Restore Minnesota September '24 Newsletter

It’s Time to Show Up!
by Dale Witherington

America witnessed a national miracle last week. Kamala Harris and Assistant Coach Tim Walz did an interview.

The interview was not exactly what Americans expected. It wasn’t live. It was scripted. It was edited. And, it was a train wreck. Unless, of course, you write for CNN and euphemistically do all you can to avoid telling us the obvious: Harris is an empty suit and even with all her prep work for the interview, Americans still don’t know much, if anything, of the policies of a Harris/Walz administration.

Well, maybe we do.

It will be the current administration’s preponderance of Marxist/Socialist/ Communist/Globalist policies on steroids. Those of us in Minnesota who had to fight back to have our religious liberty restored after the party led by Coach Walz stole it from us in their 2023 version of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, are trying to let the nation know how bad of a ticket we have in Harris/Walz.

Those of us in Minnesota who had to fight back to have our religious liberty restored after the party led by Coach Walz stole it from us in their 2023 version of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, are trying to let the nation know how bad of a ticket we have in Harris/Walz.

Indeed, Harris/Walz is America’s greatest existential threat not only to our democratic process, but to our representative Constitutional Republic. In the words of others, they are the greatest threat to our democracy.

Then again, maybe not.

There is the potential of a greater threat. This threat may be the most insidious of all. It is a threat so great that history may point to this one thing as the major cause of America’s fall should that fall actually happen. The threat to which I refer is the failure of American Christians to do their most basic Biblically civic duty, which is showing up to vote.

The threat to which I refer is the failure of American Christians to do their most basic Biblically civic duty, which is showing up to vote.

In his book, “Christianity and Government,” published in 2022, author Jared Dodd points out 3 glaring failures of Evangelical Christians in America:

1.  Only 50% are registered to vote.
2.  Only ½ of those register to vote actually show up and vote, and
3.  Only ½ of those who vote actually vote for candidates and issues that line up most closely with values taught in the Bible.

12.5%. That’s it. Only 12-13 out of every 100 Christians who show up to vote actually vote for those who best represent Biblical values.

Only 12-13 out of every 100 Christians who show up to vote actually vote for those who best represent Biblical values.

This begs another question or two: Are American Christians, especially those who do vote, really that ignorant about Biblical values or are we merely disobedient?

Part of the answer might be found in Megan Basham’s new book, “Shepherds For Sale: How Evangelical Leaders Traded The Truth For A Leftist Agenda”. This book describes in detail how outside forces, antagonistic to the teachings of Jesus, have infiltrated His church, twisted His message and brought us false teachers propagating a false gospel.

Another part of the answer might be found at FRCAction.org in their Biblical worldview section. Only about 6% of us have a Biblical worldview. That number recently dropped to about 4%. It is less for those under age 25. Bottom line: We no longer have a clear understanding of what the words “Christian” or “Biblical values” mean.

Bottom line: We no longer have a clear understanding of what the words “Christian” or “Biblical values” mean.

I believe this lack of understanding is a primary reason why Christians don’t vote.

Why is this? Well again, according to George Barna at the FRCAction.org website, depending on the issue, somewhere between roughly 70% and 91% of us want our pastors to do a better job teaching us what the Bible has to say about current issues and what we should be doing about them. Sadly, also according to Barna, only 14% are willing to do so. While we must help America’s pastors understand their role in educating their congregations about key principles of Biblical Citizenship, we cannot wait for them to get on board. Christians must get educated, equipped and take Holy Spirit-led action with or without their pastors.

Christians must get educated, equipped and take
Holy Spirit-led action with or without their pastors.

With thanks to Karin Miller, one of our Community Action Team (CAT) leaders, who is the author of “Faith in Action” (see https://karinmiller.substack.com), here are just a few of the Biblical issues the political realm has attacked and what the Bible has to say about them:

Life
The Bible says that life is a gift from God from conception to natural death. Every human life is purposed from the mind of God. See Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:4-5 and Luke 1:41-44.

As of this writing, the Democrat position is to push for “female reproductive rights” which include the draconian measures protected by Coach Walz for the right to have an abortion up to and including birth. If the baby survives the abortion attempt, to set it on the table and let it die. Is this what traditional Democrats thought they were getting when they voted in their trifecta? I don’t think so. In addition, the party of Harris/Walz promotes physician-assisted suicide rather than support the concepts of palliative care and natural death. Useless eaters? Euthanize them.

