Dear Republican Lawmakers,
I have been a pastor for twelve years, first, at a church in Minnesota for four-and-a-half years, and for the past eight years as the lead pastor at Eureka Baptist Church in St. Croix Falls, WI. Ever since the first time I cast a vote, I’ve voted for Republican candidates because their values are more in line with Scripture than those of (or lack thereof) the Democrat Party. Back in February of this year, I wrote a piece making the case that at this point no Christian can vote for the Democratic Party in good conscience. I explained that the entire 2024 Democratic party platform is at odds with biblical Christianity
Gratefulness for You
As I write this letter, I want to start by thanking you for being the Party of Common Sense and for traditionally aligning with biblical values. I am enormously grateful that Donald Trump won the election on November 5th. I counseled my church and other Christians that voting for Trump was the obvious choice to be biblically faithful. I stand here, along with you, relieved that the Marxist agenda of Kamala Harris and the Democrat Party was fended off, and with God’s help, brighter days are ahead for America. But now that the Republican Party is close to power both nationally and also in most states, I thought it appropriate to explain my desire to see reform to receive God’s full blessing on our land. As Scripture teaches, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). But first, I want to demonstrate my appreciation for the many policies that you stand against and advocate that conform with God’s will.
You Stand Against Transgender Craziness
In this election season, you have taken a stand against the Left’s radical agenda. You’ve positioned yourself against boys playing girls’ sports because you recognize the distinction between male and female (Genesis 1:27). God made boys stronger (1 Peter 3:7) and you recognize that mixing the genders in physical competition puts female athletes in danger. You also see the danger of biological boys identifying as girls going into girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. No girl should be terrified that a boy identifying as a girl is allowed into safe and private places like a bathroom or locker room.
You Stand Against Far-Left Abortion Policies
I appreciate that you recognize the evil of the Left’s abortion agenda. They advocate for abortion late into term a woman has the right to kill her child, and incredibly, even say, that a baby’s life should still be ended after a botched abortion. The Democratic Party has targeted women by telling them, “You can have an abortion whenever you want, so vote for us” but you recognize this as evil and for that I’m appreciative.
You Stand Against Open Border
You also recognize the crisis of our nation’s border (or lack thereof). Under Nehemiah’s leadership, the Israelites built a wall in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1-7) and were right to do so. No nation that wants to protect itself and maintain its values allows millions of people to cross its border unchecked. You recognize that those who want to emigrate to the US must do so according to our laws (Romans 13:1-7). You recognize that our nation’s strength is dependent on the strength of our borders.
You Stand Against the Marxist Invasion
You also recognize the dangers of socialism and Social Justice. Socialism takes money away from hard-working Americans and gives it to those who haven’t worked. But the Bible says, “If anyone does not work, let him not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Through the philosophy of free market economics, America has prospered (Proverbs 10:22). You recognize that socialism is not only against our national identity but also against what is right and good as it involves theft (Exodus 20:15). I appreciate that many of you are against Social Justice and understand the Marxist agenda behind it. The Social Justice push has divided America. It creates an environment of victimhood while erasing personal responsibility. However, an America that is going to thrive as a united whole is a nation that shows no partiality (James 2:1). The November 5th election of Donald Trump fought off this destructive worldview that would bring America to an end.
You Stand Against Globalism
I appreciate that many of you are against globalism. I say many of you because sadly, some Republicans have linked arms with globalist forces. Still, I also understand that a good majority of you, like Trump, are America-first politicians. If America does well the whole world does well. We saw that during Trump’s first term increased global safety because of his strong leadership. We need to have a strong homeland before we can help anyone else around the world. A strong America founded on biblical values is a blessing to the world. But the globalist agenda aims to weaken America, erase our national identity, and bring us down to size. The globalist agenda through organizations like the World Economic Forum has no problem spending and printing money to continue to weaken the American economy as they attempt to move toward a one-world currency; something that is predicted in Scripture (Revelation 13:16-17). The globalist movement is evil to the core as it pushes Marxism, the propaganda of the climate agenda. It is the globalist movement, through organizations like the World Health Organization, that caused the lockdown of the entire world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for opposing this (frankly satanic) agenda. Lastly, thank you for supporting Israel, for Scripture tells us that those who honor Abraham’s descendants will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).
