By Matt Edwards, Citizens Alliance of Idaho
God gave Ezekiel a job description, and it was not complicated. If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes them, then “his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezekiel 33:6, KJV).
I am not claiming to speak for the Almighty on any pastor’s accountability. I am saying the watchman has a job, and the job is to blow the trumpet. Right now, with Prop 1 on the ballot, too many Idaho watchmen are standing on the wall with their hands in their pockets. I am sick and tired of it, and I am done being polite about it.
Citizens Alliance of Idaho put up billboards in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Boise and Nampa. One says, “CHURCH LEADERS SILENT ON PROP 1? SHEEP NEED A NEW SHEPHERD.” The other says, “IS YOUR CHURCH SILENT ON PROP 1? FIND A NEW CHURCH.” Both are paid for by Citizens Alliance of Idaho Inc. We own every word and we are not sorry.
Those billboards are phase 3 in Operation: Save Hearts, CAI’s effort to demand church leaders to pay attention to this important issue on the Nov 3 ballot. The signs are the loud part, the part nobody can scroll past. The point is to get churches off the sidelines and into the fray.
What started back in the summer as a simple outreach tool encouraging church goers to approach their church leaders to understand what Prop 1 was all about, has been followed by an onslaught of activism within and outside the church. It has culminated with a monumental promise of a $1,000,000 donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints to oppose the initiative’s passage. But, we all know that no matter how much money is spent on either side of the issue, it all comes down to who shows up to vote. Every vote matters.
Election Day is November 3. That leaves only a few Sundays and a few Wednesday nights. The window is closing while too many shepherds act like the flock is on a nature walk.
Earlier this week, sixty-four Idaho legislators looked at Prop 1 and signed on to a letter urging voters to reject it. They called it an “assault on the image of God,” and they closed with “children are a heritage from the Lord.” Sixty-four elected officials found the courage to say that in public. Meanwhile some pulpits cannot find a space in-between songs to even mention it.
Scripture is blunt about what is at stake in who governs: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (Proverbs 29:2, KJV). Authority is not decided in a vacuum. Voters decide it, and voters sit in pews.
Let me be fair, because we fight fair even when we fight hard. This is not about one church or one denomination. Any pastor who has already spoken up on this deserves support. Tell them. Stand next to them.
The billboards are not for them. They are for the ones who think the safest place in a culture war is the sidelines. Well, the sidelines are not where the strong stand. The sidelines are where you watch the game get decided without you.
Talk to your pastor, your priest, your elder, this week. Ask your brother plainly where he stands on Prop 1 and whether the church will say something before November 3. Be respectful, but do not be timid. No matter the outcome, you must show up and vote, and bring your family and your neighbors.
And tell your church that Citizens Alliance of Idaho is ready to help. If your pastor or your congregation wants resources, a speaker or just a conversation, we are here. Reach out to me at matt@citizensallianceidaho.org.
We are not asking anyone to be angry. We are asking them to be brave. There is a difference, and the next few weeks will show which one Idaho has more of.