I had a chat conversation with a friend a few weeks ago, which started with an opinion piece on US political ideologies compared to political parties around the rest of the developed world, trailed into topics like healthcare and economic ideology, and kinda ended with a question I asked him.
“You know, I literally used to think, back in the day when people put their political view on FB profile, that “moderate” was weak and unacceptable,” I typed. “And adults around me would mock the term “moderate” and roll their eyes if that’s how you responded when asked about affiliation. Am I the only one with that kind of experienced rhetoric growing up?”
“Nope,” my friend replied. “I felt that too.”
That thought has been weighing on me during the past few months, as I think about my own political, ideological, and theological journey (which never really ends). Growing up in my church, it really felt like there was only one way to think and vote, and thinking or voting otherwise meant you were a subpar Christian.
Now, we’re lying if we say that our faith doesn’t inform our politics. And it many ways, I think it’s OK to act on the ballot as you feel called to best live out the Gospel. But the question I’m asking is:
__________
Do our voting decisions determine how good or bad a Christian we are?
__________
I ask this because I have learned through conversations, sermons, literature, friendships, and many more places, that we each see God’s creation in the Old Testament, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in the New Testament, and all the stories and characters of the Bible, with different viewpoints. I’m not saying there’s no absolute truth; God gave us the Ten Commandments, Jesus died on the cross for us, and we all receive guidance, instruction, and hope throughout the Word.
But because we’re humans with so many convictions and passions, even with God at the center there are different pieces that resonate differently with us. Some of us are drawn to the story of Moses receiving the Commandments; maybe we marvel at God’s faithfulness and deliverance of the Israelites from their enemies; others are inspired by Jesus’ response to those accusing the woman of adultery; still others are struck by the way Jesus condemns the Pharisees.
Also because we’re humans, it’s so easy for us to take this and apply it to the policies shaping our secular world. We tackle, among many issues: lives lost in abortion, lives at risk in young mothers and children; rioters, police brutality; people failing to obey the laws, laws failing to serve social justice; affirmation of LGBTQ sexuality, condemnation of LGBTQ sexuality; socialism, capitalism; loss of economic freedom, presence of economic oppression; and so on and so forth.
I should note that if there are theological arguments about which issues matter and which don’t, I’m happy to hear them. It can be tough though, at least for me, to differentiate between exploring the Word to try to understand God vs. shaping the Word to fit my own biases.
We feel a range of emotions, like hurt, grief, inspiration, or invigoration depending on the topic. We believe it’s our allegiance to Jesus that drives how we feel. It leads us to something like this:
…As I apply Jesus to each of these issues, it’s clear Joe Biden is the only candidate who will let this country live and love as God calls us.
…It’s obvious that in the way we are supposed to be as Christians, Donald Trump is the only candidate who will let this country live and love as God calls us.
…When you look at the big picture of obedience and a faithful life, Insert Candidate is the only candidate who will let this country live and love as God calls us.
….
A recent sermon at our church forced us to consider whether our allegiance is to a political party or Jesus. When I answer that, it pushes me to believe that Jesus didn’t die for us to win an election. Sure, I can think about political issues and have insightful conversations or debates as I translate my faith convictions into action.
At the end of the day, though, I feel like millions of other Christians are doing the exact same thing, maybe landing at a completely different place on the political spectrum.
I’m inclined to believe Jesus does not make His home anywhere along this left-right spectrum, yet I’ve still posed the question above. While I/we try to find an answer, I know for sure Jesus is our savior at the center of the universe. Much love to you all.