This morning I’m reading about disagreements between the Harris and Trump campaigns regarding the televised debate scheduled for September 10. The primary issue appears to be live mics or no live mics, and – like so many other things this political season – it’s heated up to the point of a possible impasse. Lots of pundits are weighing in on the matter, putting forth their ideas regarding how each candidate stands to gain or lose depending upon how this gets resolved.
Regarding whether or not ABC’s debate microphones should be hot, I don’t plan to wade into those weeds. I’d bore you to death if I did. But I do find it fascinating – in our day of rampant relativism – that even this debate format controversy points to the existence of God. Yes, you read that correctly. My premise today is that the debate squabble itself points us to the God of the universe. Bear with me, friends.
The Harris camp is saying to the Trump camp, and the Trump camp is saying to the Harris camp: “The way that you’re proposing that we do this is wrong. It’s unfair. It’s biased against me.” I know that those exact words haven’t been used, but you get my point. Both sides are claiming that an injustice needs to be remedied.
The biggest piece of evidence for God is the fact that the world is unjust. (That’s why all sides are skeptical regarding the debate format.) When it comes to everything about this world, something is broken. Something is wrong. Everybody knows this, and few people would argue with this. Things in this world are not how they’re supposed to be. The Presidential debate is just one small example.
Notice that the problem is more than just, “I don’t prefer it that way.” That might be the case if we were talking about serving chocolate or vanilla ice cream after the debate. We could agree that you prefer mango and I prefer lemon, and it would be no big deal. It’s just an ice cream flavor. You wouldn’t call me a lemon loser, and I wouldn’t call you a mango malfunction. We’d simply acknowledge that you prefer one kind and I another.
But that’s not what happens in politics, and in most of life. Because the systems of this world are desperately broken. They include people trying to take advantage of each other. Trying to cheat each other. Trying to one up each other. And, sooner or later, somebody points that out. “What you’re proposing is wrong.” “Your idea is harmful.” “Your legislative plan has so many dangerous downsides that it’s a modern-day Titanic.”
Whenever you and I claim that something – anything – is wrong, we’ve pointed to a moral law. With or without declaring it outright, we have determined that there is a right, and that there is a wrong. We have appealed to a moral law.
Here’s the thing. We point to a moral law because there is a moral law. A moral law exists, even where it isn’t written down. And, if you’ll allow me, I want to take that thought one step further … the very fact that there’s a moral law means that there’s a moral lawgiver.
Isn’t that interesting? The problem of evil – which is universal – isn’t an argument against God. It’s an argument for God! Think about it like this: If God does not exist, there is no real evil to object to.
Anytime that people claim that “this is wrong” or “that is wrong,” they’re acknowledging the unshakable reality of higher and transcendent and even universal laws that govern this world. If I say that something is “supposed to be this way” – as opposed to “that way” – I’m making the same claim. I’m telling you that there is a right way and a wrong way, and I’m appealing to you to see it my way. And not just because it’s my way, but because it’s the right way. (Reminder: I’m talking about things far more important than ice cream.)
Think about what both candidates are telling us: each of them claims to know the right way forward for this nation. In large measure, they’re making moral claims. And, as they do – whether they realize it or not – they’re arguing for the existence of a moral God. All claims like that should remind us that there is One who intends a righteousness and justice that escapes us all too often.
Wherever there’s a law to violate, there’s a lawmaker. That’s true when I don’t like the speed limit restrictions on I-65, and it’s true in the remotest jungle where there’s neither language nor courthouse. The Apostle Paul makes this claim clearly in Romans 1, where he reveals God’s universal indictment of the human race: “They are without excuse.”
I encourage you to prayerfully and wisely employ this line of reasoning in your conversations out there in an election year. With people who don’t trust the Bible, you can still use the philosophical underpinnings established in God’s Word (they don’t have to know that yet) …
1. If there’s no God, there’s no morality. There’s no law. There’s no justice.
2. There is objective morality, with some common tenets among all cultures. And there’s a universal quest for justice – for wrong to be made right.
3. Therefore, there must be a God.
In case you’re interested, this ancient way of presenting truth via deductive reasoning is called a “modus tollens” or a “modus tollendo tollens.” Since each of the three premises is true, the argument itself is logical and valid. Once you really think through it, it’s rather simple and easy to remember.
And, when the time is right, you can take that conversation all the way to the very best news. Not only is there a God, but He has told us His name, and His name is Jesus!
I suppose that the impending debate between our two candidates is a big deal, right down to the mics. But I can assure you, an even bigger deal is that you and I are not alone. We have been formed and fashioned by a gracious Creator, who loves us and has called us to be His own. He sent His only Son to rescue us from the penalty and power of sin. This great God created everything around us, seen and unseen. There’s no molecule beyond Christ’s rule and reign. And He is worthy of all of our praise!
This election season is sure to have a few more twists and turns, but we can smile when our God shows off in the heat of it all.
Pastor Charles
Leave a Reply