LCA bishop says voting is ‘our sacrosanct privilege’
As Australians prepare to vote in the 2019 federal election – a time that is often synonymous with criticising politicians and debating political processes, legislation and policies – LCA Bishop John Henderson has emphasised that voting is a sacrosanct privilege.
In his Heartland eNews issued on 6 May, Bishop Henderson called on members of the church to vote responsibly, gladly and willingly.
He echoed the sentiments from his message during the 2013 election, where he said, ‘Saddened as we might be by the low level of public debate and the frantic nature of promises made and soon broken, we will pray for our elected representatives and our government with all our heart’.
In his column for the June edition of The Lutheran, he will be encouraging members of the LCA/NZ to view voting as ‘our sacrosanct privilege’ and a way to express faith: ‘It is a chance for us to act for the general good, and not out of self-interest. It is a chance for us to put the moral and ethical health of our society ahead of economic interests. It is a God-given chance for us to pray meaningfully for our leaders, politicians and parliament.’
‘Today, as our society increasingly turns away from the gospel, we risk losing the very values that make possible the freedoms we currently enjoy. We should all care about that – deeply’, he added.
‘I pray that God blesses you whenever you vote, and you do it so that others may be just as blessed as you are.’
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