The Republican position, though weakened in its new platform, still opposes elective abortions, especially those that are done primarily for birth control, and provides protections against physician-assisted suicide. Which position is more in line with “Biblical values”? In this case, clearly the Republican position.

Biological Sex
The Biblical position is clear: God determines sex and gender. A person either has XX or XY chromosomes. So, any person born with XX chromosomes is female; XY chromosomes is male. Pure, simple biological science determined by God. See Genesis 1:26-27.

As of this writing, the Democrats support the idea of rejecting the biological argument and replacing it with “sex assigned at birth”. Their position is that sex and gender is fluid and that biology does not necessarily reflect who a person really is. If a male “feels” he is a female, then that’s who he becomes. If a female “feels” she is a male, then that is who she becomes.

In other words, based on our human feelings (which are constantly changing, especially if you are a youth), God made a mistake. His mistake was putting a male into a female body or a female into a male body. This mistake is accentuated if we would only realize there are not merely two genders but there are at least 74! At medicinenet.com, the medical author and medical reviewer of a February 9, 2024 article about “Healthy Relationships” discuss gender identity. In their article, they identify 74 genders and take the position that “Gender is more regarded as a binary concept where one can either be a male or a female” and “It has emerged as a continuum or spectrum where one can identify themselves as any of the gender identities”.

On the other hand, even though they are being challenged by some infiltrators, the Republican position upholds the biological realities that there are only two sexes/genders and that these are determined by God, not assigned by humans at birth. Humans don’t assign sex and gender, we acknowledge what God has given. Again, the Republicans maintain a position much more in line with Biblical values.

Marriage
The Biblical position, never in question until the successful infiltration by the crowd that calls pastors “patsies,” therefore making them the primary target of the infiltrators (see Basham’s book), is one man and one woman for life in the covenant of marriage. Allow me to be clear, I am not throwing stones at anyone who has gone through the difficulties associated with a divorce or bad marriage. My last name came from my third dad as a result of multiple divorces. The issue here is not divorce. The issue is the definition of marriage. The Bible makes it clear: one man and one woman, ideally, for life is the standard to which we aspire. See Genesis 2:18-25.

The issue is the definition of marriage.

Unfortunately, the church gave up its moral ground when it allowed the government to invade its space and redefine “marriage” through legislation. How did the church give up its moral authority? During the marriage debates, the church did not show up. By not showing up, its silence made the church complicit to a complete anti-Biblical definition of “marriage” and “family” that is constantly being stretched to include gay, lesbian, polyamorous and who-knows-what entities.

The Democrats have been the strongest promoters of these ungodly relationships and the Republicans are caving. However, for the most part, the Republicans are still the closer of the two major parties to support what is normally called “traditional” marriage and family, while advocating for parental rights over their minor children and standing firm against the devastation of elective child mutilation surgeries in the name of “affirmation”. Democrats are hellbent on destroying the Biblical view of family; Republicans still generally support it.

Race
The Bible is clear. There is one human race represented in a variety of shapes, sizes and skin tones. We all bleed red. See Acts 17:26 and 1 Samuel 16:7.

If American political history has taught us anything, it has taught us that the Democrats have been the party of racism and discrimination based on skin color for the entirety of their existence. Read Frederick Douglass on race. Read Booker T. Washington on race. Read Morgan Freeman on race. The American Congressional record is clear: No matter how they masquerade around it, todays Democrats are the ugliest of racists.

The policies of the 1960’s have decimated Black families in America. Organizations like TakeCharge (takecharge.us) are working hard to change this. Today’s DEI policies are among the most racist. Demanding equal outcomes rather than equal opportunities is not a Biblical value.

The Republican Party was founded with a purpose to abolish slavery. The 3/5ths clause in the U. S. Constitution was written for the purpose of moving toward an abolition of slavery. Demonizing, victimizing or elevating anyone because of the color of their skin is not a Biblical value. It is slapping God in the face for making some the “wrong” color”. It is demonic.

Demonizing, victimizing or elevating anyone because of the color of their skin is not a Biblical value. It is slapping God in the face for making some the “wrong” color”. It is demonic.

The Democrats promote this kind of racism and race baiting. The Republicans, on the other hand, while not perfect, still believe in the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. declaration about the content of a person’s character is more important than the color of one’s skin.

