Yes, November 8th all 435 seats of the House of Representatives and 35 out of the 100 Senate seats are being contested, as well as our Volunteer State’s gubernatorial election. Should your church leadership tell you who to vote for? No. Should your church leaders tell you which political party to support? Never.
It is divisive to denounce any politician by name or to promote your political party from the pulpit. Ethically, your church leadership has no business telling you who you should vote for -- it is improper and perhaps even illegal for church leaders to tell you who you should vote for.
Our way of voting is rather new. The Bible was written in the historical context of monarchies and Theocratic imperialism. If you search your Bible forever you won’t find the words “Democratic elections” or “Voters rights.” Instead, we read:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (I Timothy 2:1-2)
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2)
“Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” (I Peter 2:13-17)
In other words, from these three passages, it is not up to us to establish the political leadership. It is our obligation to be submissive to political leaders and to pray for them, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with them.
Could your church, can your church, teach you how to vote like a Christian? Yes, they can and should. The pulpit isn't the place to shame or coerce people into voting your party’s way, instead churches should help their congregations learn how to vote like Christians.
How could Christians vote more faithfully? For starters we should pray for guidance from God, and then be willing to pray for all of our political leaders, even the ones we disagree with after they take office. As a matter of conscience, we should prayerfully consider casting our votes carefully. Secondly, I do believe our voting is based on character and principles, the person in office matters as much as their proposed policies.
As you ponder who to vote for in November, consider Jesus’ response to Pilate’s interrogation in John 18:36-37, “36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Our churches have an obligation to guide us to live faithfully, even in a world rife with political corruption -- we are blessed today with unimaginable freedoms that allow us to participate in our elections, this serious obligation is not to be taken lightly. Ultimately, as we vote, we must consider, our kingdom isn't of this world, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...” (Philippians 3:20)
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