Politicking
Well, it’s the year of “politicking.” Time to get ready for the many commercials, ad nauseum, that will come our way, some, as we will discover, that are just downright deceptive and dishonest. So, we brace ourselves for the onslaught.
Let’s move on. I do, in my opinion, as a Christian, that we, the people of our land, and I am specifically talking to those who claim to be followers of Christ, need to be involved in the political process. I do believe what a candidate believes morally, socially, and financially, should come into play when it comes to casting my vote.
I have discovered that no candidate is perfect. They, like us, have flaws. The reality is that we are all responsible for our actions and attitudes, politicians as well as pastors and everyone else who walks the planet. The Bible is clear on that.
I think it is also a mistake for believers to become apologists for everything their candidate says or does that is less than beneficial, as if they want to present the ones they support as being right, no matter what.
I support people in office who say things that I believe are not always helpful, especially in how they address and handle situations. But that does not mean I write them off completely, especially if what they are trying to accomplish is for the betterment of our land and show a moral compass behind what they trying to do.
And since we all are less than perfect, and I do not use this as an excuse, but as a reality, a little grace and mercy can go a long way. At the same time, when a politician or anyone, for that matter, claims to be a follower of Christ, the “proof is in the pudding,” we could say.
When we proclaim the name of Christ, whether it be as a politician, pastor, student, employee, employer or in our involvement in the community, what we say and do needs to line up with what the Bible says. How we live as those who claim to know Christ does matter (1 Peter 2:11-12; 15-17; Matthew 5:13-16).
When it comes to that day when we show up at the polls to vote, the question we should ask is, “What candidate(s) best lines up with my values as attested to in Scripture?
I think most Christians that I know do have a measuring stick by which they choose who they vote for. Some people think pastors should never talk about politics or those “hot button” issues, but I disagree with that thinking.
Many of the battleground issues that are happening in our land are not, I repeat, are not, political, though that is what they have become. They are moral and spiritual issues.
For example, I will not under any circumstances support a candidate who promotes abortion. Period. I believe that life begins at conception and that is the view of Scripture (Psalm 139; Jeremiah 1), just to note two passages. I will not support someone who thinks that what is the womb, or sadly, in some cases, comes out of the womb, is anything less than a human being.
Though there may be doctors who offer varying views of when there is “viability”, a word used to try to make the unborn seem less than human, there are countless pro-life folks in the medical profession who hold to the view of when life begins that lines up with the Scriptures, whether they are Christians or not.
There are many other issues that come into play for me, and for you reading this, that should guide our decisions on voting day. If we are a Christian, those we cast our vote for should be individuals whom we can support because key views they hold to line up with our understanding of what the Bible says. And if we are looking for the “perfect” candidate, we are out of luck. But I do think there must be benchmarks we use to choose who to vote for.
And I will say this. We live in a country that allows us to vote. As a Christian, I believe I have a responsibility to be involved in that freedom to help elect people to represent us. I will at another time simply share other important issues that I think are Biblical that I use as my fenceposts when it comes to voting. But that is for another day.
God bless and may you have an awesome day.