Religion and the Midterms

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Greetings from the free state of Florida! Where America’s founding principles of our God-given rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are still available without government interference. Kudos to our term-limited governor, Ron DeSantis. Congratulations to his successor, Governor-elect Byron Donalds.

Of course, to many prolife, pro-religious-freedom, conservative Christians, the Midterm elections of 2026 were a major disappointment.

Christian author and evangelist Dr. Alex McFarland opines: “America should not be surprised that our nation, largely existing in flagrant rejection of God’s Word, is reaping the consequences of its own rebellion.”

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, writes: “In the 2018 midterms, white evangelicals made up 26% of the vote. On Tuesday, according to NBC, it was 17%. That's a decline of nine percentage points.” Joshua Arnold of the same organization wrote, “Half of evangelicals stayed home in GOP election rout.”

Our American Values president Gary Bauer, former Reagan administration advisor, comments: “Millions of well-meaning people—our neighbors, friends and for some even family members—voted for some very bad ideas, and the consequences are going to be horrific….Their election actually empowers the extreme Marxist and Islamist movements that are openly threatening America. And, sadly, I have to say that millions of Christians also empowered the extremists by not voting. These AWOL Christians are morally equivalent to someone living in colonial America and saying, ‘I don’t want to get involved in that revolution thing. We should just love everybody.’ Or living in the 1860s and saying, ‘I’m not volunteering for the Union Army. I don’t want to force my values on other people.’”

Bauer adds: “We can’t rail against what is happening to our country if millions of people who are part of the body of Christ are unwilling to engage in order to save our country and the future of our children and grandchildren.”

In addition to the kitchen table issues, the high gas prices, and the war in Iran, religion played a bigger role in the midterms than we realize.

For example, the AP reports that “Democrats with a Christian Message Helped Flip the Congress.”

An Article in The Washington Post asks: “Have Democrats cracked the code on religion?” That would appear to be the case. To me, this underscores the need for better understanding of what the Bible actually says.

Christian author and leader Rev. James Garlow of “Well Versed,” writes about: “The 11 Pastors* in the House and the Senate. Three True Shepherds and Eight False Prophets? (*I am including one seminarian as a ‘pastor’).” He argues that by biblical standards, most of these “Christian politicians” fall way short.

Here are a couple of examples that we could consider: Some of these politicians favor abortion rights. Some even say that the Bible is supposedly “pro-choice.” (But that doesn’t add up, as I’ve written before.) These politicians are on record in favor of the deliberate destruction of unborn babies.

Many on the Left today even favor abortion up to the moment of birth – oh, and they demand that we the taxpayers must fund the bill. These politicians were once in their mothers’ wombs – but they can’t find in their hearts to extend grace for those yet to be born.

Going further, these politicians are in favor of the option of surgery on confused young people’s private parts to remove perfectly functioning body parts in order to supposedly “transition” him or her to become a person of the opposite sex. It never works. And you can’t undo the “irreversible damage.” It only leads to a lot of human misery. And in some cases, suicide. That stance is so anti-Christian and so uncompassionate – yet it is dressed up as supposedly compassionate.

Thankfully, the voters in four states – liberal Colorado and Washington, plus Nebraska, and Arizona – elected not to allow boys (claiming to be girls) to compete in girls’ sports, “despite the blue wave.”

There’s much more that could be said about the Midterms 2026. One thing to add: I appreciate many of the positive things Trump has done – e.g., closing the border, advancing religious freedom, etc., but I would like to see him embrace more humility and less crudity.

Of course, boastful pride can be found on both sides of the aisle. Senate-elect Abdul El-Sayed was obnoxiously arrogant in his acceptance speech.

The Bible includes many warnings against pride. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Perhaps the most famous one is summarized as “Pride goes before a fall.”

We should pray for the country and pray for repentance for a nation that has strayed far from the vision of our settlers and founders, as one nation under God. And that repentance could well begin with God’s people humbling ourselves before Him, repenting of our sins, and turning from our wicked ways, as stated so emphatically in 2 Chronicles 7:14. If we truly do so, He promises to heal the land.

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Jerry Newcombe, D.Min., is the executive director of the Providence Forum, an outreach of Coral Ridge Ministries. He has written/co-written 36 books, including George Washington’s Sacred Fire (with Providence Forum founder Peter Lillback, Ph.D.) and What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (with D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.).

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