Friday, August 14, 2015

Jesus Never Asked You to Vote

My name is Ray Hartsfield and I have an addiction. I shamefully admit that I'm a junkie when it comes to current events, NPR, and most of all, politics. I get a lot more enjoyment from a presidential debate than a Sunday night football game. It's a peculiar itch, I know, but I'm working on it. The election season, which keeps getting longer and more dramatic, isn't making this proclivity easier either.

As the political storm picks up speed, social media feeds have become a powder-keg of contradicting opinions and biting rhetoric. We argue, we debate, we practice our apologetics for this or that candidate and it often gets pretty heated. Here in America, though, it seems we've intermingled our faith with our civic beliefs to such a degree that both get bruised and battered in the process. Perhaps we ought to take a moment and reflect carefully upon how our faith guides our entire political outlook, instead of merely letting it guide us on the individual planks of the political platform.

Jesus never asked you to vote. There's no denying that. The Great Commission does not hinge on government approval. I say this as a person who enjoys politics and the public discourse regarding policy and legislation. Voting falls into a grey area, Biblically speaking, with many other parts of modern life. Does the absence of voting in scripture mean Christians shouldn't do it? Not necessarily. It does mean, however, that we should seek God's will and tread quite carefully when casting judgment on others and their political behaviors... or lack thereof.

We've gotten our Christianity tangled up with our nationalism, and that's a tragedy. Jesus doesn't need the senate to accomplish His will -- He desires His followers to do that instead. There was a time when Christianity first came into bloom, and in those moments (like the entire book of Acts), the Jesus movement was a grassroots event. It was not a top-down, authoritarian decree being doled out by a king or president. We must mobilize and stop waiting for our politicians to do it instead. We cannot entrust the Gospel to the federal government. We must dispense the good news ourselves.

Don't misunderstand me here. I'm no fool -- I realize that every voter is going to vote with their convictions in their front pocket. The question that must be answered is whether voting is all you do for the advancement of your beliefs. If you believe abortion is wrong, don't just cast a vote for a pro-life candidate and then walk away feeling satisfied with your efforts. Make a difference instead of asking Washington to make a difference for you.

Furthermore, we must carry ourselves in a conduct that follows Christ. If you proclaim Biblical beliefs but you're a jerk in the process, the gospel has not been advanced. Americans in general are hair-triggered when it comes to public discourse. The polite and thought-out dialogue of two people who disagree is beautiful. Too often, however, we tarnish our claims to divine grace by acting unloving in our conversations.

There's a scripture that often gets misapplied regarding America and Christianity, and it's 2 Chronicles 7:14. Check it out:

 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Often, zealous leaders and preachers will quote this as a rallying cry for America to repent for it's transgressions. This scripture says "My people", but who are God's people? In the New Testament context, of course, it's Christians. If Christians, not Americans, will repent and change their course, God's healing will transform our landscape. This means that step one in the healing process is for Christians to get on their knees and plead forgiveness over the sexual misconduct within the church, then perhaps we will see the nation at large changed as well. Do you want financial reform and corruption eradicated on Wall Street? Christians need to return to their prayer closets and repent for the widespread fraud and financial follies within the Church walls first.

Voting and political action is neither an imperative nor a prohibition to the Christian life. It's something we should approach with caution and care, knowing that our political behaviors have the capacity to bolster our Gospel proclamation or ruin our testimony, depending on how we carry ourselves. Most of all, we must embrace the notion that we are the bearers of the Gospel, not the government. Jesus doesn't need conservative voters, He needs devoted and mobilized followers. Let's walk in the light of our true, Christ-centered identity.

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