“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote…that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.” This quote, attributed to Samuel Adams, reflects the power and the duty we the people hold with our power to vote, and our ability to partner with God to prioritize good over evil at the ballot box.
The Power and Significance of Your ‘Vote’
I often hear people say when referring to political candidates, “I just don’t like their personality,” or “I feel like I can’t vote for either candidate.” When well-meaning citizens make those statements, they err greatly in thinking the purpose of voting is to merely vote for a ‘personality’ or ‘person’ based upon subjective feelings. This approach ignores the fact that there are objective moral implications and consequences to voting.
The Importance of Good Policy
When we vote, we are voting for ‘the 4 Ps: party, platform, policies, and the principles upon which the candidate is running. Of these 4 Ps, the last two, ‘policies’ and ‘principles’ require special consideration. Think of it this way, when you vote for a candidate, you are endorsing their policies and the principles behind them. Whether they are good or terrible, policies reflect what elected officials believe and decide to do about a certain issue or problem, even if that means imposing immoral and harmful policies on their voters.
We have seen this play out in real-time as activist elected officials impose immoral laws and policies that have waged war on reality, preborn life, children’s bodies, parental rights, and religious freedom. It demonstrates how crucially important it is to consider how public policy affects our faith, families, and freedom. For instance, the number of laws, rules, and proposals created in favor of or against two issues—abortion and LGBT legislation—has significantly increased. In 2018, there were 41 bills that countered the LGBT agenda being forced upon the American public. Compare that to this year. Republicans passed nearly 240 laws nationally in 2022 preserving biblical sexuality and upholding the reality of biological sex, effectively pushing back against the LGBT lobby.
It’s easy to think that we don’t need to vote in a midterm election because Missouri, a Bible-belt, red state consistently leans conservative. But consider the cautionary tale of Colorado. For years, Colorado was conservative on issues related to human sexuality and gender. According to U.S News & World Report, until 2014, Colorado was considered one of the worst states for LGBT special rights, but in recent years the people of Colorado have elected progressive politicians who have passed powerful policies advancing the pro-LGBT agenda. The laws and policies enacted in Colorado have been profoundly impacted by this abrupt change in its elected representatives. In 2019, Colorado passed a law banning so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for minors, denying their right to seek effective counseling consistent with their beliefs regarding human sexuality and gender, and in 2021, Colorado passed a law allowing LGBT couples to adopt and foster children. Colorado went from being one of the worst states for LGBT special rights to being the best, even surpassing California. The same thing can happen in Missouri if we don’t do our research, show up during midterm elections, and vote biblically.
Bad laws that promote special privileges for a small group and undermine the freedom of the masses are not the only important public policy issues currently at stake. Protecting the inalienable right to life for our preborn neighbors has also been a significant policy issue across all 50 states. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (an affiliate of Planned Parenthood), in 2019 alone, there were 145 pro-abortion laws and policies passed across the country. Thankfully, after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the issue of abortion to the states, Missouri became the first state to use 'trigger laws' to ban abortion (with very few exceptions).
Who we elect as our policymakers has a significant impact on policies and laws rolled out across the state.
Principles Matter
Finally, let us consider the significance of principles. Whether one recognizes it or not, there is a system of principles derived from a worldview behind every platform, policy, or law that is crafted. It is our job as Christians to use due diligence to learn about a candidate's values, and to investigate what they believe on important moral issues. Generally, each candidate’s website includes a section that explains where they stand on the issues. Their success often rests upon their campaign promise or pledge that highlights their strategic goals, and what they plan to accomplish on crucial issues if they are voted into office.
Before voting for a candidate, know their principles.
How Do We Prioritize Various Issues?
While there are many issues on the ballot, not all of them are equally significant, serious, or consequential. The Bible is crystal clear on most moral issues, but there are other issues that may not seem as clear. We need to use wisdom, and general biblical principles when considering how to vote in order to avoid legalism and dogmatism. In part 2 of ‘How Should Christians Vote,’ I will make a case for how to prioritize various issues, according to how God prioritizes his ‘top non-negotiables.’
But for now, I encourage you to do two things. First, assess the party platform of each candidate and examine a list of the issues, then do your homework and discover what the Bible says on each of them. Second, go to each candidate’s website and find out where they personally stand on the issues and contrast their campaign promise or pledge with what the Bible says.
There never has been, and never will be a perfect candidate, but as people of faith - we have a moral duty to vote for the candidates whose policies, and principles most closely align with a biblical worldview. Furthermore, we are to reject the policies and principles that we know are morally wrong. If we don’t prioritize policies over popularity, and principles over privileges we will suffer dire consequences as we see the culture war continually erode our faith, families, and freedom. Our 34th U.S President warned us of this possibility when he said, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
Visit Family Resource Council's (our ally), FRC Action website for voter resources.
Comments