Editor’s note: This commentary is by Mark Heinrichs, of Barton. He is pastor of Sutton Freewill Baptist Church in Sutton.

I believe that the United States of America is at a dangerous pivotal point. There are people now who would gladly destroy the freedoms we enjoy, and they are doing this from within. These are not Russians or Chinese (though they bear us plenty of ill will); these are Americans who view this country as evil, racist, predatory and the root of all evil in the world. While their complaint is stated in assumed ethical and moral terms, there is no corresponding ethical or moral commitment in these people in their personal life to demonstrate the validity of their claims. It’s easy enough for them to say “do this” or “do that” when they themselves can’t be bothered to.

Bernie Sanders, the Democratic socialist multi-millionaire with three houses, who flies in private jets to campaign, who gives less to charity on a dollar-to-dollar basis than I do, is a great example of this. He cites Norway as a good functioning socialist democracy, yet this is where euthanasia and abortion are health care cost containment measures and the government can’t be bothered to contribute to NATO for its own defense. In what universe is that OK?

Beyond this, there are also people who are not against us for any assumed moral purpose but just want power. They are malignant narcissists (and I mean the psychiatric diagnosis) and will cooperate with anyone (including the devil himself) to achieve that power. Some of these people are inside the U.S. government in positions of power and are actively working to subvert the electorally expressed will of the people. At some point this becomes sedition and perhaps even treason.

When it was formed, the United States shifted the sovereignty of the British monarchy to the people through the Constitution and fair elections. Those who are actively trying to undermine the U.S. would throw that away. They say one thing and do something else. They lie and cheat when it’s convenient. They hate the system that allows their freedom to express themselves.

There are three things working now to prevent their success. First, God is opposed to their agenda of euthanasia, abortion and suppression of free speech and religion. Second, there are plenty of people in America who love freedom and true democracy and these people are waking up to the danger and mobilizing.  Third, the bad guys have been partly effective but are incompetent. They try to make up for it by sheer gall and bravado — their narcissism will be their downfall. But it takes people like us to say “No, we’re not going to let you destroy us. We will do what it takes ethically and morally to stop you.” Then we take that attitude into the voting booth, individually and collectively. We must stand now for our democratic republic formed with the ethical and moral standards of the Judeo-Christian tradition, infusing our shared collective politics. We are bestowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.

We have two choices. Do we have a future as a democratic republic with a Constitution and Bill of Rights that limit the power of the government to compel and dictate, and continue to make government answerable to the sovereign will of the people through free and fair elections? Or do we give that heritage away and elect people who shouldn’t be allowed to run a popsicle stand on a street corner and have them run our lives, take our property, and decree to us how to live? Surely we must choose the former.