No church or pastor should ever endorse outright a particular candidate for office. The Church’s only endorsement is Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus has never flip-flopped on key issues, used race-based identity politics, or had a questionable haircut. No. Indeed, the Church preaches Christ crucified and Christ risen for the sake of sinners. This, and this alone, is the Gospel.
However, bringing the gospel to the world entails sharing the love of Christ and obeying Christ’s own command to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” While the Church exclusively endorses Jesus Christ, it also plays a pivotal role in engaging with the world around us. There is a whole world that needs Christ’s love and this love flows out of every church and each Christian as we live out our lives as neighbors, friends, coworkers, husbands, wives, parents, and members of our community, and for the sake of Christ, we care for and love those that God places around us.
To truly love our neighbors, we must recognize that engagement in political discourse is part of that love. Sadly, I’ve noticed that sometimes it’s easy for Christians to think that loving neighbor and serving Christ necessitates staying out of politics and political discussions. Perhaps they find it squeamish to engage in a culture where politics, partisan ideologies, and social issues increasingly divide rather than unify, making it hard to grapple with the tension that develops between one’s spiritual convictions and the complexities of civic duty and loving others for the sake of Christ.
So how do we navigate this delicate balance?
To begin, let’s always remember that Christ’s love compels us to care about what goes on in the world. Always! Being informed isn’t enough; we are called to actively participate in the shaping of our communities and policies. It should always concern us when we see people’s lives in turmoil. The Christian needs to be aware and informed on what is going on in the world and actively considering his/her stance and response; because whatever is going in in the world has a direct effect on the people God has called us to care for and care about. We cannot love our neighbor if we aren’t present, active and engaged.
This includes participating in politics and voting. It includes the way we talk about our elected leaders and policies they enact. It includes showing our patriotism and love for country–which should be a defining mark of any Christian’s reputation. It means a Christian’s religion and politics go hand-in-hand and cannot be separated. It means we want for and pray for candidates that seek policies that align with our faith and protect and promote the good of our neighbor.
Remember what St. Paul’s admonishes in Titus 3:1-2 NIV: “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” Unfortunately, in the upcoming presidential election, being active, involved and vocal yet, also gentle, peaceable, considerate, and avoiding slander… IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY!!!!
But hand-wringing and worrying is not an option. It is ungodly! Washing our hands of politics and not voting is also no option. It’s uncaring! Decrying only the flaws of each presidential candidate without considering their strengths is no option, either . It is ungrateful and thankless!
God has provided us two candidates to vote for. He intends for one of them to be the next president of our country. So, how then can we not prayerfully consider each candidate and his/her policies and which most closely aligns with His word and His will?
Finally, consider what President Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Patriotism means to stand for the country. It does not mean to stand with the president.” That’s an interesting observation. What it means is that there will always be certain policies and personality traits in any presidential candidate that we might not prefer—this is true of people in general—but overall, it means a Christian wants for a president who will do what is best for the country because that is what is best for your neighbor, whom you are called to love and serve as Christ taught you and has called you.
With these principles in mind, let me list some policies and issues that I think should resonate deeply with every Christian voter:
- The sanctity of life, in every respect. A human fetus resides within its mother’s womb. It is a separate human being with its own heart, brain, organs, and limbs. Terminating that life through abortion is much more than simply “reproductive health care.” A developing child’s life is precious in the sight of God. Only when necessary to preserve the life of the mother and perhaps in other very rare extenuating circumstances, it should be nurtured, not aborted. In the same way, care for the elderly, abused, or abandoned also belongs in the sanctity of life category.
- Defending marriage and family, discouraging sexual immorality, and empowering boys to be boys and girls to be girls. While in a free country, no politician or law should be able to dictate how we see ourselves or pursue our personal happiness, even so, government exists to foster what is good for its people and not to celebrate, guard, promote, or subsidize what is perverted.
- Safety and security in America. This requires restoring a sense of law and order, especially where theft and violence are tolerated and where respect for law enforcement officers has been replaced with violence, disrespect, anarchy and chaos. Immigration laws and policies that lawfully and peaceably welcome to our land immigrants from other countries need to be upheld. Borders need to be borders, even if they have gates.
- Strong and effective international leadership that preserves world peace. That requires a leader who can be respected on the world stage, will support our military forces, and will influence international leaders to promote peaceful coexistence in the world.
- Environmental laws that are common-sense and understand that the creation is not our god; it is what the true God has called us to be stewards of for the benefit of our neighbor. It is good for farmers to use land to grow crops and raise livestock. It is good for trees to be turned into lumber for housing. It is good for oil to be turned into energy.
- Other important issues: Energy independence, inflation reduction, responsible national and international expenditures, dealing with the atrocious national debt, etc.
Ultimately, our responsibility as Christians transcends mere civic duty; it compels us to act with love and discernment when casting our votes. All these issues affect the people God has placed around you—your neighbor. Don’t take them lightly. Vote for the candidate that will most closely promote these things. That is your Christian responsibility.
What’s your perspective on all this?
O Lord, open my lips... 