Christians and the Vote: 2020 Edition

Four years ago I wrote the following post in the weeks leading up to the presidential election. Since the question of how Christians should be involved in civic activities, such as voting, is always a topic in need of consideration, I decided to repost this entry with a few contextual edits for this election cycle.

As with last 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)—and by “welfare” I don’t mean government programs, I mean general well-being.

This means looking at the candidates’ policies and records—their stances on the issues and their specific 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 and given prayerful consideration to a biblical stance on them [which involves actually reading the Bible—in context], 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.

2020: Something Lost or Something Gained?

I can see them now: the usual “Thank God this year is over” memes that seem to surface at the end of every year. Only this year, I imagine they will express that sentiment on steroids. 2020 has been a year for the books, and a lot of us have been left feeling like much of this year has been lost and that there’s been nothing we could do about it. In fact, stopping to think for a moment about all the lost experiences can be overwhelmingly depressing.

There are regulations that have cost countless people the last days with their loved ones whom they are not allowed to visit in the hospital, have cost countless couples the wedding of their dreams surrounded by their family and friends—if they even were able to get married at all, have cost countless others the opportunity to have closure and to fully celebrate the memory of their departed family member or friend by having a funeral, have cost countless students the opportunity to fully celebrate their success in completing high school or college or graduate school. There is peer pressure or fear that has cost countless grandchildren months-worth of hugs or even face-to-face time with their grandparents and vice versa; restrictions that have kept spouses and families separated, oceans apart from each other; closures and cancellations that have cost countless “lasts” that will be never be regained.

These are not hypothetical examples. I know people in each of these situations, and even just the cases I know about are enough to make me sick to my stomach. In my personal life, too, it is easy to get sucked into the depressing cycle of thinking how many weeks of our marriage we have lost as we enter the fourth month past our original wedding date, still thousands of miles apart with no end of separation in sight. But instead of fixating on what has been lost, I have been challenging myself—and I would like to challenge you too—to focus on what has been gained.

To show you what I mean, I’ll give you a glimpse into a conversation I have with myself almost every day:

               It’s been over three months since I was supposed to be with my husband.

               Yes, but you’ve gotten three extra months of time to build the foundation for your marriage.

 

               It’s been almost four months since I was supposed to be living in my new country.

               Yes, but you’ve gotten almost four extra months to enjoy the parts of your home country that

               you’ll miss.

 

               I’m missing out on family celebrations in my new country.

               Yes, but you’ve gotten to spend extra time with your parents and extended family here.

 

               I haven’t gotten to start setting up my new home.

               Yes, but you’ve gotten to finish a lot of extra things that would have been left hanging if you left                 when you were supposed to.

 

These are just a few examples from my own situation, but I encourage you to examine your year and think about what you have gained in 2020. Absolutely it is important to acknowledge, grieve, and lament for everything that has been lost. The losses have been real and painful, and we should not ignore that fact. But we don’t have to wallow in the losses. Instead, we can search for and celebrate what has been gained.

 

What uplifting conversations have you had with friends in this season? What people have you gotten to reconnect with? What books have you gotten to read? What has God taught you? What have you come to appreciate? What have you gotten to participate in that you wouldn’t have been able to otherwise?

You might have to think hard to find what you have gained, but let me encourage you to put in the effort and start thinking of 2020 in light of the good things it has held.

 

And instead of wishing for this year to be over, let’s be excited that we still have a full third of the year left in which to gain. Because the truth is, this year we have had the exact same amount of time as we always have—24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365/6 days in a year. The question is—how will we view that time? Will we focus on it as time that we should have been spending doing something else, going somewhere else? Or will we focus on it as time that can be fruitful regardless of where we are or who we are with?

 

This is true for everyone, but for followers of Jesus, there is an even deeper way in which we can view 2020 as time gained rather than time lost. We know that God wastes absolutely nothing and that He is always about the business of making us more like Jesus. In God’s eyes, then, we can be confident that 2020 is not a wasted year, which means it is not a wasted year for us. Every loss we experience has the potential to be turned into a gain if it helps us know Jesus better and makes us more like Him (see Philippians 3). Looking at 2020 from this perspective, we see that it just might be one of the best years yet.

 

So let’s embrace the last four months of 2020 with an eye toward finding what there is to gain. And when reach year’s end, let’s look sober-mindedly back on the year and say, “Yes, much was lost, but praise God much more was gained.”

PC: Teresa Cantrell. Used with Permission.