4 election issues every pastor should address before Nov. 3

For years, pastors and Christians alike have been told by voices outside the Church, “be quiet. Stay in your lane. Leave politics to the politicians.” Sadly, too many good pastors have listened and withdrawn. The results have not been good for America.

The steep moral and spiritual decline is apparent to all. Politics has become increasingly more theological and religious, challenging longstanding civilizational norms on life, marriage, family, human sexuality, and the rule of law.

But I have also observed that those on the theological and political Left have not withdrawn from politics. They have not gone quiet. By every measure, they are more engaged in the political process than people on the Right. When believers step back, the public square does not become neutral. It becomes a vacuum, and something else always fills it.

What is actually on the ballot

With the election just weeks away, consider what voters will decide on November 3rd. In Missouri, voting “yes” on Amendment 3 repeals a 2024 abortion amendment and protects children from gender-transition surgeries. In Virginia, voting “no” on Question 1 prevents abortion in the 3rd trimester, protects parental consent, and ensures abortion providers are still held accountable.

Likewise, voting “no” on Question 2 prevents separate legal categories for sex and gender and protects religious liberty for churches, nonprofits, and Christian schools. In Nevada, voting “no” on Question 6 prevents abortion from being enshrined in the state constitution, and in Idaho, voting “no” on Proposition 1 protects existing pro-life laws in the state, including legal actions against abortion providers.

Each of these ballot measures raises deep moral and theological issues that pastors and churches must confront with their voice and their vote. Genesis 1 and 2 are foundational to the Christian faith and to historic laws in our nation that once protected the sanctity of life, marriage, God’s design for male and female, and the reality of biological sex. A pastor who has nothing to say has abandoned the pew and the public square.

Rising socialism and Islamic terror

The sudden rise of socialism is unprecedented in 2026. More than 30 self-described socialists have already won primaries this year, many backed by the radical Democratic Socialists of America. Socialism is not merely an economic theory. It is a worldview that makes the state the ultimate provider, redeemer, and master. It is also a political system that destroys constitutional rights, private property, the family, personal responsibility, and government accountability, while promoting theft, violence, envy, and covetousness. The Bible is clear: “Thou shalt not steal.” Wherever it has been tried, millions have suffered and died.

Christians must also weigh a candidate’s moral clarity on terrorism and the enemies of Western civilization. There are candidates on the ballot this year who cannot unequivocally condemn Hamas, distance themselves from the Muslim Brotherhood, or call terrorism evil. September 11, 2001, and October 7, 2023, taught us that Islamic terror cannot be trifled with. A politician who cannot condemn terrorism cannot be trusted to defeat it. Romans 13 tells us that punishing evil is a central purpose of government. Pastors who love their neighbors, including our Jewish neighbors, must help their congregations to see that.

Compassion and the rule of law

Then there is immigration, an issue that presents a contemporary challenge for many Christians. We are commanded to care for the poor, the stranger, and the oppressed. Christians in America already do more charitable work than any other group in this country, and we should never apologize for that compassion.

But we must reject the argument that compassion requires Christians to support open borders or oppose the enforcement of immigration laws. That argument is both manipulative and diabolical.

Loving people does not mean leaving the doors of your house unlocked. It does not mean opening the jail cells or leaving the borders open and unprotected. Every murder at the hands of an illegal immigrant, every man, woman, child, or narcotic illegally trafficked across the border is inexcusable. The government must uphold the rule of law and enforce it while protecting the citizens of this nation.

Scripture teaches us this in Romans 13. Compassion and the rule of law are not enemies. A faithful Christian can do both and must vote with that responsibility in mind.

The pulpit that shaped the nation can save the nation

We cannot be silent. During America’s founding, pastors had a strong and influential voice. Preachers and pulpits shaped our Founders’ understanding of religious liberty, common law, and individuals' rights and dignity. Ministers historically stood at the center of the fight to end slavery and led the civil rights movement. Pastors continue to lead the movement to end abortion; we can do more.

While pastors should never be coopted by any political party, many pastors have been coopted by the secular and political Left into cowardly silence. Embarrassed and ashamed to be seen as too political, many such pastors have avoided the most important issues on life, marriage, human dignity, and the rule of law for decades. We must help people see how biblical truth connects with every choice on the ballot.

The psalmist asked, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). We must remind them that citizenship is a Christian stewardship, and that our freedoms come with accountability before God. The foundations of life, marriage, family, liberty, and the rule of law are on the ballot this November. The righteous can do something.

Pastors, our congregations and our nation are looking to us. It is time to step up. Our voice and our vote must be heard this November.