King David, called a man after God’s own heart in Acts 13:22, was also a man of war. God did not allow David to construct the Temple in Jerusalem, leaving that task for his son, Solomon — whose hands had never known bloodshed.

We can interpret this in a variety of ways. Does this mean God views military activity as something intrinsically wrong? Did God view the blood that David shed as a stain that irrevocably defiled his religious worship? If so, what might this mean for a Christian’s views about national security?

Any leader who denies the danger from radical Islamist terrorists is not making the people’s safety a priority and should not have a place in office.

Our nation was founded on biblical ethics. Many today dispute this, but John Marshall (the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court) wrote in 1833: “The American population is entirely Christian, and with us Christianity and Religion are identified. It would be strange indeed, if with such a people, our institutions did not presuppose Christianity, and did not often refer to it, and exhibit relations to it.”

Some question how maintaining a strong military reconciles with Christ’s admonition to “love thy neighbor.” But in wrestling with this, consider several undeniable realities of the 21st century: More nations than ever before have access to nuclear weapons. The world has become an increasingly violent place, and world news is dominated by endless acts of terrorism. The Christian moral code that shaped and civilized the Western world has been all but discarded. 

Unsettling to think about, but this is truth. 

In light of this, what should be America’s commitment to national defense? And what about the question of Christians encouraging a strong national defense, serving in the military or becoming a law enforcement officer? As long as a government operates with a Christian moral code in view, it is permissible — even honorable — for a Christian to serve as a peace officer or as a soldier. Further, military weakness in this fallen world is simply not a realistic position. It actually opens the door to greater evils.

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President Theodore Roosevelt was a devout Christian; after leaving office, he turned down college presidencies to spend several years self-publishing a Christian newspaper. In 1905, he said, “There could be no greater calamity than for free peoples, the enlightened, independent, and peace-loving peoples, to disarm while yet leaving it open to any barbarism or despotism to remain armed.”

Belief in a strong national defense is not only biblical — it is mature, responsible, and morally right.

Roosevelt arguably presided over a much safer world than we do, yet in his day he lobbied for a strong military because “the world is as unorganized as now.” Because of their biblical and moral underpinnings, Roosevelt believed that America and the West alone could secure for the rest of the world “a just peace.”

Now, with a historic presidential election on the horizon, many voters are asking: What will our next president do to shore up national security? What will our commander-in-chief do about immigration policies that have undermined the safety of U.S. citizens? In recent years, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (at the behest of the White House) has opened the borders to tens of thousands of refugees with ties to terrorism — dumping these people (who are sometimes dangerous) in heartland communities, and in a very unorganized fashion.

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Only last week, a chief of police in a mid-sized American city gravely explained to me that over the last four years, authorities had uncovered and intercepted more than 100 terrorist plots designed to be carried out locally. So here is the question: How committed will our next president be to making sure that we are not subjected to another 9/11?

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Even as I write this, Secretary of State John Kerry informed the American people that 110,000 refugees will be brought to the U.S. in 2017 ⎯ 11 times more than were introduced in 2016. That the U.S. is a benevolent, compassionate, philanthropic nation is not in question. But a commitment to bettering the human condition does not mandate that national security be compromised in the process (nor the welfare and wishes of American voters be ignored).

Let’s be realistic: Terrorism exists, and for a leader of our country not to acknowledge this fact or pretend that these threats are a thing of the past puts the American people at risk. Any leader who denies that danger, including from radical Islamist terrorists, is not making the people’s safety a priority and should not have a place in office — nor does that leader deserve our vote.

Military initiatives exist as a result of the pervasive presence of evil in the world, which itself is a result of the human propensity for sin. Christians should remember, though, that their king has already fought the most important battle. Jesus, through His death on the cross, triumphed over His enemies (Col. 2:14).

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When Jesus returns, He will fully consummate His victory and His kingdom, making all things new (Rev. 21-22). There will then be no need for human government, a standing army — nor for local police forces. But until the Prince of Peace returns, it is honorable and biblical for Christians to stand for the “greater good” by supporting that which promotes the “common good” (i.e., peace officers, a just military, and civil authority).

Electing candidates who believe in a strong national defense is not only biblical — it is mature, responsible, and morally right.

Dr. Alex McFarland is a religion and culture expert, national talk show host, speaker, and author of 17 books, including “Stand Strong America.” He also serves as director of Christian Worldview and Apologetics at the Christian Worldview Center of North Greenville University in Greenville, South Carolina.