Voter Registration Sundays

Statement of Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh

Vice President, National Pro-life Religious Council

The National Pro-life Religious Council (NPRC) this day joins the Christian Coalition and Priests for Life in calling for Christians across this land to fulfill their God-given responsibility to help select those men and women who will serve in the full spectrum of government offices. The Christian mandate to "love our neighbor as ourselves," so central to the church's understanding of our societal responsibilities, directs us to seek the election of those candidates whose policies and legislative commitments will best accord with the truth of Scripture and the traditions of the Christian church. The NPRC firmly believes that leaders with sound ideology will be more likely to craft and execute sound legislation. This will, in turn, prove to be a benefit to all the citizenry of this country.

However, in order to help select such leaders the Christian first needs to be registered to vote. Toward this end, the National Pro-life Religious Council is promoting a series of Voter Registration Sundays. We will be aiding the respective traditions and Christian communities represented within the interdenominational coalition which is the NPRC, to get the people in the pews to the ballot box come this November and in subsequent elections. The NPRC considers participation of informed, Christian voters in the electoral process to be vital to the ongoing health of this nation and we will do all that we can to help local pastors in their particular parishes get their constituency registered, informed and voting.

Of particular concern to the NPRC are legislative decisions that erode the dignity of human life. The NPRC maintains that it is the responsibility of the church to insist that society not adopt policies that would deny the sanctity of human life and, as a consequence, lead people to take life lightly. The church must advocate the protection of those who cannot protect themselves. This is a primary reason for our working to make the influence of the church felt at the ballot box.

Citizens of the United States have the wonderful privilege of making their convictions known by voting their conscience on Election Day. This privilege extends to those citizens who are members of the Christian church and the NPRC will do all we can to get them to the polls.

Home