We can point to all kinds of reasons for low turnout. But, why might Christians, specifically, choose not to vote? I can think of a few reasons.
Reasons Not to Vote
Frustration with Over-Spiritualized Politics. Even though there have been attempts by the Democratic Party to say they are the proper Christian choice, I’m not sure how much traction this is gaining with voters. Far worse is the near deification of Donald Trump in some parts of evangelicalism. Space doesn’t permit our wondering what might have caused this. But for those Christians who know this is wrong, the whole association between bad theology and politics can be a turn-off to voting altogether.
Faulty View of God’s Sovereignty. We’re currently thinking about God’s providence on Sunday mornings. I’ve been surprised at how many believers online make comments like, “What does it matter if I vote? God is sovereign. Whatever he wants will happen.” Does this include prayer and evangelism too? This is not how the Bible tells us to live. Just the opposite. We rest in God’s sovereignty, but wisely make decisions from his Word to navigate life in his world (We may even be in the midst of a whole sermon series on this at the moment!). God’s sovereignty is never an excuse for inaction on our part. His will is carried through secondary means like prayer, gospel-sharing, and even voting.
Fed Up with Politics. Here’s where there is likely much overlap with worldly thinking. Washington seems to be an unwieldy behemoth, more concerned with doing what it wants and sustaining its own power than benefiting the people it’s supposed to govern. Of course, this is an overgeneralization, but it's a real feeling at times. And that feeling can lead us to say 'Why bother?'
One Reason to Vote: Stewardship
You can probably think of even more reason. But for me, none of these mindsets are sufficient to convince believers not to vote.
One of the clear principles we see in the Bible is the call to stewardship. Being a steward is different than being an owner. A steward is someone who is tasked with taking care of, or acting responsibly with, someone else’s possession. When speaking of those who serve Christ and act as stewards of the gospel, Paul says “it is required of stewards that they be found faithful” (1 Cor 4:2).
Of course, we often think of stewardship in terms of money and resources. That's a great place to begin, but the Bible goes widescreen of your view of stewardship. From the beginning, humanity is tasked with being a steward of creation itself (Gen 1:26–28; 2:15). Later, Christ said that we needed to be good stewards of the kingdom (Matt 25:14–30). We’ve also been spiritual gifts with which to serve one another. In this, we are to be “good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Pet 4:10). The Bible pushes us to think about all that we have as gifts from God (1 Cor 4:7; Jas 1:17). Thus, we steward these gifts—that is, use them well in ways that honor God.
As citizens in the United States, we have been given the gift of voting. We can vote on laws and representatives on various levels of government who will govern or make further laws that affect the daily lives of those in our country. Sometimes we forget how powerful this is or even how new this privilege is from the view of history! And as Christians, we should steward it well. That is, we should thoughtfully and prayerfully vote. To give in to some of reasoning above is to ignore one of God’s gifts and fail to love our neighbor by its use. After all, when we vote, are we not seeking to promote the general welfare of the nation (along biblical lines)?
For sure, the political and governmental workings of our country are not perfect. They never were. But we do a disservice to ourselves and others to not take up the opportunity—even, gift—we’ve been given to vote in this country. Let’s steward it well this November and for many years to come.
*Source: The Pew Research Center.
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