Integrity, Judge Moore

Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

Let me start by saying I am not a resident of Alabama. My opinion neither carries any weight in Alabama nor does it mean a hill of beans in the election or political machinery that is Alabama’s Senate race. You should also know I supported Judge Moore during his crusade to maintain the Ten Commandments monument years ago and his subsequent removal from Alabama’s high court, and I supported his candidacy for Senate. As with Weinstein, Lauer, Spacey, Trump and others, Judge Moore is accused but not convicted. I’m not a judge, attorney, or juror, but a patriot and I trust the system.

Still, Judge Moore knows the legal system. Unless he has irrefutable proof of election tampering, then enough is enough. Don’t weaken the system any more by claiming fraud without proof. And if he had irrefutable proof of election tampering, why wait until now to reveal it? Wouldn’t a Judge with integrity reveal tampering as soon as it became relevant? Unless, of course, it only matters if the other guy wins or he's just grandstanding.

The details are trickling out, but the Judge’s complaint stemmed from a 47 percent voter turnout in Jefferson County, which is 43 percent black. Moore called this statistic anomalous and cited Richard Charnin, purveyor of JFK and Seth Rich conspiracy theories, as validating his claims of voter fraud.

Pardon me, Judge, but in your time as the Chief Justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court, did you ever consider the validity of testimony based on the credibility of the witness? I assume “yes.” Can you please explain, then, why you would challenge a 47 percent turnout and cite an individual of questionable credibility as a primary expert witness?

Sarcasm aside, the question remains – what responsibility do we as Christians have in the face of a loss, especially when we “know in our hearts” that “God wills it.”

Integrity is more than saying or doing the right thing. Integrity is also admitting when the result goes against our plan. It’s standing on God’s promises when those promises don’t align with our desires. It’s trusting in God when we “hear” Him, but don’t listen to what He is telling us.

The Bible talks about integrity in many places, to include Proverbs and 2 Corinthians. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” (Prov 11:3) “For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” (2 Cor 8:21)

But what about when we “know” God supports our actions? What about the lost elections in Judge Moore’s past?

That’s when we’ve been asking the wrong question. It’s not, “why didn’t God turn the election in my favor?” or "What more do I need to do to make this happen?" Rather, the right question is, “what can God gain from this [insert challenge here]?” In this case, Judge Moore should be asking how God would want him to react and what the Kingdom of God can gain from his loss in Alabama. After all, it’s his third election loss in ten years.

Again, I’m not an Alabaman, but unless Judge Moore has something better than a 47 percent voter turnout (say 110%), I think God would want Judge Moore to concede the victory and start finding ways to help Doug Jones for the benefit of the people of Alabama. I mean, isn’t that what we all want – politicians who put constituents ahead of themselves?

I cite Job quite often, but is there any better example in this case besides Christ himself?

So my challenge for us all on this cold winter’s day, is to look for God’s hand whenever and wherever we are. Have the integrity to admit our plan may not always align with God’s, and get back in line. If Judge Moore really means it when he says “To God be the glory,” then get out of the way and let God's glorious plan be revealed.