Well folks, get ready. In eight days, America is going to elect our next president, and the two major-party candidates couldn’t be more different. In one corner, we have the current Vice President, a woman of color who made a name for herself as a District Attorney in San Francisco and as the Attorney General of California before being elected to the US Senate. In the other, stands the former President, a man who was known for his gilded real estate empire and for his role in the hit show The Apprentice before he shocked the world by defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016.
From the Christian perspective, both of these candidates present some serious challenges. Vice President Harris has advocated an extremist position on abortion rights – including late-term abortions beyond 20 weeks – and has consistently opposed legislative efforts to restrict abortion access in any way. She has also openly supported taxpayer-funded “gender-affirming care” (including sex-change surgeries) for inmates and illegal immigrants.
Former President Trump, on the other hand, enjoys the support of most Christians in America (Over 60% of Protestants and over 50% of Catholics), largely because of his somewhat conservative positions on abortion, immigration, gender norms, and the economy. But many Trump-supporting Christians concede that a vote for Trump feels like “the lesser of two evils” because of his sordid personal and marital past and his sophomoric rhetoric, among other reasons.
Both candidates have worked hard to court the Christian vote. Vice President Harris has spoken in several church pulpits in recent weeks, and former President Trump has repeatedly invoked the name of God during his campaign speeches – especially when discussing his miraculous survival following the horrific assassination attempt in July.
Despite both candidates’ appeals to Christian voters, it’s unclear whether either of them has any real understanding of the Bible or of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Based on their campaign rhetoric, it seems that they both believe in God, but neither candidate has shared any sort of testimony that would indicate they are committed followers of Jesus.
So, we have a situation where both candidates are deeply flawed (aren’t we all?), and neither of them seems to have a grasp on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With this in mind, what are Christians supposed to do? How should followers of Jesus vote?
Apparently, many of our brothers and sisters are choosing not to. According to the latest research featured in the Economic Times and other publications, about forty-one million Christians of voting age are planning to sit this election out. While I understand the sentiments behind such a decision, I believe this is unacceptable. The right to vote is rare and precious, paid for by the blood of our countrymen, and made possible by the grace of God. Even though our political process is broken and cynicism is a natural response to corruption, I believe that Christians have a sacred responsibility to make our voice heard – not only in national contests, but also (and perhaps even more importantly) in local and state elections.
Why is it so important for Christians to vote? There is no clear mandate in Scripture; in fact, with the rare exceptions of tribal elections in the Old Testament and the appointment of leaders in the early Church, the democratic “voting” process doesn’t appear in the Bible at all. However, the guiding principle in Scripture that applies to voting is more about impact and advocacy for the issues that are near to the heart of God.
Jesus and the original apostles all spoke and wrote in no uncertain terms about the Christians’ responsibility to impact the world around us. Jesus encouraged his followers to “let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16), and the Apostle Paul urged believers in the same way, writing “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).
I have no doubt that, if early Christians had the privilege and power to impact societal change by voting as we do today, leaders like Jesus, Paul, Peter, and James would have encouraged believers to bring God glory by taking their faith to the polls.
Still, the question remains about which party or politician deserves our vote. This is something that Christians can disagree about without breaking our churches apart. I’m proud to pastor a church where there is political and ideological diversity because it shows that we are unafraid of dissent and disagreement about non-essential things.
In 1774, John Wesley (the founder of the Methodist movement, of which The Story is a part) addressed the issue of voting in his journal. He encouraged Christians who had the right to vote:
- To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy
- To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and
- To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.
It’s astonishing how this wisdom from 250 years ago still applies to our situation today. Let’s take these points one at a time and think about their implications for us.
1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy
Wesley’s message to Christians was that our votes should be pure in motivation and intent. We’re not simply to vote for our own benefit, but for the candidate who is most “worthy”. Worthy of what, exactly? And what about when neither candidate seems very “worthy”?
Here it helps to understand Wesley’s worldview and mission. His stated goal was “to spread Scriptural holiness throughout the land,” so it’s safe to assume that his understanding of a “worthy” candidate would be one who makes that more possible. If Christians face a choice between two candidates, for example, and one of them favors censorship and restriction of religious freedoms while the other is committed to preserving the “inalienable rights endowed by their Creator,” such as freedom of speech and religious expression, then our choice would seem clear.
In my view, this is one important reason why many Christians tend to support more conservative candidates for public office. Conservatism, by definition, intends to restrict government impingement on citizens’ rights. That being said, we’ve seen plenty of examples in recent decades of both major party politicians overstepping their bounds at the expense of our freedoms: from conservative support of the intrusive Patriot Act to progressives pushing draconian, Covid-era restrictions.
When discerning which way to vote, every Christian should consider God’s highest priorities in Scripture. In addition to the aforementioned God-given rights protected by the Constitution, other divine priorities stand out when reading the Bible, including but not limited to:
- Protecting the sanctity of life (pertaining to issues like abortion, healthcare, and international conflicts/wars) – Exodus 20:13, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 5:20, Matthew 18:14
- Caring for the poor, the orphans and widows, etc. (the economy, taxation, Medicare, and other social safety nets) – 1 John 3:17, Proverbs 14:31, Matthew 5:42
- Upholding law and order for the sake of human flourishing (appointments of judges, border protection, national security) – Proverbs 29:18, Psalm 1:1-3, Romans 13:1-3
Wesley’s point is clear: Christians should vote for the candidates that best represent – and the policies that best facilitate – God’s love of human life and the Church’s mission to spread the Gospel.
2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against…
This is where the rubber meets the road. The rise of cable news networks and the proliferation of immediate, limitless information online have caused our political discourse to become, well, I want to say “a dumpster fire,” but that would be an insult to dumpster fires! Civility and respect, once dearly held virtues in our culture, are now thought to be for “losers” and “sell-outs”. Instead of being kind and generous toward those with whom we disagree, everyone these days is out to score points by “owning” the people across the aisle.
This is evil, and Christians should be the first to rebuke it. The Vice President is not a “loser,” a “Communist,” or “low-IQ,” and the former President is not “Hitler,” “a fascist,” or “a dictator.” Despite what you may have heard, this won’t be the last American election if the other side wins. America has survived much worse before, by God’s grace, so we can probably weather the next four years as well, regardless of which candidate takes the Oval Office.
In times like these, our job as Christians is to set a godly example by the way that we act and speak. And regardless of who wins next Tuesday, the Bible’s mandate is clear about how we should react:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2
3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.
Wesley’s third point is really an extension of the second. Not only should we avoid speaking ill of the politicians on “the other side,” but we should also be careful not to burn bridges with those who vote for them. Supporters of the Vice President are not all a bunch of “woke idiots” and “baby-killers,” and Trump voters are not “deplorables,” “bigots,” “racists,” “homo-/trans-phobes,” and “misogynists.” Followers of Jesus should quickly correct such blatant slander, especially when we hear it from fellow believers.
No single politician has the power to destroy a great society like ours, but there is something else that does have such power. Degenerate dialogue. Perverse and dehumanizing rhetoric. Harsh and hateful words.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. – Prov. 18:21
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. – James 1:26
The one silver lining of living through dark days like these is that it doesn’t take much effort to shine a light. When almost everyone is ideologically entrenched and casting hateful aspersions across the aisle, a single word spoken with love and respect can move mountains.
In sum, if you’re a Christian, I pray that you will vote, and I hope you will do so with God’s priorities at the top of your mind. And finally, regardless of the outcome next week, I urge you to remain steadfast in faith and confident in the hope we have in our true and forever King, Christ Jesus.
