On Voting

image from here

It's election time in America! Facebook is abuzz with links, arguments, pleas, insults, and all sorts of opinions on how to vote. Below is a draft set of statements I'm thinking through as I ponder my choices, for this and every election, approaching them from a Christian perspective. The wording below is borrowed liberally from several pastors, to include Tim Keller (this article) and Duke Kwon (this article). Three statements to start:

1. Jesus is Lord over everything.
• As a result, everything matters. In societies where citizens are given a voice in how government conducts business, it is the Christian's privilege and responsibility to participate. Vote. From Tim Keller: "Christians should be involved politically as a way of loving our neighbors, whether they believe as we do or not."
2. No party fully displays the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Both parties want to see America prosper, but have very different visions for what that means and how to make that happen. Each party has policy elements that echo of gospel teachings, but both are off in areas.  
• Scott Sauls says: "Neither Right nor Left has a corner on truth, justice, or neighbor love. Both (a) have some blood on their hands, and (b) imperfectly align with *some* aspect/s of Christ’s own agenda. Follow the Whole Christ and you will find it impossible to align wholesale with any party."
• From Duke Kwon: "Jesus didn’t (and doesn’t) fit neatly into any political party. His kingdom is “not of this world.” Therefore, we should expect the values and priorities of that “alien kingdom” both to transect and to transcend the political categories of the world." 
3. Christians will differ in their political affiliations.
• Because no party fully displays the gospel, Christians will differ in how they vote. Every vote is a compromise. Christians will choose different compromises. 
• And we should be aware of those compromises. Pastor Kwon: "Christians should regularly experience discomfort within their own parties: how the issues are defined and what issues are (and aren’t) tackled. You should never feel perfectly “at home.”"
• And so we should not side with one party at all costs. Duke Kwon: "Christians should be more critical of their own party than their own political tribespeople, and more charitable of the opposing party (annoyingly so) than their own political tribespeople" . . . to the point that "Christians should occasionally make members of their own party mad. If you’ve never irked someone from your own political tribe for disagreeing with the party line, you’re probably following party more than you are Jesus." 
• And as a result, we should be bridge builders. Again, Kwon: "Christians should be motivated to build bridges across the aisle, whether vocationally or socially -- not simply for reasons of civility or productivity, but based upon the conviction that the opposition party is the depository of “leftover pieces” of Jesus' “platform” that evidently didn’t fit into your own party’s policy puzzle."
• Remember, too, the purpose of government. The Bible tells us what to believe and how to behave, but it does not offer, in most cases, policy directives. 
• Example: The Bible's focus is not earthly government, but it's clear from the text that government matters and we should pray for peace and justice. The Bible does not say how much we should pay in taxes (though it does say we should pay them), whether taxes should(n't) fund social programs, and a great deal else. 
• As Christians, it's clear our mandate is to love God and others- to be an active participant in in providing justice and care. It does not say the government must (or cannot) participate in these matters. 
• Thus, it's expected and acceptable for Christians to fall on either side of several issues. From Kwon: "Public policy can be an expression of kingdom values, but the two are not equivalent."  Tim Keller adds: "most political positions are not matters of biblical command but of practical wisdom."
• Tim Keller gives more detail: "This does not mean that the church can never speak on social, economic and political realities, because the Bible often does. Racism is a sin, violating the second of the two great commandments of Jesus, to “love your neighbor.” The biblical commands to lift up the poor and to defend the rights of the oppressed are moral imperatives for believers. For individual Christians to speak out against egregious violations of these moral requirements is not optional.
  However, there are many possible ways to help the poor. Should we shrink government and let private capital markets allocate resources, or should we expand the government and give the state more of the power to redistribute wealth? Or is the right path one of the many possibilities in between? The Bible does not give exact answers to these questions for every time, place and culture."

