Faith in Action: Why Voting Matters for Christians
As Americans we all know that voting is an integral part of who we are. It’s the building blocks of our government, democratic processes, and how we as citizens express what laws we want passed and the officials we want elected. The fact that we get to have these privileges is actually exceptional (as in we are the exception to many other countries around the world)!
America is one of the few countries in the world that allow its citizens to make their voice heard and elect a government “by the people.” But as we also know, many people in America don’t vote, and that’s also their right. To be more precise, only 51.8% of voting age citizens voted in 2020. Even more so, many Christians don’t vote (only about 26% of protestants and 9% of evangelicals vote). But is this a trend that we should want to see? Is abstaining from a vote the right way to engage in politics or take a stand? As Christians, do we have a burden to vote because of our faith?
The Basics of Voting:
Before we jump into the nitty-gritty of this, let’s look at the basic aspects of what a vote even is. Merriam Webster has many definitions of what it means to vote, but the definition I thought explained it best was “to express an opinion.” This is what it means to vote in its simplest form. When we cast our vote, we are expressing an our opinion, that we are for or what we are voting for or against what we are voting againston. This is self-explanatory, I know, but it’s crucial we are all on the same page with this.
Often times people will even cast what are called “protest votes.” This is where people vote for someone/something they don’t totally align with, but they feel that person/policy is better than the alternative(s). This is also how citizens in democratic forms of government express how they want to be governed, especially in a country like the U.S. where we are ruled “by the people.”
Voting is only found in democratic forms of government not monarchies, oligarchies, theocracies, or dictatorships. Democracy was first seen in Ancient Greece about around 508 B.C. The reason voting is seen as such a great privilege to have is because it’s an irrevocable power the people have must use to determine the path of their country. Voting in America is part of our identity, it’s an integral part of our culture and who we are as a people and a nation. We would not be the nation we are today without it.
Voting in America, is part of what is called a “social contract.” There is this term in many fields of study called “social contracts.” For our context, a social contract is an exchange or agreed upon deal that the people of a nation will give up some of their freedoms in exchange for the government offering those citizens numerous protections. In America we operate out of a social contract system. We as Americans pay taxes and live under a set of governing principles and in exchange we receive protection from bad actors, protection of our God-given rights, the right to vote (amongst other rights), and other societal and economic benefits.
As mentioned earlier, our right to vote is a product of a social contract. Also mentioned earlier, we pay taxes and give up some freedoms and our government gives us a voice to choose who we want to be governed by. You can also think of social contracts as similar to a covenant. When we ask God to save us and give us eternal life he does and in exchange for the salvation of our souls we are charged with going into all the world and making disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28:19).
Why Should Christians Vote?
In today’s day and age its common in evangelical and protestant circles to be what could be described as an “escapist.” Some call it being a “pacifist.” This is where Christians don’t like the conflict and abrasiveness that comes with standing for what the truth is so they back off and quite literally let “Jesus take the wheel.” To me, I see this as an inefficient use of our time here on earth and our time here in America. We were born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14) to stand for righteousness and truth. Jesus asks us to “occupy till I come,” (Luke 19:13 KJV). So, if voting is how we occupy in America until He comes why wouldn’t you want to vote?
So yes, I believe in the name of being a Christian who lives out their faith that we should vote and take part in elections. All elections, not just national, but state, county and local elections. Every election is important. Yes, every election does indeed have consequences (good and bad). And all levels of government touch your ways of living, so having a voice for truth, righteousness, and a say in our democratic processes is a must.
More directly, “why should Christians vote?” We should vote because policies and politicians impact people and one of our primary duties given to us from Jesus is to love our neighbor. To be able to love our neighbor fully, all of our actions should be directed at doing our best to care for and serve those around us. Let’s not be like the Lawyer in Luke 10:25-37 and question who “our neighbor” is. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving those around us (Matthew 25:35-40). If we are to forgo voting, we are effectively saying that the status quo is what’s best and that there are no ways we could love or serve our neighbor any better.
This idea of accepting the status quo is wrong on many levels. We can always love our neighbor better, we can always serve one another better, we can always become more Christ-like. This is why we should vote, because we love our neighbor, we are to serve our neighbor, and we know the status quo won’t cut it. Our Heavenly Father wants what’s best for you and I and we should want what’s best for all people too, because we should people after the Heart of God.
Non-votes have a voice
Believe it or not, non-votes speak just as loud as votes, but in the completely wrong direction. While you some may think voting promotes unnecessary divisions, the apostle Paul did say there must be divisions amongst you us (1 Corinthians 11:17-19), so that we would know the difference between good and evil (more on this to come). Divisions in many circumstances show the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, just and unjust.
Not voting effectively sends the message that we are not willing to stand up for righteousness, justice, or what is good. No, there won’t always be the perfect candidate, party, policy, or law, but this is where discernment, prudence, and the Word of God come into play. If there’s no righteous option, pick the lesser of the two evils, the one who will do the most good, or the one who will do the least harm. When you pick the lesser of the two evils, you give yourself a chance to preserve what is left of the good. In any choice between a lesser of two evils, there will always be a greater good.
