Springdale, SC (Paul Kirby) – Pastor John Lastinger has filed to run for SC House District 88. Lastinger is the pastor of The Edge church in Springdale. House 88’s seat is open after long serving and well-respected house member Mac Toole said several months ago that he would not run in November. Instead, he would step away from the seat he’s easily held onto so long.
Lastinger, 65, is a devout Christian. He has been married to his wife Robbie for almost 45 years. Her lineage goes back to the Caughmans of Lexington and she is an administrative assistant at White Knoll High School. The couple have two grown sons, both of whom live in Pelion. They both own chicken farms and each has three children.
According to Pastor Lastinger, he decided to run for this office after prayerful consideration, listening to the council of his family, and seeking advice from confidants from the community. He felt that the Lord has called him to run for office at this time in order to help redirect America in the way that the founders of the country intended. Most importantly, he feels God should be the center of all decisions made regarding how America and South Carolina are legislated.
He considers himself a Constitutional Conservative. Constitutional Conservatives believe that the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written by the country’s founders and are a literal map of how America should still be run. Most Constitutional Conservatives believe we have strayed from those tenets in the founding documents. Generally, they believe any power that the Federal Government currently exercises that was not provided for in the Constitution, should lie with each of the states and their legislatures. This would return more power to those we elect locally and can easily reach to express our feelings and concerns.
Lastinger pointed out that the number of instances that God is mentioned in the founding documents should guarantee that God is still key to how our country is governed. He believes that God was and still is a part of the fabric of America. He believes that many of our problems could be solved if God were brought back into the lives and hearts of our lawmakers who make decisions for us. He also thinks that if God were returned to our schools and workplaces, many of the negative issues that face America could be easily solved.
Lastinger is pro-life, believing that life begins at conception. He has a strong belief that life of the unborn, elderly, and all those in between is valuable! He is also a strong supporter of gun rights. He is a Concealed Weapon Permit holder himself, and his church organized and held a CWP course for members who wished to attend.
Pastor Lastinger also considers himself an objective thinker. He recently said on social media that over the last 42 years, he’s overseen staffs ranging from 1 to 60 employees. He said that during his life, there have been challenges in many different areas. He has learned that for every problem there is always at least one, if not multiple solutions. According to Lastinger, finding the right solution is easier if you have a positive objective mindset going into situations. He wants to help solve problems in House District 88 by using his positive attitude and problem-solving skills at the statehouse.
Lastinger is very personable and willing talks to people about his beliefs and plans. He says he’s not a “fire and brimstone” type of pastor and believes that the message of God’s love for his earthly children is the real message of the Bible.
He has a Facebook page set up that can be found at www.facebook.com/votelastinger/. You can also contact him by telephone at 803 250-1433.
