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I originally had planned to upload a "voter guide for Baptists in WA state" in the next couple of days; however, there are a lot of guides already online that will do a sufficient job.  Instead, I changed the purpose of this article to highlight the principles that should guide our votes and reinforce the importance of voting.  More specifically, there have been estimates in the ballpark of 32 million (Million!) Christians who will not be voting in this election cycle and I hope to change a couple minds.  I understand that there are only 10 days until election day, so if you have already made up your mind not to vote, I hope you will read further and consider if these points apply to you.

In I Samuel 8, the nation of Israel decides to change their form of government, and the purpose of this change is revealed by God in vs. 7, "And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."  Without taking a few paragraphs to break it down, I'll reveal the significance of this passage - the nation of Israel sought to delegate their personal responsibility of obedience to God to their monarchal government.

The events of I Samuel 8 act as the basis for two extreme positions that pop up every four years.  Some churches have turned the body of Christ into a political machine.  They replace soul-winning with canvasing and voter registration programs.  They talk more about converting to their preferred political party than converting to being a born-again believer.  This extreme position is in line with the attitude reflected in the passage mentioned above.  On the contrary, and as indicated in the title, the position that I would like to address head-on is the ditch on the other side of the road referred to as "backseat politics".  Definitionally, the phrase refers to complaining about the political policies of our city, state, or nation while refraining from participation, i.e. voting.  This position might be intentioned to keep God’s people from delegating personal responsibility to government, but it is an extreme position and still very harmful.  In this current election cycle, I have invested a lot of time reading articles, watching preaching, and directly speaking to brothers and sisters on this topic which has led me to narrow down the popularization of "backseat politics" to 4 flawed reasons:

  1. It doesn't matter if we vote, the devil is the ruler of this world anyways

There is no argument against the principle drawn from John 12:31 and II Corinthians 4:4, Satan is the god of this world.  But the disagreement comes from the application of the principle, not the principle itself.  Let me start with where I agree.  I do think that as we observe the arc of morality in human history, there may be times where it trends in a positive direction, but overall, the overall drift is negative.  This zoomed out perspective supports the principle that headlines this section and we can expect that this drift will continue until the Lord returns.  But concerning the matter at hand, is there biblical evidence that teaches participation in the democratic process is wrong or sinful?  If you believe that there is, shouldn't you also refrain from criticizing the policies of our society to remain intellectually consistent?  I mean, the devil is in control anyways, right?  So, sitting on the sidelines during election season and then complaining about the results is redundant at best and hypocritical at worst, isn't it?  These rhetorical questions are meant to point out the fact that even if the application of the principle is true, there is no harm, only benefit, in casting your ballot.  Why would God give to His people the Great Commission?  Why would we be motivated to serve with excellence?  Why would missionaries be called to go to every corner of the globe?  Call me crazy, but I don’t believe that God is a God of illogical action or redundancy.  I conclude that though we may see the arc of human morality trending downward overall, our actions have consequences.  Galatians 6:7-9 gives us a transcending principle about the consequences of our actions.  Yes, the devil rules this world, but followers of Christ can and should make an impact.  Primarily by being obedient to God, but also by voting for politicians that will give us the ability to freely spread the gospel.

  1. It doesn’t matter if we vote, *insert secret society here* controls the results

In Philippians 4:8 we receive the exhortation to think on things that are true. The larger context of this passage deals with having discipline in our thought life and we know that Proverbs 23:7 teaches us that our thoughts dictate who we really are.  I’m skimming through these passages for the sake of time but what we conclude is that it is very important that we control our thought life because our thought life ultimately controls our actions.  This is why the exhortation in Philippians 4:8 should receive more attention than most give to it.  "Things that are true" is not necessarily a reference to things that aren’t lies, that would be things that are honest, the next item on the list.  Rather, things that are true refers to things that are factual.  This isn’t intended to turn into a broader discussion on conspiracy theories, a catchall phrase for ideas that don’t fall in line with approved narratives, but the idea that any certain group has absolute control over our elections falls woefully short of any real evidence.  It does seem clear that there are all types of security concerns with elections, but to conclude that the most prudent action is to not participate at all?  That would seem to be the result of thinking on things that are not true.  Things that are unfalsifiable (things that can’t be verified to be true or false).  Things that are implied loosely by a couple of questions asked in an indignant tone by a faceless moderator on the internet.  These moderators often act as fortune tellers and horoscope editors who give specific-sounding warnings that have just enough vaguely worded predictions allowing room for the consumer to fill in the blanks themselves and the propagator room to obtain credit.  Ultimately this mindset will encourage its consumers to refrain from voting.  But the simple question is this: if you believe this to be true, aren’t you admitting that while you don’t believe it helps, it also doesn’t hurt to vote?  Isn’t it better to do your best and trust God?  Speaking of trusting God…

