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Perspectives on Christian Voting
Posted by Dave Miller in Bible & Theology, News & Culture
No, I’m not going to tell you who to vote for. I’d like to, and if you really need some help, just give me an email. I’m always willing to share my political insights with anyone who will listen.
As you know, America is voting today. By all accounts, it will be a decisive moment that will change a lot about the direction of our nation. Is that good or bad? Well, I guess it depends on whether you are wearing red or blue boxer shorts today.
There has been a lot of discussion at this site on the role of politics in the church of Jesus Christ. In fact, some of our most lively debates have been on this subject. Even the contributors at sbcIMPACT have some different opinions on these matters. Fundamentally, I believe two things about this:
1) The church makes a serious mistake when it focuses more on political organization that gospel transformation.
2) Christians must not fail to exercise the unique privilege we have to affect the direction of our nation through the democratic process.
I am not going to tell you for whom you should vote, but I do believe that the Bible gives us some instruction on how we should vote – how we should use this great privilege we have as American Christians to work to shape the direction of our political system.
Perspectives on Christian Voting
1) It is an amazing privilege to participate in shaping the direction of our nation.
For us, the right to vote is taken for granted. But we must remember that most Christians throughout the last 2000 years had no such privilege. They had to deal with governments that not only did not share our Christian values, but often persecuted Christians for advocating them.
2) Voting is a matter of Christian liberty.
Let me be direct here. I have trouble seeing how any Christian could vote for someone who believes that abortion is moral. But there are genuinely saved people who look at politics from a different perspective. I don’t understand it, but I have to accept that.
I do not believe that one’s fidelity to the gospel should be called into question because of one’s political stands. Sanity perhaps, but not orthodoxy.
3) Voting is an issue of Lordship.
I do not get to vote for whomever I please. No Christian gets to do anything simply to please himself. Every choice we make is to be made under the Lordship of Christ. Jesus is Lord of everything, even my voting habits. I need to carefully and prayerfully consider my vote.
I must seek to glorify him in all I do, even in the way I vote.
4) Our citizenship is in heaven.
Our first loyalty can never be to the United States. We are strangers and aliens here, whose highest purpose is not to advance the interests of the USA, but to serve the interests of the Kingdom of God.
I don’t think that means we cannot be good citizens here, or that we should disengage from politics. But we must stay focused on our highest loyalty – to Christ and Kingdom.
5) Our real work is not affected by who wins or loses today.
If my side loses today, the world is lost and going to hell and the only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If my side wins today, the world is lost and going to hell and the only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Republicans are not going to glorify God and seek the Kingdom – they are going to seek to gain and maintain power. The Democrats will not seek the glory of God, but power and control as well. The church will have to do its work just the same whether my side wins or loses.
6) There are issues that really do matter.
Just because the work of the church is unaffected by politics, that does not mean that political issues have no value. I think it matters if we elect men and women of moral character and conviction. I think it matters whether America supports the killing of babies in their mother’s wombs or not. I think traditional moral values are worth defending. There are issues that do have moral and spiritual importance out there.
7) Remember, whoever wins today, Jesus is still Lord tomorrow.
Do politics matter? I think so. But ultimately, Jesus is Lord over all.
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Dave,
Thanks for the post and the perspective.
Based on what I’m wearing, you might say I was voting for the Green Party. Just kidding
Dave,
Great and true comments.
The term “politics” is an evil fleshly approach to anything and everything. Nothing is ever true at the surface and beneath lurks the self-serving self-promoting agendas that only serve self-motivated self-centered men and women full of self-seeking desires. Compromise is the only way politics works and is such an evil approach to doing business. Christians become imbalanced in their view of God’s kingdom when they think for a millisecond that they need to get involved or help promote a candidate even with something as small as a bumper sticker. All we can really do is vote for the better of the worse and do the homework necessary to produce facts enough to choose one close to what will continue to allow our freedom of worship. Ultimately, God is sovereign and will work His will among the foolish through the voting process with predestined accuracy. That is what is on my mind as I look for the results tonight or tomorrow. The winners are a foregone decision in eternity past and I rest in the results that will pave the way for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Andrew, let’s hope so.
Bruce, the problem isn’t really politics, its the fact that sinful, fallen human beings are the ones engaged in politics. Sinners run for the wrong reasons, campaign the wrong way and then sinners vote the wrong way.
But the fact that the system is broken doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get involved in it.