Areas of Reform: Pro-Life
For the remainder of this letter, I desire to express my concerns about the direction of the Republican Party, a party that my grandfather, my parents, and I have supported our entire lives. The reason I, my family, and our fellow Christians have supported the Republican Party is because of the biblical values that the Party has promoted in the public square. The Republican Party has long been the party of life. It has been the party for those who believe life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16), and a baby in the womb is a vulnerable person whose life must be protected. At about 5-6 weeks, a baby’s heart-beat can be detected. It breaks my heart to see Republicans propose abortion bills at twelve, fourteen, and twenty weeks. To push forward legislation that allows for abortion in the early stages is morally wrong. To say that there are certain circumstances where a woman can have an abortion is also morally wrong. These break the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13).
It may be that a young woman is in no place to be a mother, but this is where the Republican Party has long promoted adoption so the baby can be welcomed into a loving home. I feel a strong desire to hold you to following “the law of nature and nature’s God,” the very wording found in the Declaration of Independence. Both science and Scripture tell us that the baby in the early stages is a person. This must be reflected in your legislative efforts. I have been especially concerned hearing from some Republican politicians quote former President Bill Clinton who once said that abortions should be, “safe, legal, and rare.” There is nothing safe or legal (in God’s eyes) about ending the life of a baby in the womb. Drift happens over time and this drift must be recognized. Do we want the Republican Party to be the Democratic Party of the 90s? The Republican Party has always been the party of life, and Lord willing, as you do your part in the legislature following God’s law, that can be the case again. Thank you to those who have held the line on this. In particular, Florida Governor Ron Desantis has fought for the life of the baby at the earliest stages (the amendment to overturn his heartbeat bill failed on election day). It is worth noting that while Desantis has been strong against abortion at the earliest stages, under his leadership, Florida has become the most prosperous state in America. Even though the Left will view you as radical, many more will appreciate your moral courage in the public square.
Areas of Reform: Pro-Marriage and Family
I am also concerned about the drift that has happened in the Republican Party on the issue of marriage. As much as I appreciate the many good things that President Trump did during his first term and I trust he will do in his second term, the decline of the Party on this issue has happened under his leadership, and it started even before Trump took office. It really started when the Obergefell Decision was made by the Supreme Court on June 26th, 2015.
Before this misinterpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Republican Party understood the danger of tampering with God’s design in marriage. The crumbling of a society occurs once it moves away from how God set things up for humanity’s blessing. We can see the chaos and destruction of the Democratic Party. First, they wanted gay marriage and they got it, but they didn’t stop there. Then it became about transgender rights and now humans can identify as quite literally, anything they want (even cats). Now the Republican Party is the party of common sense, so God forbid that it goes down that radical path. When you take away God’s design of marriage between one man and one woman, it opens the gates up for dysfunction in society. It is God’s design that every home has a loving father and mother who have children (if he wills), and they raise these children to be productive adults. Most importantly, the children need to be raised in the ways of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6). A nation that follows God’s design in this will be blessed. As Scripture teaches, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
The Recipe for American Greatness
What made America great, to begin with, was biblical Christianity. When America largely followed God’s design, His blessing was with us, and we were arguably the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. To have a platform that is out of line in key areas with biblical values will not make America as great as it once was. Right now, the Republican Party is not the full-blown evil of the Left, but truthfully, it has embraced some egregious immorality. After this significant electoral victory (that we all rightly celebrate), I write this to warn you. The Republican Party should once again be the party that fully protects babies in the womb from conception and understands that the backbone of a strong nation is strong families. This can only happen if the Party returns to taking a stand on marriage.
Our founding fathers recognized that the long-term success of the United States depended on following “the laws of nature and nature’s God.” The Republican Party needs to provide a clear alternative to the craziness of the Left, and not the fractured alternative that it is right now. The last thing I want to say is that while I want our Country to have peace and prosperity again and I am hopeful that we will see this again in the near future, my greatest hope is that a King is coming who will make all things right (Revelation 19:11-21). That King is Jesus Christ, and one day he will rule a kingdom (Isaiah 9:6-7) where the law will be perfect and the people who populate this Kingdom will be those who believe that Jesus died for their sins and rose from the dead (Revelation 5:9-10). My prayer is that Jesus would be your Lord and Savior as you trust in him for your salvation (John 3:16). Thank you for serving office at the local, state, and national levels. My prayer is that you would take to heart what I have written and honor the Lord in the sphere that he has placed you. As you do this you will experience his blessing and so will the people he has placed you over.
Sincerely,
Pastor Seth Brickley
