“If you don’t vote for X, I’m not sure that you’re even a Christian!”
Confusingly enough, I’ve heard the “X” filled in with candidates from both sides of the political aisle. We have one group shouting that we need to saddle a donkey and the other side would have our Christian duty be harnessing an elephant. And there is a good chance that as you read this, you’re rolling your eyes at the thought that anyone could make a Christian argument for the “other” side of things.
It’s no secret that we’re a polarized country (though surprisingly not as much as we think). And it’s no secret that almost everyone feels as if the result of each election will indelibly impact the direction of our nation for the next four years. For as long as I can remember I’ve been told that “this is the most consequential election we’ve ever faced.” If I’m being honest, it’s starting to feel like a clothing store having the “biggest sale of the year” every other week.
I’ll lay my cards out on the table at the beginning. I’m immediately turned off to any argument which says a Christian must vote a certain way or their salvation is in question. For one, the idea of a vote would have been entirely foreign to the early disciples. We must admit that if we’re to make arguments from Scripture about voting, all we have are inferences. Secondly, our salvation is connected to Christ. If you can have an angry tirade in traffic and still be a Christian, you can botch your vote and still be a Christian. Your eternity is settled by what you do with Jesus, not by what you do with a political candidate.
Yet, I do believe our faith should inform our voting. These are important questions to ask. But before asking how we should vote, or even who we should vote for, maybe we need to take a step further back. What is a vote?
I think of a vote a little like how C.S. Lewis spoke of Satan. He said it far more eloquently, but the gist of his thought on the enemy is that we can give the devil too much or too little attention. I believe our vote is similar. We can dismiss our vote as if it’s an insignificant thing and has nothing to do with our following of Christ. But we can equally err in thinking that our vote is entangled with casting a vote for heaven or hell. It could be, I suppose. But that’s likely a heart issue that was settled prior to the ballot box.
What is a vote for a Christian? I’d say that it is a stewardship of our civic duty meant to promote justice, righteousness, and neighborly love. Though our fundamental identity is found in a different city (heaven) our vote is a means by which we can seek the welfare of the community in which God has placed us.
Being able to vote is a gift. People in many other nations wish they had the right to a vote. It is a beautiful part of our country that we are able to choose (at least somewhat) our own leaders. And being an American citizen of voting age means that we have a civic duty to perform in voting. But as Christians we are called to steward everything we are given. This blessing of a vote is a stewardship which is ultimately given to us by God.
We are to steward our vote in the same way that we are to steward every one of God’s blessings. We are to use this to promote justice, righteousness, and the love of our neighbor. Our vote is cast to elect government officials which we believe will promote the welfare of the community.
It is here that we, even as believers, might have differing opinions. We disagree on what qualifies as promoting justice and righteousness. We weigh things differently. One believer might view policies of healthcare, social justice, and welfare as the means to create thriving. They might be convinced that the plan of a certain politician will create thriving for everyone within our nation, and simultaneously feel that the plan of another candidate will harm other segments of society. Another believer might emphasize another set of policies — like religious freedom, family values, and small government.
I am pretty big on allowing other believers to follow their own conscience. That also makes me uncomfortable at times. I scratch my head wondering how a believer could vote for this policy, or that politician. But at the end of the day, I think we do well to keep our understanding of the vote in its proper channels. It’s a matter of the heart more than anything. And I think we are voting as a Christian when we cast our vote for what we truly believe will promote the best welfare for our community.
But what if you find yourself unable to vote for any of the proposed candidates? Must a Christian vote?
Jesus is pretty clear in the gospels that believers were supposed to pay taxes to Caesar. And Caesar was a wicked dude who would likely spend that money on wicked things. We need to wrestle with all of the implications of that. On the other hand, a vote is a little different than paying taxes to Caesar. It is not mandatory. No citizen is required to cast a vote. Therefore, it’s in a little different category.
