Politically Principled

This year there will be another presidential election. We have a new opportunity as a nation to choose the head guy to represent our country and arguably the free world. As citizens, we each have the right and responsibility to vote for our choice as to the one who will fill that most powerful office in the world today. Yet, rather than exercising their choice, many evangelical Christians will choose not to vote at all. What’s up with that?

Millions (and I’ve seen estimates of up to 30 million) of evangelical Christians failed to vote in the last election. Many of those had simply failed to register. But, many registered evangelicals merely stayed home (not even making use of an absentee ballot). It seems like there couldn’t possibly be an excuse for intentionally not voting in a presidential election. Nonetheless, I’ve heard a few and I must say they are pretty lame.

You may have heard people say they don’t intend to vote because their vote doesn’t really count. After all, it seems predetermined that our state will go one way and the electoral votes are locked in, what’s the point of voting? Whether the person is in a “predetermined” red state or blue state, they assume the outcome is automatic, so they say voting is an exercise in futility. Really?

Why would someone not exercise his vote, thereby assuring that a state that seems to fall into a particular category, stays in that category? If everyone had this defeatist attitude, ultimately a very few voters would control everything. If everyone throws in the towel, thinking their vote doesn't count, very few votes will count. The only way to assure that your vote doesn’t count is to waste it by not voting!

Then there are those who think that because God is sovereign, there is no need for Christians to vote. They say God appoints those in authority and our job is not to vote but to submit to those whom God places in authority over us. In other words, they don’t see voting as biblical. And if they do, they certainly don’t agree with preaching anything that might be considered “political” from the pulpit.

That mindset is not far from that held by the people in Germany, including in the churches, during the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. They declined to challenge the Third Reich when millions of lives could have been saved. They didn’t want to get too involved in affairs of the state—seeing a distinction between “the Throne and the Altar.” Sounds a lot like a version of separation of church and state, to which many Christians, denominations and churches are adhering today. Pastors should be encouraging their people to vote and in many cases, how to vote biblically. But too many consider it literally “politically” and perhaps biblically “incorrect.” 

When we vote, we should consider which candidate most closely holds to biblical principles and Christian values—values that would lead him or her to save the innocent lives of the unborn, protect traditional marriage, promote societal decency, morality, and the rights of people of faith. We would like people of faith—our faith—in the positions of governmental leadership, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Regardless, we pray for them as Paul urged in 1 Timothy 2. We pray especially that they would come to a vital faith in Jesus Christ. Then we support and vote for those who promote a Judeo-Christian worldview and uphold biblical standards.  

Looking at the past 200+ years of elections, we obviously cannot expect to have only evangelical Christians hold office in this pluralistic land. So does that mean we remove the voice we have, through our vote, from society? No, we should make our voices heard in every venue possible, not the least of which is voting. Our first priority is to pray for those who would lead our government, humanly speaking. Pray and get involved. Then be sure to vote. 

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” –1 Timothy 2:1–2