With that in mind, here's how I am trying to approach elections:

1. Consider policy.
• If candidate [x] wins the election, what will he say he will do? What policies will he champion; what causes will he espouse? 
• What are the underlying worldviews behind these policies? Are they true? I don't expect candidates to be Christians. But I look for those candidates who champion policies that reflect basic principles in the Bible: to respect the dignity of all human beings [because we're made in God's image], care for creation [because we're stewards of the Earth], account for human nature [because nobody is righteous], defend the good and bring wrath on those who practice evil, be just [show no partiality], show concern for the weak and poor, seek restoration of the fallen, and so on.
• From the prior section, note that Christians may come to different conclusions on which policies are most effectively just, protective, loving, etc. Either way, be aware of the underlying belief systems. 
• Also be cognizant of addressing 'root vs. fruit'- should policies focus on the root problem behind a given issue, the fruit of the issue, or both? I suspect some of the disagreements between parties (and Christians) come down to this emphasis. There are different ways to approach reducing crime, for example.
• Some people are "one-issue voters"- meaning that the other policy positions of a candidate are irrelevant to them. While people needn't care about every last issue, I'd argue that limiting it to just one is short-sighted. It's clear in scripture that more than one issue matters. If a candidate enacts good laws in one sphere but brings ruin in many others, is that a net gain? There isn't always an easy answer.
2. Consider character.
• Character shows what a leader truly believes. In that respect, character is policy. 
• Nobody is perfect, but let's say it more bluntly: everybody sins. So character isn't about being sinless, but the "overall moral or ethical quality" of the person. Do you trust this candidate when they speak? Is their conduct worthy of admiration? Do they acknowledge their faults and failures? Do they obey the law? How do they treat others- especially those with whom they disagree? 
• People follow the leader. If the candidate's character is suspect, people will start to defend and display suspect character. 
• This does not mean the person has to be 'nice' or 'likable.' But they do need to show character.
3. Consider qualifications.
• Does the person running for office have experience in relevant areas? 
• This doesn't mean they have to be career politicians, but that they have experience in something reasonably expected to have given them wisdom to execute their responsibilities well in the position they seek.
• Does this person have the demeanor necessary for the position? 
• This is related to character, but slightly different. You can be a good person and not be a good President, because you may not have the demeanor the position requires.
4. When evaluating, be consistent in judgments of both policy, character, and qualifications.
• It's in our nature to give a pass to candidate [x] for poor conduct, then rebuke candidate [y] for the same- all based on party affiliation. If you give one a pass on a given matter, you must do the same for the other. Conversely, if a given criterion matters for one candidate, it must matter for all. 
5. Have minimum acceptable thresholds.
• Every vote will be a compromise in some way(s), but there are thresholds. Have them. Know them. Stick to them. If it was Hitler vs. Stalin, could you in good conscience vote for either? We're not in that extreme situation today, but I use that example to illustrate that there may be times where choosing either candidate is a bad idea. There are other options.
• If you can't, in good conscience, vote for either of the main candidates, then don't. Vote for another candidate who exceeds your minimum acceptable threshold.
• Every vote sends a message. The two main parties retain their dominance in the political landscape today because of the mindset that insists on choosing one- it perpetuates the problem. Some elections may feature two candidates where neither is acceptable. If that's the case, vote for someone else.
• Most European democracies operate on a coalition system- many parties earn a decent (but small) share of the vote, so they must work together and form coalitions to govern. I don't suggest that this is inherently superior to America's two-party model, but I have noticed an intra-party accountability in Europe [because voters have other viable party choices, some of which don't differ remarkably from each other] that America lacks. It solves this particular problem.
6. Support whoever wins.
• As we are to seek the welfare of the cities in which we live, the Bible is clear that we are to pray for our leaders and submit to them, regardless of their policies, character, or disposition towards the Church. Only when they mandate something opposed to God's Word should we disobey.  
• We can rest in a sovereign and loving God, who makes kingdoms rise and fall, and holds the hearts of kings in His hand, to turn them as He wills. That doesn't mean that it will always be easy for His church, but we can rest- and even rejoice- in the reality that the Lord can use all things to accomplish His will- even those overtly opposed to Him. But we hope for more- we pray for wise and just rulers, "that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." 

The decision will not always be easy; the way forward not always clear. Lord Jesus, grant us wisdom.