Government
All human governments are imperfect. All are established to provide law and order for imperfect, sinful people. The American system of Government, a Constitutional Republic based on the rule of law with a separation of powers of the three branches of government, is the only one in history established primarily on the principles of the Bible. It is the only nation in history founded on covenants with the God of the Bible and the intention of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is a fact that one of the first official acts of Congress following our victory in the War for Independence was to print the first American-made Bible The Congressional desire was that it be at the center of every American home. Our government leaders wanted We The People to know and live the scriptures. Part of the reason was to create a godly citizenry; part of the reason was to keep the government in check.

In today’s world, our culture is demanding that the Bible conform to cultural whims and desires, if it is to be used at all. The fact of the matter is, with or without the guidance of the Bible, the differences between the two major parties on this issue continue to shrink.

The Democrats have all but scuttled anything having to do with constitutionality. Their idea of a “living Constitution” basically gives them a blank check to make the Constitution mean anything they want it to mean as long as they can twist it enough to support their globalist, anti-American agenda. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, today’s Democrat Party is anything but Democratic. They are led by Communists (aka Democratic Socialists) and, here in Minnesota, they rely primarily on the self-proclaimed “Queer Caucus” as their rudder to steer legislation. They have become the party of Death, Destruction, Deception, Dishonesty and the Dismantling of America.

The Republican Party is not without its flaws. It, too, is succumbing to the idea that it must change its party principles to satisfy the changing whims of culture. That is a risky compromise. At what point does the party completely lose its identity because it has betrayed the principles upon which it was founded?

However, it is still the one major party that believes the Constitution is the supreme law of the land (Article 6) and the principles upon which it was written are unchanging. The only thing that makes our Constitution “living” is the fact that it, along with the Declaration of Independence, are primarily based on the living Word of God, the Bible. Today, the Republican Party still values the original intent of our founding.

So, what are Christians to do in the upcoming elections? It’s pretty simple.

1. Pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 tells us to pray without ceasing, to make prayer a lifestyle. 1 Timothy 2:1-14 instructs us to pray for our leaders, especially for their salvation. Proverbs 29:2 tells us why: Righteous leaders cause the people to live in a manner in which they can rejoice. Wicked, foolish leaders cause the people to live in a manner in which they continually groan. Since the 2020 elections, how much rejoicing versus groaning have you done based on our governmental leadership and the policies they’ve created?

2. Register to vote. God has placed us intentionally in a nation that has given us both the duty and the honor of having a voice in our government. In order to use it wisely, we must register to vote.

3. Get Educated. Do we blindly vote party line because that’s how Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa voted? Or, do we take the time to find out all we can about the people and the party we are choosing as our government leaders? We’ve already pointed out significant differences between the two major parties. Now, get to know the candidates. Be assured, they will be pressured to conform to their party’s line of thinking and, they will for the most part vote along party lines. Sometimes the differences are minimal. Sometimes, like this year’s elections, they are monumentally different. Know for whom and for what you are voting.

4. Help elect godly people. Join a campaign. Make calls. Knock on doors. March in parades. Serve as election judges or poll observers. Give money. Bottom line: Get involved!

5. Show up and vote. Vote early or vote on election day . . . your choice. But demonstrate your Biblical citizenship obedience by showing up and voting. Philippians 1:27 instructs us to “behave as citizens worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (ESV). The classical Greek interpretation could also mean “Do politics worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ”. How can we do either if we don’t show up?

This is clearly the longest newsletter article I have ever written. I hope you have read it all. It is part of my plea for what we must do in our fight to restore righteousness in America. And that is why Restore Minnesota exists.

Join us!

Dale

Rev. Dale A. Witherington, Chief Steward
Restore Minnesota
651.785.3647
Dale@RestoreMN.org
www.RestoreMN.org

A Light in the Darkness
by Dan Montague, Restore MN Senior Steward

The Robin Sertell Restore Minnesota Tour was a great success!

Robin and her husband, Rick, pulled into our state with their 35-foot fifth wheel RV pulled by a double-cab dually diesel Chevy truck on Wednesday, August 21. Over the next seven days, she shared her incredible, miraculous story of surviving three saline infusions in the womb at five speaking events, all in churches. Robin said that usually doesn't happen. Most churches across the country do not want to support an abortion survivor speaking powerfully for pro-life. That's sad!

These five events brought in about 400 people to hear her story. All the offerings were very generous. Robin and Rick were so humbled and blessed.

Robin also took time to: pray in front of the abortion clinic in Robbinsdale, meet with the Respect Life Committee of St. Andrews Church in Elk River, teach a workshop on Why Christians Should Engage in Prolife Work, tour the Elevier Women’s Center in Elk River, do a couple interviews, and more … all while keeping tabs on what was happening in the Pro-life arena of her home state of Montana. More on that later.