Again, let’s think about the nature of our vote. It is a stewardship of civic duty meant to promote justice, righteousness, and neighborly love. It is a means by which we can seek the welfare of our community. What happens if, in your estimation, you cannot in good conscience cast a vote for any of the proposed candidates?
I appreciate what John Piper says here:
“One of those factors is this: when the duty to vote is elevated to the point where it overrides other Christian principles of virtue, it has been taken too far. That duty has been taken too far. At times, it happens in a fallen world that a vote for any proposed candidate is so offensive, so morally compromised, so misleading that it may be a matter of greater integrity, more faithful obedience to Christ, and a clearer witness to truth if we do not vote for any of the proposed candidates.”
Our chief obligation is to God and His kingdom. If a Christian cannot in good conscience vote for either candidate, I would personally suggest writing-in a candidate. I would suggest voting for a candidate that you can in good conscience vote for. It’s never a wasted vote to cast a ballot for the one you believe will assist in helping others thrive. That is what it means to steward your vote. For me personally, if I cannot do that I will abstain.
I know others disagree with me on this. They will say that to not vote for candidate A is to cast a ballot for candidate B. I’ve never understood that logic because it assumes far too much. The stewardship of my vote isn’t about making sure one party or another remains in power. The stewardship of my vote is about giving my little shard of an opinion on what will create the most flourishing of the candidates available. If I believe neither will do this, then abstaining (at least for me) is a valid option for a Christian. And if enough did this, it might hold even more sway than being in the pocket of either political party. Perhaps our options and our discourse could be improved if candidates once again had to earn our vote—which leads to our next section.
This isn’t the first and greatest principle, but the one which flows most naturally from the previous paragraph; namely voting against something is ultimately self-defeating. Our vote should be for something. Christians are meant to be builders not stoppers. We’re supposed to create flourishing to work and to keep the garden. Yes, that does at times mean keeping wickedness out. But our chief concern is to create. When we flip this and give more energy to making sure the “worse” party doesn’t win, we’ve cut the legs out from under our creation mandate. Christians, in my opinion, shouldn’t play the game of lesser of two evils.
Secondly, we should first and foremost know which kingdom has our primary citizenship. We vote as those who have a principal allegiance to Christ and His kingdom. This means that the character and way of Christ will not only govern how we cast our ballot, but also how we engage in political discussion. This allegiance to Christ should inform everything we do. Our voting should be done for the glory of God. Again, I know we differ here on how we live out the calling of Christ. We differ on what this means for public policy. But as believers we should be able to be united around the shed blood of our Savior. This should be our fundamental loyalty.
Furthermore, character does matter. We are not voting only for platform. It is not policy alone which creates flourishing in a community. What is that saying about culture eating strategy for breakfast? It’s true. You can have all of the life-giving policies in the world but if it isn’t lived out by life-giving people then it’s only a pipe dream. Leaders lead. If we think a leader with an immoral character will lead us to thriving as a community, we’re sorely mistaken. There is a reason why boards consider the ethics of their CEO’s before hiring them. I’m not sure why we think civic leaders would somehow be different.
Lastly, we should be people of truth. I might be inching outside the scope of this article, but I think it is an important consideration. Remember what your vote is. It’s about stewardship. It’s about flourishing. Sometimes we get our vote wrong. And sometimes the person we put in office does things which create harm. This is where embracing all of these principles comes into play. We need to speak against evil and for righteousness regardless of party. That is our goal as Christians. When we see beauty lets highlight it, no matter the party. When we see evil, let’s combat it, no matter the party.
Our vote is only one little piece of our lifelong call to pursue the flourishing of the fallen community around us. We’re in Babylon and we need to live like it. We need to bring as much Jesus into our wayward world as we can. There’s 1461 days in a four-year election cycle. If Christians fail to love each other, fail to follow the way of Jesus, and fail to love our neighbors for 1460 days, casting our vote on one day in November isn’t exactly faithfulness.
Photo credit: Pexels/Cottonbro
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.