Theology Thursday: Guidelines for Christian Voters

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him. I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Today's topic:
Some thoughts on the last Theology Thursday before election day.

Pastor Brady’s thoughts:
According to research, 85% of Democrats think nearly all Republicans are brainwashed and hateful, and 87% of Republicans think nearly all Democrats are brainwashed and hateful.

Given that nearly 66% of Americans identify as either Republican or Democrat, that means there’s a whole lot of dislike and distrust in our country right now. You’ve probably observed this or felt it yourself from time to time, especially in the heat of presidential election season.

We trust each other less, we fear each other more, and we struggle to understand how those on the other side of the political fence could possibly hold so many wrong-headed views. Unfortunately, this fear and distrust often does not stop at the doors of the church.

Though Christians are called by God to be set apart and holy, there’s often not nearly enough evidence that Christians treat each other better than do unbelievers. That’s one of the reasons churches are struggling to grow or even just remain stable in terms of attendance and commitment: when we act just like the rest of the world, the rest of the world doesn’t have the opportunity for the example of Christ to attract them.

The average Christian spends an hour or two per week under the teaching of their local church but as many as 13 hours a day consuming other forms of media: listening to podcasts, scrolling through Twitter, watching cable news.

How can we expect Christians to look any different when they’re functionally discipled by pundits and memes? If discipleship is about following Jesus with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength—a wholehearted commitment of all we think, do, love, and say—shouldn’t this include our politics as well?

At its core, a Christian approach to politics is about asking: What is God’s vision for a good and just society, and what must we cultivate in ourselves, our neighborhoods, and our churches to help contribute to that godly vision?

Part of the answer here is examining ourselves and adjusting our priorities so it is indeed God’s vision we’re pursuing rather than our own. If we do this often enough and long enough, our vision and God’s vision will align more closely because it will become more natural for us to think as he does and live as he desires for us to live.

And part of the answer is recognizing that changing the world starts by changing ourselves.

Rodney Smith was a British evangelist 100 years ago, and the story goes that he asked a local minister, “What can I do so that a revival will take place in my church?”

The minister answered, “Go into your room and take a piece of chalk; draw a circle on the floor and kneel down in the middle of it. Then pray: “Lord, bring revival to my church, and start in the middle of this circle.””

A transformed world requires a transformed heart - transformed by the Spirit for the purpose of doing Christ’s work until he returns.

There are times when Christians and the church need to take a strong moral stand, to boldly and firmly proclaim the truth in a world that is mostly opposed to it. But we have to remember that discerning truth requires wisdom, and it is always to be done in service of gospel goals. I love America, and I’m a patriotic guy, but my desire for national preeminence has to be subordinated to my desire for God’s kingdom to be realized here on earth.

We are Christians first. And not just first, but first, last, and everything in between. Back to the dresser analogy from my October 20th sermon: faith is not supposed to be a drawer in the dresser of our lives (not even the top drawer!), it’s the whole dresser all the other drawers of life fit into. Including politics.

Vincent Bacote asks in his book The Political Disciple: “If Christ is being formed in God’s people by the Holy Spirit, has his work penetrated to those regions of the heart that reveal themselves in the domain of public responsibility?”

We can engage in politics without abandoning our identity as children of God. It’s hard, sometimes, but faithful discipleship demands that we elevate a Kingdom-centered vision over and above any of the other things we care about or ways we think about ourselves.  

This includes not allowing the manipulations and of partisan politics to tempt us into pursuing power and victory rather than self-sacrificing service.

Tim Keller, the late pastor and author, said: “While believers can register under a party affiliation and be active in politics, they should not identify the Christian church or faith with a political party as the only Christian one. There are a number of reasons to insist on this.

One is that it gives those considering the Christian faith the strong impression that to be converted, they need not only to believe in Jesus but also to become members of the (fill in the blank) Party. It confirms what many skeptics want to believe about religion — that it is merely one more voting bloc aiming for power.

The Gospel gives us the resources to love people who reject both our beliefs and us personally. Christians should think of how God rescued them. He did it not by taking power but by coming to earth, losing glory and power, serving and dying on a cross. How did Jesus save? Not with a sword but with nails in his hands.”

Politics looks for potential enemies, Christianity looks for potential brothers and sisters. I want more brothers and sisters to worship alongside here and in heaven, even if they vote differently than me.

And Christians should vote, to the extent that we believe casting a vote for a particular person or policy does indeed help move the needle in the direction of righteousness.

But while God may not require us to vote, he does require us to:

• Reflect his just governance by working to promote good, punish evil, and protect all people from harm (Genesis 1:27-28, 9:1-7, and Psalm 8:5-8).
  
  
• Subject ourselves to and support government for the flourishing of all people (Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2: 13-17).
  
  
• Do justice. Try our best to do what is right for all people as exemplified in the character of God and expressed in the Word of God (Jeremiah 22:3 and Micah 6:8).
  
  
• Pray and work for the welfare of our nation (Jeremiah 29:7).
  
  
• Love God and love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
  
  
• Steward any responsibility we have in governance for the good of all people affected by our government (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2: 13-17, and Daniel 4:27).
  
  

I saw a graphic online a week or so ago, supposedly from the Pentecostal Evangel in 1984 (if the internet is to be believed), a publication of the Assemblies of God denomination. It was called Guidelines for Christian Voters, and included these 10 points:

1. Do not confuse patriotism, national pride, and Western culture with Christian faith and practice.

2. Do not confuse secular political activity with the purpose of the church, nor campaigning with witnessing and preaching.

3. Do not make slanderous or false accusations against your opponents, but maintain your integrity. Do not consider a brother or sister who is of like precious faith an adversary if he or she holds a different political view.

4. At all times endeavor to verify information before accepting it as true or before repeating it to others.

5. At times endeavor to know and understand the candidate's positions and evaluate him or her on that basis, on the basis of his or her ability to perform the duties and functions of the office, and his or her integrity.

6. At all times endeavor to know and understand the issues; do not excuse yourself from this duty by saying "God will show me whom to vote for."

7. At all times compare a candidate's position with Scripture but only where the Scripture addresses the issue; do not force Scripture to address issues that the Author did not intended it to address.

8. Neither vote nor work for a candidate merely because he or she professes ot be of the Christian faith.

9. Do not neglect your family, worship, prayer, or Bible study.

10. At all times uphold your leaders in prayer.

God, may you bring revival and transformation and peace, and may you start with me.

To know Him and to make Him known!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to minierccstaff@gmail.com and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.