Bishop Harry Jackson Jr. won’t give voters one simple reason to cast their presidential ballot for Republican Mitt Romney on Nov. 6. He will give you four.
The senior pastor at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., and a leader of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, Jackson, like other evangelical leaders, is urging Christians to make a spiritual choice next Tuesday when they vote for president.
“This is a 1 Kings 18 moment—why should we falter between two opinions?” Jackson asked. “We must vote our values; we must vote vertical; we must vote our faith.”
Jackson broke down the list of reasons he’s urging voters to choose Romney.
“Number one, God can use anyone he chooses. When God uses his enemies to spank His people, it’s discipline. I believe that God is going to use Mitt Romney as a good influence because of his character.”
The fact that Romney is a practicing Mormon has become a sticking point with many Christians, and some are expected to shy away from him because of his devotion to that religion.
Jackson, however, uses the book of Isaiah to explain his position.
“Many of you people ask, doesn’t Romney belong to a group that believes different than Christians? I want to tell you that I do not believe as the Mormons believe,” Jackson said. “But, I believe in Mitt Romney as a candidate.
“Isaiah 45:4-6 reads: ‘Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue the nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut; I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my elect, I have even call you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the Lord and there is not other; There is no other besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other.’
“As you look at that Scripture, Cyrus did not know the Lord. God kept saying, ‘though you do not know me.’ But God used this many Cyrus to carry out His work. Cyrus claimed and received that commission from God. There are many other similar people in the Bible as well who were used as instruments by the hand of God.”
Jackson’s second reason for voting for Romney is his stance on moral issues such as eliminating abortion, upholding traditional marriage, and the protection of Israel and religious liberties.
Romney’s “practical business wisdom” is yet another reason why Jackson is drawn to the Mormon candidate.
“We need generational blessing, not generational government dependence,” Jackson said. “I believe especially for minority communities that a business-oriented solution to our economic problems is the way to go, and Mitt Romney has that. I believe that Mitt Romney is going to bring tax reform in such a way that businesses will be empowered.”
Finally, Jackson urges voters to choose Romney because of his character.
“I urge you to vote for Mitt Romney as a statement of Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. Look at Mr. Romney’s faithful character,” Jackson said. “I believe this man is going to do the right thing because of his track record historically.
“I believe that we’re living in a day that Isaiah 60 needs to be lived out. The Word says, ‘Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.’ Get up, go forth, and vote in the name of the Lord.”
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