Christians Should Not Abandon Political Involvement

There are a lot of people out there who wish Christians would get out of politics entirely, and most of them will say (and, sadly, some politically active Christians would agree) that Christians should not vote for a seriously flawed candidate, but should instead simply not vote, or vote for the other major candidate, a write in, or a third party candidate.

What does the Bible say about political involvement?

The Bible tells us to live for the Lord wholeheartedly and that everything we have, including our money and our bodies, is His; we have been temporarily delegated control over these thing. It also recognizes that we live among people who aren't Christians, some who are pretenders, and people hostile to Christianity. We are to live moral and virtuous lives, including caring for the poor and protecting against evil.

When the Bible was written, there was no government structure like ours, with a Constitutionally-limited secular federal government of three equal branches representing a union of secular states, all being of laws rather than men, with democratically elected representatives from an electorate of men and women regardless of ethnicity, religion, creed, education, or class. In the Bible, a benevolent dictatorship, with Jesus Christ as Lord, is presented as our ultimate destination, inhabited by the redeemed and glorified. Until Jesus appears again and we have the New Heaven and New Earth, we have to deal with each other as fallen mortals.

Our Founding Fathers were heavily influenced by the Bible and history. They knew that people are fallen, that government power had to be limited, and that a system that involves separation of powers and checks and balances was needed. 

Unfortunately, over the course of our Union's history, more and more power has shifted to the federal government, especially the federal judiciary, which has, in some cases, become activist. The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen. However, with certain limits and exceptions, each citizen still has the right to vote, the freedom to run for elected office and to support campaigns with our time, talent, and treasure.

Should Christians vote? And if so, should they only vote for people who are apparently Christians with a lifetime of outstanding, moral behavior and unassailable character?


All other things being equal, of course we should choose the candidate (likely to win) who has demonstrated better character. We don't want someone who is corrupt or more likely to be corrupted in office. We don't want someone who has little discipline or self-control, or a worldview that might lead them to detrimental decisions.

However, things are almost never equal.

For example, when one candidate has made it clear that he or she supports elective abortion as a "right", and will be in a position to support that position through action, that is a very serious evil. Aiding and abetting the slaughter of innocent human beings by the millions is a serious negative weight. The opposing candidate, if holding a better position about protecting human life, would have to have some extremely serious flaws to be the less preferred candidate. Depending on the office, even if they had their position in common, if one political party takes a better position on such a serious issue, it can be advantageous to have that party in the majority, even if the candidate doesn't hold that position. That is because legislative majorities provide advantages. This is especially important when it comes to Congress, especially the Senate.

Protecting human life is just one example, though. There are other serious positions.

We're never going to know everything about a candidate. There are things that have been done or said in private, or thought, that won't be known until later, if ever. Some things are none of our business. For example, if a man running for office and his wife like to tie each other up on the bedroom. That's completely irrelevant to the choice we're making and none of our business. We many never know things we should know. We can only act on what we know.

Let's get real about American politics today.

We live in a country where we can run for office, we can vote, we can support candidates with our time, talent, and treasure. It behooves us to get informed and participate. If we don't, we're leaving our governance entirely to people who aren't followers of Christ and may even be anti-Christian. That would not only be bad for us, but bad for America and bad for the world. Our priorities and values and positions are often demonstrably beneficial on a secular level. Paul certainly used the Roman (certainly not Christian!) system and laws to his advantage of furthering the Gospel. Our system allows our participation, and we should be wise in how we engage in such opportunities.

In most races for higher office, from President to Governor to Senator to Representative, the person elected will be either a Republican or a Democrat. If there's ever a race during which the polling shows someone else has a serious chance of winning, it'll be different, but most of the time that's not what we're talking about. There may be a really upstanding and devout candidate from a tiny party who holds all of the "right" positions, but if that person has no realistic chance of winning, voting for them is not wise.

American political parties are not officially religious organizations. The two major parties are secular. However, the Republican Party is generally more friendly to Christians and Christian principles and values. Some people object to this because they claim Democrats want to "help the poor and oppressed". But so do Republicans. It's just that we see better ways of helping the poor and oppressed than new or expanded federal or state programs.

Voting for, endorsing, or otherwise supporting a flawed candidate doesn't mean you approve of everything they've done or said, and doesn't mean you're abandoning morality or your faith, as long as all things considered, the candidate is preferable to the alternative. Will it "hurt the brand" of the party, and thereby do more damage than good on the long run? Perhaps. We don't know for sure. Republican experts told us Trump couldn't get elected President and we were going to lose the Senate and House in 2016 due to Trump. They were wrong. So we need to be careful and consider what we can be more certain about. For example, if Trump hadn't been elected, SCOTUS would be further to the Left already, and the Left is hostile to Christianity.

When we elect someone, we're hiring a representative, a public servant, not a pastor or babysitter or spouse. There's only one true Jesus, and our choice in candidates are not going to be Him. We get a choice in fallen people. Our primary concern is: How will they carry out their duties and wield their powers? If you need a serious brain surgery, do you really care if the surgeon has always been faithful in marriage, or is it more important that the surgeon has consistently performed the surgery successfully? Again, it would be great if the best candidate was also a virtuous, disciplined person with a great personality and who shares our faith. But that's not the primary concern in electing someone to political office.

States have lost power to the federal government, especially the activist federal judiciary. The federal government has become more and more involved in our daily lives. The judiciary is determined by the President and the Senate. This had made preventing Leftist control of the Presidency and the Senate crucial. What will be the best outcome of an election to stop the advance of Leftism?

Leftism attacks Christianity. While libertarianism or conservatism can allow Atheists, Wiccans, New Agers, religious Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and just about anyone else to thrive and flourish and enjoy their freedoms alongside Christians, Leftism undermines traditional religions, including Christianity. If Christians don't stand up to oppose Leftism in this Union, including in politics, we're going to see a larger and more intrusive government taking more and more of our earnings to get the vulnerable hooked on dependence to godless government, perform elective abortions, mutilate children in the name of transgenderism, undermine parental authority the natural family as an institution, denigrate femininity in women and masculinity in men, devalue humanity in comparison to plants and insects and swamps, restrict religious freedom for Christians, and reduce personal liberty in general.

Contrary to what our political opponents say, we're not trying to hurt anyone or deny anyone what they are due. We're not trying to institute a theocracy. I'm not aware of any major, serious Christian thinkers or leaders in, or addressing American politics who are working to institute a theocracy, nor any who think political solutions can fix or mitigate our most serious problems. While politics matters, we know that spiritual issues are serious and persistent problems, and we don't make people Christians through laws or government programs. No political candidate is going to solve all of our problems, nor should they even try to solve most of them.

Never confuse a political party with a religious party in a country that has the First Amendment. Theological beliefs and religious practices of the candidates usually shouldn't be a determining factor in getting our vote. I would vote for a Conservative Jew or a devout Mormon or Hindu or Sikh who was for limited government and the right to life before someone who was a Left-leaning professed Protestant, because what matters is how they will carry out the responsibilities and wield the powers delegated to them by the Constitution.

So please, fellow Christians, get informed and get active. Register to vote and register others, and vote. Get active in the GOP. Volunteer or seek employment in political campaigns, including primaries. Give your time, talent, and treasure to the better of the two candidates in general elections and to ballot propositions that will have more benefit than harm. Consider running for office yourself.

You have been given opportunities. What will you do with them?

This post should NOT be considered an endorsement of any candidate currently running for office.