Dave,
I didn’t mean to come across to impose that we shouldn’t vote. Personally, that is about as much involvement that we should be in anyway other than the research of facts so we know how and who to vote for. It is my understanding that “politics” is a way of life for these people, like a religion. There is one, if not many, who exemplify that in office now. Politics or political science is also taught in “higher” education. It is overtaking the business world as we know it today and has crept into our churches, too. I believe it is the underlying mental foundation being established for entry of the Antichrist. Pilate asked the question, “What is truth?” which is the same questioning force of politics. It was from this mind-set that came “no absolutes” and “situational ethics” since that fit so well with their agendas. Since the Mississippi is already muddy, pouring in fresh clean water by the tea spoon would have no effect. To me, the attraction to politics is found, like you said, in sinful fallen men. The verse that comes to mind is, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16. From there corruption is born.
I still agree with what you said. I just think politics must be approached as if it is a monster.
Sin is a monster of such frightful mien,
To be hated needs but to be seen.
Seen too oft, familiar with its face,
We soon endure, then pity, then embrace.
Thanks for replying Dave.
Does anyone have any recommendation on websites that help you to evaluate candidates according to issues? I know a lot of people just vote automatically, according to party. But I prefer to think through as many issues as possible, and decide on the basis of the composite of the issues themselves, rather than just being a political robot.
I have already been to the two “nonpartisan” sites that Baptist Press recommends, votermind.com and votesmart.org. But I haven’t been satisfied with the approach they take. The questions are worded in too simplistic a manner, and I am skeptical of the way this skews the system.
I am tempted not to vote at all, because, to the degree I am able to discern, there are important things I dislike about all the candidates in my particular district. But I have heard from several people I know and love in the last few days the line about, “As Christians, we have not only the opportunity and privilege to vote; we have the obligation to vote.” I don’t want to lightly disregard this admonition. Then again, if I remember correctly, James Dobson, for one, threatened to boycott the last elections, if the Republican candidate was not firm enough on abortion.
Dave,
I went to Ask.com and typed in “Who is Sharron Angle? and it took me to examiner.com with some information on her. I guess you could do that for any politician.
Bruce,
Thanks for the suggestion. At examiner.com I found a few articles, but not much that was very helpful. In the meantime, though, I did find a very helpful issues guide on the website of our local newspaper, but just for the Governor’s race, not for the other ones.
It only has Republican and Democratic candidates, though — no independent or third-party candidates. It has been very difficult for me to find information regarding stands on issues for these candidates.
Dave,
When it isn’t a presidential election they don’t really have to run on anything, just against the present record of the existing candidate.
Dave,
A few random thoughts…
I think a good part of American evangelicalism today would do well to write what you have written here across their hearts:
“If my side loses today, the world is lost and going to hell and the only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If my side wins today, the world is lost and going to hell and the only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Republicans are not going to glorify God and seek the Kingdom – they are going to seek to gain and maintain power. The Democrats will not seek the glory of God, but power and control as well. The church will have to do its work just the same whether my side wins or loses.”
Very well stated. Our heart should be focused on other things than politics and elections.
Yet, to really think through issues, and develop an informed position is hard work. I think that’s why many Christians prefer just to vote by party line, or in accordance with “Voter’s Guides.” It is a lot easier. And, you can come home, with your conscience at ease for having “done your duty.” How do we really become informed without spending an inordinate amount of time and energy on these things?
As a Christian, Proverbs 24:11–12 weighs heavily upon me:
“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?”
As I see it, certainly this passage teaches that, if we have the opportunity, by our participation in the political process, to save babies from being aborted, we should make the best use of it.
It also, I believe, can be applied across the full gamut of pro-life issues (i.e. just war, poverty, international human rights, etc.) as well as our evangelistic responsibility to preach the gospel to those who are “being taken away” to eternal spiritual death.
Also, I think the 2-party system has a stranglehold over American politics. All other things being equal (which they are not), I would vote in such a way as to loosen the stranglehold of the 2-party system, and that would help to send the message that we, as Christians, are not beholden to the political interests of any particular party.
I came back this morning to read item #7 in your comments, Dave. I knew He was and I wanted to see it in writing again. Great post.
The day the Republican Party owns up to the damage it has done this country, and makes amends to the middle class, I will give them my attention again.
As for ‘one-issue’ voting, people aren’t that stupid anymore.
You seem to be a little hostile today, Christiane. Eat some bad turkey?
Christiane,
It is impossible for either the Republicans or Democrats to own up to any damage either have done to this country and both have exceeded their fair share. It is a cardinal sin to admit a wrong in the religion of Politics. In their Creation story the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil” that was forbidden to be touched was actually called the tree of “not admitting any wrong” and they have never touched it. The political principle used when wrong is done and they are caught is to say, “Let’s just put this behind us and move forward.” They do not know the Kingdom principle we know of “repentance and forgiveness”. That is why politics will never bring America, or the World, back anywhere near God’s moral ethics. The main principle used in the religion of Politics is “compromise” and that brings proven failure and destruction. Bottom-line; when we expect a politician to “own up” to anything we are basically asking them to sin and that is not going to happen.