The contents of this post have been rumbling around in my
head and heart for a while now, and I figure with less than a month before the
election it’s about time that I write them out. I do so confidently yet with
some trepidation, not being a super huge fan of conflict and realizing that the
following perspective might ruffle some feathers and that there will likely be
those who strongly disagree.
And that’s fine. There’s plenty of space for differences of
opinion here. However, in an attempt to avoid perceived disagreements where
none actually exist, let me state at the outset that this post is not an endorsement of any candidate, nor does it
pertain merely to the current election cycle.
So now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s jump in.
You ready? *Deep breath* Here we go…
Especially in this election season, there seem to be two
poles of perspective among those who claim the name of Christ: one that
emphasizes our American citizenship and one that emphasizes our citizenship in
the Kingdom of God. Yet focusing on only one of these aspects of our identity
fails to address the complexity of our reality.
We are Christians, yes. And as Christians, our primary
allegiance is to Christ and to His Kingdom. There’s an interesting complexity
to His Kingdom, though, in that it is in an “already/not yet” state of being.
In other words, His Kingdom has arrived, and we believers are currently part of
it, but it has not yet reached its completeness. Because of the “not yet”
aspect of His Kingdom, earthly “kingdoms” still exist, and every human is a
part of one—even Christians.
As Christians who believe in the sovereignty of God, we
believe that God ordained when and where we would live, what family we would be
born into, and what earthly “kingdom” we would be a part of. So for those of us
who are citizens of the United States, we are that (and are not citizens of
another country) because God has placed us in this particular context at this
particular time in history. The same can be said for all people no matter what
country they are a part of. So we are Christians who happen (by God’s plan)
also to be Americans during our time on this earth. That is who we are.
Here’s where I can see the first wave of objections rising: “If our allegiance is to Christ, then what
should it matter what country we are a part of? Shouldn’t we only be concerned
about matters of His Kingdom? Our identity is rooted in Christ; should we even
recognize “American” as part of our identity?"
Remember that Christ did not save us in a vacuum. And He did
not whisk us straight to heaven when He saved us. He left us here in our
specific context to live out our salvation (not to earn it, but to demonstrate
it). God does not negate our earthly life when He brings us into His kingdom;
He redeems it.
Let me ask—what if we framed the above objections in
reference to our families? After all, as Christians we are children of God,
right? Right. “So if He is our Father,
what should it matter what earthly family we are a part of? Shouldn’t we only
be concerned about matters of His Family?” [The answer to that rhetorical
question is no.]
I hope this makes it a little clearer to see that God does
not absolve us of our earthly responsibilities when he brings us into His
kingdom. We are still the children of our parents and the parents of our
children; we are still to honor and take care of our earthly family. Similarly,
being a Christian informs our citizenship, but it does not absolve us of our
civic duty. We are still citizens of the United States; we are still to honor
those in authority over us, to pay our taxes, and—to vote.
And here we reach the controversial topic: voting as a
Christian. I’ve attempted to establish thus far why I believe Christians should vote. The question then
follows—yes, but how are we to vote?
I think it is helpful to look to Jeremiah’s letter to the
Jewish exiles in Babylon for an applicable principle. The Jews are living in an
earthly kingdom that is not the nation God established for His own chosen
people; they are living in the pagan Babylon that does not recognize God’s
authority. The prophet Jeremiah, still in Jerusalem, writes to the exiles and
relates to them God’s command to settle in to their current location and to
invest in their current community (Jeremiah 29:4-6).
Then God tells the Jews, “But seek the welfare of the city
where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in
its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7, ESV). Note that
He didn’t tell them to try to get other Jews in leadership positions in the
royal government. Nor, did He call them to isolate themselves from the
community or to bemoan the fact that their Babylonian political leaders were
not honoring God. He simply called them to seek the welfare of their city and
to pray for it.
Today, as Christians who are Americans, we are God’s chosen
people who are living in an earthly country that is not the kingdom God
established for His Church. (For more on the “Christian nation” mentality, see
my previous post on providentialism.) Because America is not equivalent
to the Church, there are different standards the leaders of each must meet. For
leaders of the Church (e.g. pastors and deacons), we look to Scripture to see
the necessary qualifications.
