Christians debate the morality of our voting at least every two years. Is voting for the lesser evil voting for evil? Should Christians seek politicians who will care for the poor with tax dollars? Isn’t abortion just a done deal that Republicans keep alive to keep Christians in the fold? These are legitimate questions that frankly have legitimate answers. More often than not, however, the questions are used for little more than rationalizing the decisions we already made before asking them. Add into the mix the strange story of a brash, crude, politically incorrect previous president who gave us justices that overturned Roe v. Wade and who may have sought to overturn the last election.
Without providing answers to the above questions I want to lay down a few simple suggestions to plug into your calculations. First, character always matters. Always. That doesn’t mean, of course, that we’re electing a pastor. It doesn’t mean any skeleton, no matter how old, should be fair game. It does mean that a man who lies about his marriage vows will certainly lie about his campaign promises. A man who cheats on his wife will cheat on his constituents.
Second, a sound worldview always matters. I’m willing to stipulate that President Carter was an honorable gentleman. He was, however, an honorable gentleman who was profoundly confused about the proper function and limits of the federal government. A man who comes on national TV in a sweater to tell us to keep our thermostats at 64 may be benevolent, but that doesn’t keep him from being a dictator. If Mr. Rogers thinks the neighborly thing to do is to rob Peter to pay Paul it will soon be a terrible day in the neighborhood. Don’t vote for a nice socialist.
Third, remembering no one is perfect, remember also that sometimes the best choice is “None of the above.” We ought to take our vote seriously enough to recognize that we can’t really pat ourselves on the back if our vote kept Stalin out of office by electing Hitler. If you find yourself in this position, however, let me suggest this- write to the slightly better guy’s party and let them know why you voted “no.”
Fourth, the legal murder of the unborn is no more an “issue” than the Nazi holocaust was an “issue.” It is the great evil of our age. Voting for any candidate who believes it is his duty to use his office to protect the murder of any unborn child is a vote for the devil himself. Don’t do it. Ever. For any reason. As with my earlier point, anyone who thinks it is a legitimate function of any government to protect the murder of the innocent has already demonstrated a clear lack of qualification for office. Voting for such a man demonstrates a clear lack of qualification to vote. To call this perspective partisanship is to side with Molech.
Finally, you should vote as a Christian, as one who knows that Jesus Christ reigns over all things. He has already decided who will win the election. Our job isn’t to change a fixed future. Our job is to be found faithful. When the votes are tallied and the challenges have been decided, you will have peace in your conscience, even if there is no peace in our time.