  1. It doesn’t matter if we vote, God is in control

God is in control God is sovereign, but God does not require man to be void of free will for His will to come to pass.  I think that the better explanation of what we observe in Scripture is that God is so wise and powerful that He allows us to do what we want and to make the decisions we will, but His perfect plan is not deterred.  It is not that God is subservient to our will, God operates beyond our will.  He does not control everything that I think or do by default, as that would make James 4:7 a very strange verse to have in our Bibles, He invites me to act in obedience and exert effort to further His agenda.  But does this mean that God needs the right people in power to execute His will?  Of course not, we’ve already addressed that God’s ultimate will and plan happen regardless of the decisions that we make.  But we can’t be ignorant and pretend that there won’t be consequences of the choices that we make.  This principle is much better served when applied to situations where we, as believers, have given our utmost and still find that we need more grace.  This is not meant to be an excuse for slothfulness, an excuse to sit back and refrain from intervening in anything happening around us, and shouting in victory, “Worry not!  God is in control!”.  As silly as it might sound, if you subscribe to this application of this idea and also look both ways before crossing the street, you have shown that you do not actually believe this to be true.  There are some ideas from the previous points that apply here, but I won’t bore you with repetition.

  1. No Candidate really represents my position on the matter of…

As Christians, the primary issue that we need to be concerned about is the ability to openly preach God’s Word without hinderance from government.  I would even put this issue above the pro-life cause.  If God’s Word has a diminished presence in a society, the biblical morals that accompany it, including pro-life beliefs, will also be diminished.  It is really important not to get this backwards.  I am not implying that other issues don’t matter, what I am trying to articulate is that there needs to be a prioritization of the issues.  As I’ve gotten older, I find myself more interested in different issues as they affect myself and my family.  GMO’s? Never did I think that I would give that more than a fraction of my mental bandwidth to the topic.  Social Security?  That used to be something designated for ‘old people’, a segment of the population that I now find myself rapidly approaching.  If this were a different article, I could spend a lot of keystrokes discussing every area of life a presidential candidate might affect.  Since it isn’t, I will use what I consider to be the second most important issue for Christians to make the point.  On the topic of abortion, both candidates are not very “pro-life” and that’s being generous.  On top of that, both candidates have been critical in their rhetoric towards pro-life legislation.  As someone who is ardently pro-life, I find this very discouraging and frustrating.  But there are 2 things to consider here: 1) one candidate will be significantly stronger when it comes to religious freedom, the primary issues for Christians to be concerned about, and 2) the candidates are worlds apart on their position of abortion.  I think the first point raised is pretty self-explanatory and easy to substantiate with a cursory online search and it should end the discussion.  But it seems that the second point is causing a lot of anxiety amongst Christians.  I agree that there is not a candidate who is making strong overtures to the pro-life constituents.  But simultaneously, both candidates have a record of wielding the power of the executive branch for four years.  Under one administration, we have seen the biggest strides for the pro-life movement in my lifetime.  Under the other, we have seen concerted effort to undo those strides.  You can be outspoken and upset about the rhetoric, I certainly am.  But please, do not be deceived into thinking that it will somehow be a victory for the unborn, now or later, to help usher in the most pro-abortion administration into power.

If you are among the 32 million Christians who are planning to sit this one out, hopefully your reason to do so was addressed.  Even if not directly, maybe indirectly.  Please consider changing your mind and help to vote in the candidate that will allow us to exercise our religious freedoms.  Also, please continue to pray for God’s grace on this country and whomever it is that is elected on November 5th.