How Will I Vote Next Tuesday

  • Dr. Tom Ricks
  • Oct 30, 2008
  • Series: A Perfectly Skewed Logic Devotion

1 Peter 2:13-14
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to the governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

     Typically, about this time of year, I find myself saying something along the lines of, "Can you believe they are starting Christmas music already?  It is not even Halloween and they are already piping ‘Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer' into the sound system at the mall. When I was a kid they at least waited until Thanksgiving." I make these types of comments to no one in particular because everyone in my family already knows why I am spouting off; so when this observation begins, they typically scatter to other rooms in the house.

     But not this year, no sirree, Bob!  I would give my good right arm for somebody to turn on the Christmas carols and turn off the political din that is numbing my brain!  What I would give right now for some jolly ol' Saint Nick & Away in the Manger!  I am pretty sure my sanity is hanging on by a thread and it will probably be pushed over the edge with the next commercial telling me why this particular candidate is the new messiah while displaying a picture of the opponent that makes him / her look like they should be on a FBI wanted poster in the Post Office.  Who gets the job of providing these pictures, anyway?  I am pretty lousy with a camera, maybe I missed my calling!  

     I have come to the conclusion that the CIA has gone about finding Bin Laden all the wrong way.  They are wasting their time water boarding the Al-Quaida operatives.  They should just put them in a room for 24 hours with every Barack Obama and John McCain commercial running continuously and I promise they will give the guy up in a heartbeat!  Nobody can withstand that kind of punishment!  I know I would crack and cry like a baby before the second hour was up!

     On top of this you cannot go anywhere where the election is not the topic of conversation.  I tried to talk to some diehard college football fans the other day about their impression of who would win the SEC and whether or not Mizzou could bounce back and win the Big 12 Championship game.  Men, for whom this question would have normally sparked a 30 minute discourse on the Tigers' and Georgia's defenses, muttered a couple of unintelligible sentences about Missouri's secondary and then launched into a tirade on media election bias and who may end up on the Supreme Court.  I did not know these guys even knew we had a Supreme Court!

     The final piece in all of this electoral madness is I have had numerous requests from people in my congregation, people whom I dearly love and some who are reading this right now, who have asked me to take a public stand from the pulpit for a presidential candidate. By this they mean I should announce on Sunday morning the candidate for whom I am voting, and explain why every Christian must vote for him.  Their requests are bolstered by comments that generally follow the theme of "everybody is doing it so you should too!"  If there are any pastors reading this, there is a very good chance one of your parishioners told one of mine that you publicly supported candidate so and so.         

     To all of this I want to reply, "Let me ask you a question, what does this have to do with me?"  I am not running for any office, I am a pastor of a church.  I am interested in telling people about Jesus, not wrestling with who may get a tax cut.  (By the way, no matter who gets elected ... your taxes are going up.  Can we all say, "paying for the bailout?")  I want to share the gospel, not someone's political doctrine.  I am interested in making disciples, renewing communities and planting churches.  So, my self-righteous temptation is to say enough is enough and let us all gear up for Advent!

     However, this is the part of the devotional where the Holy Spirit comes into play.  It is at this juncture where he gently, but firmly says, "Tom, get over yourself.  Disciples need to learn how to think and live as disciples and that includes citizenship!  You do not follow Jesus in a vacuum, you follow Jesus in the U.S.A., and you are part of my witness in this generation which includes the political process." 

      So, brothers and sisters, please forgive me for both my arrogance and my lack of commitment to every area of life coming under the Lordship of Jesus.  Here are a few insights from Scripture I think disciples of Jesus must consider when contemplating any election:

  • Government is necessary: "the Lord raised up judges" Judges 2:16. Left without some oversight or justice system people will take the law into their own hands, abuse the weak and poor and exercise unbridled greed. In Old Testament Israel God brought people to power that would make sure his law was administered and all members of society were protected and held accountable for their actions. This is just as true today, so our participation in the electoral process is important.
  • Jesus taught that we are to submit to earthly authorities. When questioned about paying taxes Jesus taught, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." The Apostle Peter, who heard Jesus teach on this subject, reinforced our Lord's command with the verses I have noted at the top of the page. Since you are called to submit you should be keenly interested in the character of those to whom your obedience will be rendered.
  • The Apostle Paul reminds us that whatever we do we are to do "unto the Lord." This includes politics. I cannot check my devotion to Jesus at the door of the voting booth. I must examine the candidates' positions on all matters, but especially those that pertain to morality. For example, I am not going to vote for the guy who thinks it would be good to legalize prostitution in my small town of Kirkwood even if he promises it will lower my taxes and bring revenue to our schools. Similarly I cannot endorse any candidate who believes that the lives of unborn children are expendable. Jesus was zealous for the smallest and the weakest including the children. I cannot ignore their belief simply because I like the rest of a particular candidate's platform. My heart must be in tune with my Lord's and compassion for little ones was pretty close to the top of his list!
  • Christian candidates are not better by default nor are unbelievers worse public officers simply because they do not trust in Jesus. The New Testament is full of knuckleheads who followed Jesus, and the church has reflected this down to our present day generation (yours truly included). Just because I love Jesus does not mean I have a clue how to balance a state budget or render right decisions from the bench. Thomas Jefferson refused to believe in Jesus (in fact he re-wrote the gospels to fit his thinking) but few could argue that he was not a great statesmen or leader. Believers who vote for someone simply based on their faith are being short-sighted simpletons. Of course, I want disciples of Jesus elected to office. But I want Christians who also understand foreign policy, national defense, and the proper place for the welfare system. God gives spiritual gifts and human talents and when Christians are running for office we need to look for both of these traits. Not every disciple is empowered by the Holy Spirit with the gift of leadership and believers need to be discerning.
  • Finally, we must remember that while God has ordained human governments, they will all inevitably make serious mistakes and at times go very, very wrong. The Pharaoh in Egypt and in the time of Moses, almost every Jewish King after Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, many of the Caesars, Pontius Pilate, Napoleon, and all the way up to our present day national leaders have had and have serious flaws. There are also extraordinary examples of evil in government in men like Nero, Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot. If you want to see how bad human governments can become, just flip through a few chapters in Revelation. God has established government for mankind's good, but Satan is active in this arena as well, and he will have some success in using formal governments to bring about great harm and suffering. All this to say that we must not put too much stock in elected officials. Jesus is our hope. Heaven is our home. While here we must exercise good citizenship which in our culture and generation includes using our vote wisely. But we must do so without clinging to the vain hope that elected officials will bring about change that will be untainted by sin. Rather we must be sober and sound minded, understanding that the best human government will come up short and cannot compare to the rule and reign that we will enjoy for all of eternity through our Lord Jesus.

     I will be sooooo happy when the election is over and I can get back to complaining about Christmas music starting too soon.  In the meantime, I will bone up a little more on a couple of candidates I do not know very well, and Lord willing, I will use godly wisdom and discernment when I enter the voting booth next Tuesday.  I hope you will do the same!

Only By His Grace,

Tom Ricks

A Perfectly Skewed Logic is a devotion written by Dr. Tom Ricks and is available via e-mail on a free subscription basis by clicking here.  Questions?  Contact Mindy Owens, 314.909.9197 x 102.