In a sermon urging Christians to focus on Jesus and to reject fear heading into the November election, Saddleback Church Pastor Andy Wood warned of dire spiritual consequences awaiting those who vote for candidates supportive of transgender rights, same-sex marriage and abortion access.
Wood also cautioned against candidates — whom he did not name — who would impede America’s transformation into a fully Christian nation.
“The Bible also talks about religious freedom and the fact that the government’s role is to serve and to bless those who do right and to punish those who do wrong and to give freedom to a land under the authority of God,” he said in the Oct. 13 sermon.
In 2022, Wood succeeded Rick Warren as pastor of the nation’s largest church that later was kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention for ordaining women and allowing women to preach. But Wood’s pre-election sermon placed him squarely in the camp of other megachurch pastors who either implicitly or explicitly endorse the Republican Party and Donald Trump.
Andy Wood
Wood’s Oct. 13 sermon supporting but not naming Trump urged members to engage in spiritual warfare to re-elect the former president.
Pastor Josh Howerton of Lakepointe Church in Dallas preached Oct. 6 that Christian voters, to be faithful, must select the presidential candidate who would secure the border and oppose transgender rights and abortion access. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, preached last month that Christians have a right and responsibility to vote for the gospel and uphold its “standard of righteousness.”
While evangelical and megachurch support for Trump is nothing new, the ongoing pulpit electioneering is relatively new at Saddleback. Despite his stated opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage through the years, church founder Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, was known as a conciliator.
Wood shared his conservative social and theological bent in July when he criticized French Olympic organizers for an opening ceremony including what looked like a drag queen depiction of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper painting. In fact, it was a scene from ancient Greek mythology.
“Make no mistake, this was a direct undercutting of God’s design — God’s design for sexuality, God’s design for marriage, and most importantly, a mockery of King Jesus. If I were the president of France, I would feel the responsibility to repent on behalf of my nation,” he declared. “If I were the leader of the Olympic Committee, I would feel the need to say I’m sorry to every parent who watched the Olympic opening ceremony with their family. And I would feel the need to resign now.”
Wood began his latest sermon assuring listeners he would concentrate on “the fruits of the Spirit” including joy, love, patience and peace. “I’m not going to try to convince you to think about one candidate or tell you who you should vote for. My goal is to help you think and decide from a biblical worldview,” he said.
The first test in selecting a candidate should be his or her position on abortion, Wood said.
But his intention also was to share “God’s thoughts” about the election and the slate of candidates, Wood explained. “I want to ask you to get all the way to the end of my message before you make a judgment on my message, because at some point some people are going to be offended. I’m going to step on toes and my goal is to get us to think and to see the way that God wants us to see and think. And ultimately my goal as a pastor is to do what is pleasing to God, to be obedient to what his word teaches.”
He encouraged Christians to focus on the kingdom of God for guidance in the voting booth. “When the kingdom of God transforms our homes, what it should do is impact the way that we live and love our community. And there should be followers of Jesus that are running for office and making a difference locally and literally serving God as the hands and feet of Jesus all over the world.”
Compromising on truth equates to a failure in loving neighbor, he added, and the source of that truth is Scripture. “The word of God should be the authority. If you’re a follower of Jesus, that directs and determines how you vote and all other decisions that you make with your life.”
He did not critique Trump for his voluminous lies, including lies that have endangered Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Nor did he talk about God’s command to care for immigrants, to care for the poor and welcome the stranger. He did not mention character, lying, cheating, stealing or sexual assault or accepting the results of a democratic election.
The first test in selecting a candidate should be his or her position on abortion, Wood said, citing Psalm 139: “This is the way God addresses the value of human life from conception in the womb.”
Also, the first three chapters in Genesis establish the biblical standard for male and female genders, heterosexuality and marriage strictly between a man and a woman, he continued.
Wood also denounced so-called “shield laws” that provide legal protections to families who seek transgender care in other states, and he repeated a Trump campaign falsehood that such ordinances allow the state to take children from parents who won’t seek trans medical care for them.
“Culture is trying to redefine what God has already defined. Culture is trying to confuse our understanding of gender. The Bible says he made them male and female. So, God made men and women, boys and girls. … All other kinds of sexual intimacy outside of that is a sin. But every time we violate, we come up against that which God is established and we suffer the consequences of it.”
All this should be front and center for Christians on election day, he said. “So, when I look at who I’m choosing to vote for, I want my conscience to be clear before God that I’m choosing that which goes along with my convictions and understanding of what the Bible teaches and ultimately the ways of God.”
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