Was Jesus Political?
Some people don’t vote because they believe that Jesus was on the side of neutrality and his lifestyle didn’t meddle in the affairs of the culture. As a Christian living in the Western world, I think this is an easy view to have. I don’t blame people for having this view, but I would also like to challenge that view. It’s easy for us to say that because of Jesus’ message of love he wouldn’t engage in divisiveness. Jesus (Luke 12:51, Matthew 10:34-36) and the Gospel are inherently divisive. I would even argue that Jesus’ love was what was actually divisive about Him, he loved people in a way that was anti-cultural, and He was seen as divisive for that. Many of His actions that are righteous and good were and still are seen as divisive.
Jesus also combatted the pagan religions of the Romans and the religious leaders of the Jewish church, these two “parties” were the biggest stakeholders in the cultural and political events of Jesus’ day. So yes, Jesus was political and even politically divisive, because he didn’t conform to the way everyone else did politics and culture but changed the standard to Truth and standing for the Truth. This is what we as Christians should look to do, not to be confined to the walls of a party, but to be defenders of the Truth – the Word of God.
Elections have consequences. How consequential are they?
As mentioned earlier, elections do have consequences, but this is where a biblical worldview really helps you and I out. As Christians, we know that God has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Meaning, we live with the outlook on life that we are on Earth for a short time and that one day we will be reunited with our Ssavior who will make all things right. We live with an eternal perspective on life (2 Corinthians 4:18). Living with this in mind gives us the ability to not fear when an election does/doesn’t go our way or when the evilness of our culture has/doesn’t have its day. Living with eternity in our hearts allows us to put ourselves outside of our own realm of understanding and into the way that God sees the world.
Living with an eternal perspective is an incredible tool available to us as Christians, but it should never lead to apathy or disengagement. Instead, it should compel you to fulfill the God-given purpose on your life, reminding you that your time on earth is short. The only way for those around you to have eternity written on their hearts is through Jesus Christ. An eternal mindset as much as it is a tool, is also a charge.
“A charge to what?” you might ask. A charge to live every day on fire for the Lord, to do your best to win souls for Jesus, to love like Jesus, and (you might have guessed it) serve and love others like Jesus did. Embrace The Charge. Allow it to push you farther than you would have gone before and closer to Jesus than you’ve been before.
The charge should push us to fight for righteousness and truth in all areas, arenas, and spheres. When we fail to embrace the charge we effectively are surrendering to the ways of this world. We are to embrace the charge when we go to the ballot box, knowing that elections do have consequences, and this is one of our avenues in loving others and standing up for truth.
Jesus is truth (John 14:6) and he is love (1 John 4:16) and so we could say that our goal is to stand for truth and love others. But if Jesus is both truth and love, we also see that we cannot do one without the other. It’s impossible to love without sharing the truth, and it’s impossible to share the truth without love. So, if we are to truly embrace the charge of loving and serving as Jesus did and also standing for truth as Jesus did, we must do both; and the absence of one means we are actually doing neither.
“Truth and love are united in Him. To declare any truth in a way that steps away from God’s love is to speak no truth at all, as well as to step away from the One who is Truth. But to claim we are being loving when we step away from the Truth of God is not to love at all, but only to fool ourselves into thinking we are being loving.” – Eric Metaxas in Letter to the American Church
Conclusion
So yes, voting as a Christian is very important! In America, voting is woven into the very fibers of our nation, it makes up who we are. It’s a way that we as believers are able to occupy our nation until Jesus comes back.
We vote to love and serve those around us. We vote to preserve righteousness and truth. We vote to standup to the forces of darkness that try to have their way in our nation and in our elections. And when there seems to be no good option, we use prudence and discernment to pick the lesser of the two evils. We don’t forget that even when things don’t go our way, that one day we have a Savior that will come and make all things right. But we don’t let this drive us to apathy, instead we allow it to drive us into to action.
Notes and References:
Sources:
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christians-vote.html
https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-politics.html
https://knightfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/The-100-Million-Full-Topline-PDF.pdf
- Page 99
26% of protestants are non-voters and 9% of evangelical are non-voters
- Only 51.8% of voting age citizens voted in 2020
https://knightfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/The-100-Million-Full-Topline-PDF.pdf
- About 26% of protestants and 9% of evangelicals vote)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vote
- To express an opinion
https://www.duvalelections.com/General-Information/Learn-About-Elections/History-Of-Elections
- Voting started in ancient Greece in 508 B.C.
Scripture:
- Esther 4:14
- 2 Corinthians 4:18
- Ecclesiastes 3:11
- Luke 12:51
- Matthew 10:34-36
- 1 Corinthians 11:17-19
- Matthew 25:35-40
- Luke 20:15-37
- Luke 19:13
- Matthew 28:19
- Matthew 25:14-30