one second that he wasn't conservative. Um, and the other thing is that you know, Jesus, you're gonna hear this, and this is important to say people are gonna say Jesus was a socialist. No, Jesus was an altruist, and the difference is in altruism, you do it voluntarily. Right, you and I are bond servants, free will servants, and socialism. You don't get in line, you're gone. You're 65 years old, you need a kidney. Good luck on that because you're never gonna get it. You know, you're expendable, right? So, and that's what that's what happened. Our country is looking at right now.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

Now, that's the perversion or the the counterfeit that you see the devil will do based on you know they'll take what God said and counterfeit it. So why don't you pray for those watching? I want to encourage you to get involved, pray about it. I think discernment is the key. Discernment is when you listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in your heart on what you should be doing, how you should be praying. I think I don't think we pray for our politicians enough. And there were politicians that I didn't like at all, and I realized the Lord convicted me. I never prayed for. Them ever. And I'm thinking, why would I pray for them? Then that's wrong, didn't it? And then you get the politician you want, and then you pray for him. So that's wrong. So I I know the Lord's convicted me to get more involved, to be prayerfully involved. And for me, I want to see families flourishes. So when it comes to that, there are many laws that have come down here in Florida over the last couple of years that have been family-friendly laws that have helped family and have and helped fathers and helped even foster families. And that's what we work in. And in and caregivers and that whole world, uh, to see the family be stronger. I want to see that happen. And that's what this podcast is all about. So pray for those involved.

SPEAKER_01 22:37

Yeah. And and you know, the people that get involved, and this is like here in our our city. You know, I I have no doubt in my mind, they really want to serve, they don't, and then they get co-opted. That's what happens. It's the money, it's this, that. You know, but before I pray, I just wanted to say this. You know, when it comes to the family, they're like, Thank you for what you guys do, man. Thank you. One family is the real deal. I mean, I you know, you guys have really done a lot. And I just want to say that, you know, we appreciate what you're doing.

SPEAKER_02 23:04

So, real quick, we do a camp for foster kids every year called Royal Family Kids Camp. And we had 51 volunteers and 22 kids, and one of those volunteers was our rec director, which is this guy right here. So, for a senior pastor, so this was your third year, third year. His third year coming as rec direct to take a week off of minister. It's unbelievable. He's like, as long as you get me a golf cart, I'll come and be enough kids. Oh, you're right. No, but he comes and the kids love him, and he helps with all of our rec stuff with the kids. But I appreciate you as a senior pastor. We had two senior pastors, I guess, uh, you know, and then with Lynette, she heads up our kids' ministry. She's a full-time pastor. Uh, and um, and then Rick, uh, who's coming in, he's a pastor as well, a missionary. So we had a lot of um ministers come to our camp. But you know how many churches were representing? About 13. Yeah, that's really incredible. So I appreciate uh you being involved in our camp. Learn about our kids camp. It's really, really great. Why don't you close this in prayer? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

So, Father, in Jesus' name, we just I thank you, Lord, for an opportunity our opportunity to be here today. And God, I just pray that you would, as I'm praying for individuals all over the country who are watching this, that you would just place it on their hearts, Lord, to examine to to not just the easy way, Lord, is to just, you know, uh, you know, just uh, you know, um just basically say, okay, this candidates or how this one looks or how this one acts or whatever, or just get you know mainstream media news. No, Lord, that they would actually go to the candidate's website and look at what he stands for versus what we stand for, what they stand for, Lord. And and I the real prayer I pray is that people would vote values, Lord, vote biblical values. Too many of us, Lord, we confess, too many of us have gone to the voting booth uh and before we left the house, we put Jesus in the drawer, in the drawer, put him away, went in, voted, came back. Okay, Lord, come back out, and you know, and and I've had a lot of Christians say to me, Well, my voting has nothing to do with my walk with the Lord. Uh today we tell you it has everything to do with your walk with the Lord. So, Father, would you just help us and me first, Lord? I always say me first when I'm preaching, um, to be informed and to know what's going on, and that way we uh will vote properly and we will also be well aware of what the enemy is trying to do, his what his schemes, his fiery darts, the wiles of the enemy, scripture talks about. I thank you, Lord, that when we do our homework, you expose him. And we pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Amen. Thank you, Pastor Al. Thank you for joining us today. I want to encourage you to go to GGCVC. GGCVC.com. That's Greater Grace Chapel here in Holly Hill, the Greater Daytona area. Uh, Pastor Al is the pastor of that church. They're sponsoring this episode, so we really appreciate that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 26:04

And I just want to say, all seats are free.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

They are. That's true. They are free. That's exactly right. Come check them out. Sunday morning, what time?

SPEAKER_01 26:11

Uh, Sunday mornings at 10 30. We have a Bible study, Doll Bible study in prayer time uh from 9 40 to 10 15.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

Yeah, come check it out. They're great people. Thank you for joining us today. Check out onefamilyfl.com. Today would ask you to pray about uh giving a recurring guest, a monthly supporter of what we do. We want to see families grow and flourish and for the family to be healed. And I'm telling you, God is doing some great things in families, not only just here in Florida, but around the country. Check out onefamilyfl.com today. Thank you for joining us. God bless.