It seemed that all those attending the five speaking events were deeply moved not only by Robin’s account of the miracle of her surviving an abortion, but also how she knew “Daddy God” had a plan for her life even before having a relationship with Jesus Christ. At age nine, she actually died of some of the many complications she dealt with through her childhood. She was in a beautiful place, felt no pain, but was told, “Jesus loves you. It’s not your time. You will walk for Him.” And poof! She was back in her body!

Robin relayed other miraculous events that brought her into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. She has served Him and Daddy God passionately from that time forward, knowing that her mission in life is to Serve God and Save Babies.

May we all be about the Kingdom business of

serving God and saving babies.

Her story is not just about the miracles of healing in her body and her salvation, but is a true testament to the power of forgiveness. As an adult, “Daddy God” helped her to forgive her mother who tried to kill her three times!!

Robin’s home state of Montana is experiencing a battle in the pro-life arena. Some of the previously strong pro-life organizations have weakened and their influence on state-wide pro-life vs pro-death legislation has diminished. Robin said that coming to Minnesota gave her a glimpse of what Montana is heading toward. Ouch!

Consequently, she has been led of God to serve as the Chair of Montanans for Life, a pro-life political advocacy group focusing on creating a culture of life in Montana. And, she maintains an active schedule of speaking on behalf of the unborn to groups like ours and testifying to legislatures across the country. Her clarion call is:

“Babies do survive abortions. You’ve just met one!”

Pray for Robin and her ministry. Pray that her voice and her story be heard far and wide across this nation. Pray that Montana does not continue on a path to make killing babies easier.

Robin brings the light and love of Jesus and Daddy God to every place she goes. She brought a bright light into Minnesota’s dark culture of death and it made a difference. She encouraged us to keep our lights shining even brighter as we serve God and help save babies.

Election/Voting Resources from Karin Miller ...

Remember: it is a sacred privilege in a free country to be able to cast a vote – to be able to help choose our leaders.

If you are a Christian, casting your vote to for candidates
who will better support biblical values is the simplest way
you can bring the salt and light of Christ to bear
on our local, state, and national government.

Commit NEVER to take the privilege of your vote
for granted again.

Vote to restore BALANCE in Minnesota November 5, 2024!

www.mnvotes.org

Everything you need to know about voting in the August 13th Primary and the November 5 General Election.

Voter Education Booth

Host this at your church or parish! Click HERE to read my article explaining the Voter Education Booth and see an example!

Early Voting Toolkit

Info and resources developed by Ann Boyd of Women Advancing Freedom, plus more info on setting up your own Voter Education Booth today!

Restore Minnesota Community Action Teams

The Purpose and Mission of Restore Minnesota is to restore righteousness to our state. The strategy to do that is through developing Community Action Teams in all of the 87 counties. We currently have 15 active Community Action Teams serving at least 17 different counties. These meetings are private, by personal invitation only. If you want to be contacted about the details of attending any of these meetings, please inquire at our website...https://restoremn.org/contact-us/

1. Anoka County meeting in Ham Lake
2. Chisago County meeting in Lindstrom
3. Crow Wing County meeting in Baxter (This group is known as the Christian Constitutional Conservatives.)
4. Dakota County meeting in Lakeville
5. Douglas County meeting in Alexandria
6. Goodhue County meeting in Cannon Falls
7. Goodhue & Olmsted Counties meeting in Pine Island
8. Hennepin County meeting in Crystal
9. Isanti County meeting in Princeton
10. Kanabec County meeting in Mora
11. Pine County meeting in Sandstone (New!)
12. Ramsey County meeting in Shoreview
13. Sherburne County meeting in the Elk River area
14. Washington County meeting in Lake Elmo
15. Wright County meeting in Buffalo

If you know Christians, Conservatives, or Patriots in these areas that might be interested in Restore Minnesota and our Community Action Teams, please share this newsletter with them or direct them to our website … https://restoremn.org/contact-us … tell them to enter their information. Someone will contact them.

Support Restore MN through Patriot Mobile!

Now more than ever, it’s important to support companies and organizations that share our values; our votes are not enough! Patriot Mobile not only shares our beliefs but does something about it. They are America’s ONLY Christian conservative wireless carrier, and they donate a portion of every dollar to organizations that fight for causes you care about.

Switch to Patriot Mobile now and get FREE ACTIVATION with the offer code RESTOREUSA.

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