But America is not the Church. Just as we would not expect
or require unbelievers to live according to the standards of God’s Word to
which we hold believers, so we should not expect or require the leaders of the
United States to meet the qualifications of leaders of the Church. This means,
among other things, that a person does not have to be a Christian to be worthy
of our vote.
Some might argue that this is compartmentalizing our faith
from the rest of our life, and I agree that compartmentalizing our faith is
wrong. But there is a difference between compartmentalizing and making a
distinction. I am not suggesting we wall off our duties as a citizen from our
Christian convictions. Our Christianity should inform our decision-making in
every aspect of life. But what I am suggesting is that we can and should make a
distinction between the requirements we hold for leaders and members of the
Church and those we hold for leaders in the earthly country called the United
States.
Yes, it would be awesome if we had leaders who had been
saved by Jesus Christ and who actively sought to honor Him in all that they do.
But there is such a thing as common
grace, i.e. God has graciously equipped people who are not His children with
talents and success and some degree of wisdom. Because of this grace, it is
possible for an unregenerate person to make good decisions and to lead well.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that sometimes there
may not be any Christian candidates. Now, here, I know some would argue that we
should write-in someone who is a believer or who at least is “morally upright,”
but I would reiterate that being a Christian is not a qualification for holding
elected office in the United States—and would add that neither is being
“morally upright.”
“Man, she’s really
going off the deep end now. How can you honor Christ and vote for someone who
isn’t morally upright?” It’s a valid question. But I would answer it with
another one: who is morally upright? Every single one of us, Christian or not,
has deep moral flaws—including every single candidate that is on the ballot or
that could be written in. Some flaws manifest themselves differently than
others, and some are more public than others, but they are all flaws,
nonetheless.
The only difference Christians can boast is the indwelling
Holy Spirit Who can help us overcome our flaws. But again, the “not yet” aspect
of God’s kingdom means that even Christians will still fail to live perfectly
holy, upright lives. Just because someone is a Christian does not mean they
will always make wise decisions. “Yes,
but at least they are governed by Christ.” Okay, so if that is what we most
care about, then we're back to saying we should vote for Christians.
For the sake of discussion, let’s say, yes, sure, we should
vote for a Christian. But what if a Christian isn’t on the ballot? “Then write one in.” But what if your
state’s laws prevent you from writing in? Do you just not vote? I hope I’ve
shown with the first half of this post that the answer to that is “no—you
should vote.” So what then?
If we should vote and voting for a Christian is not an
option, then how do we decide whom to vote for? I would suggest looking two
places—1) to the place that outlines the qualifications for elected officials
and 2) to the passage in Jeremiah. For President, for instance, the
requirements are that a person be a natural born citizen, at least 35 years
old, and have lived in the U.S. for at least fourteen years (see Article II,
Section I of the U.S. Constitution). Once those requirements have been met,
then I believe we should choose the candidate whom we believe will best foster
our country’s welfare (see Jeremiah 29:7 above).
This means looking at the candidates’ policies—their stances
on the issues and their plans for decision-making and action/inaction. The
reality is that we are choosing people who will be leading (and hopefully
serving) our country by making decisions that will affect the well-being of our
people. Hypothetically, let’s say that there are two candidates whom we equally
consider to be people of character but who have very different views on a
particular issue. I believe we should choose the one whose policies most align
with what we believe will lead to the welfare of our nation.
And it is here that being a Christian helps inform our
decision. What does Scripture have to say about the issues facing our nation?
And for the ones Scripture does not specifically address, what are the biblical
principles that help us shape our understanding of them? Once we have educated
ourselves on the issues (see P.S. below) and given prayerful consideration to a
biblical stance on them, we should look at where each of the candidates stand
and choose the one who most matches up with our beliefs.
In this way, I believe we can be honoring to God by
fulfilling the responsibilities of the earthly citizenship He has granted us.
Voting for the people we believe to best represent biblical positions on the
issues and praying for our elected officials are two ways we can seek the
welfare of the country/state/city God has ordained as our earthly home. May He
grant us wisdom and a gracious spirit in interacting with our fellow believers
and citizens in the weeks and months ahead.
P.S. I have found the following link to be helpful. Even if
you don’t actually answer the questions, it will at least provide you with a
good idea of what the issues currently facing our country are. http://www.isidewith.com (Click on "Take the Quiz" to see the questions then click on “Answer more questions” under each section to see the full range of issues.)
