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It seems that in many of these political discussions on the upcoming election, we tend, as a group, to think a lot about political policy outcomes but think little to none about Kingdom outcomes. Here is what I mean:

What if our witness to the world depended (in large part) on how we collectively vote as Christians? The world is definitely watching. How many "Christians" would be willing to give up their vote for their candidate if they knew it meant, by the grace of God, more people coming to Christ? ... but in exchange we knew we would have to live under a much more oppressive state. I obviously do not know God's secret will, but my point is that obedience, instead of pragmatism, is definitely more aligned with God's revealed will and His redemptive plan, especially when much of the world would see mass evangelical votes for Trump as an obvious and blatant hypocrisy. As followers of Christ, our choices should be based, not on their perceived outcome, but in our trust that wherever God leads is always right, even if the results may temporarily appear worse politically.

Since both candidates are just awful, at this point God appears to be bringing us as a unit to a place where we are stripped of all hope in an ideal outcome ... so we can only, in utter dependence, pray for Him to intervene and faithfully serve Him by doing what we know to be right.

Just consider where our culture wars have gotten us so far.  How many decisions were made by pragmatism rather than trusting in God along the way? Have you ever read Crime and Punishment? Doing something evil hoping that good may result? No, that shouldn't be an option for us. Obedience is our job. But how the results fall into place are His. A pragmatic choice may, for the moment, appear to further Christian principles the legal realm, but at what cost? Perhaps the cost is lost opportunity on souls.

"All that the Father gives to Me will come to me..." (John 6:37)

VISITOR: This means He gives the ones whom he knows will come. I used to be a Calvinist, so I know all the philosophical reasonings that go on.

RESPONSE: You said, "He gives the ones whom he knows will come". UMM, Who is using philosophical reasoning here? These are YOUR words, not the Texts. You added them. And you do it as if you really believe its okay to do that. That is called self-deception. You are playing with fire by adding your own words to the Bible in order to to fit it to your viewpoint. Again, Jesus said, "ALL" (not some), of those the Father gives him will come [to faith] in Him...the giving of the Father to Him precedes their coming to faith in Him.

In addition, God is very sincere in calling us to what we OUGHT to do, even if we cannot ... because we will not ... the fault is ours because we are captive to our own sin. He is not coercing people or holding them back. They run from God because they love darkness and hate the light (John 3:19, 20)

VISITOR: Calvinists makes God insincere and deceptive- God commands all men everywhere to repent, yet made no plans to make the atonement for most and never had any intention of giving faith to most. That's like me inviting all my neighbors to a big party, but only making enough food for my next door neighbor because I never really planned on my whole neighborhood coming and never made food provisions for the entire neighborhood. Ridiculous, to say the least.

As human beings we have a strong tendency to have an exalted view of our own character, and we flatter ourselves. But a Christian is one who, by the mercy of God, has cast aside all high views of his own character and righteousness. The beginning, middle and end of his hope is found, not in himself, but in the righteousness of Another. He is not one who thinks he is more righteous than others but, exactly the opposite, he is one who, by the grace of God, recognizes he is not righteous. But thanks be to God for His mercy, Jesus comes not to condemn, but to forgive all who acknowledge the truth that they are ill-deserving sinners and whose only credential on their resumes (for acceptance by God) is Christ.

This is perhaps the greatest difference that God has made between the Christian and the non-Christian. The non-Christian either 1) is attempting to work their way to heaven or 2) one who thinks presumptuously that, if there is a God, then they are already good enough to get in or 3) they don't care. In the first two instances they are trusting in their own righteousness. In the last instance, they have abandon themselves to their sin and corruptions. The Christian, in contrast, is one who has beheld the beauty and holiness of God and knows he is undone and no more deserving of heaven than anyone on earth ... and knows, in truth, that he is justly deserving of God's displeasure and that his only hope is in God's mercy toward Him in Christ.

Question: Doesn't the story of Cain and Abel defeat Calvinism? "The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”" -Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV) See God tells him if he does something he will be accepted.

Response: "If you do well" is a phrase with a verb in the subjunctive mood - a conditional statement which asserts nothing indicatively. "if you are willing", "if you hear", "if you do" declare, not man's ability, but his duty - what he OUGHT to do but such statements say nothing of what he CAN do.