HOHOWW AA CHRISTIANCHRISTIAN SHSHOULDOULD VOVOTETE Important Questions to Ask About Any Candidate How a Christian Should Vote Dr. Robert Jeffress ADAPTED FROM “HOW A CHRISTIAN SHOULD VOTE,” TWILIGHT’S LAST GLEAMING: HOW AMERICA’S LAST DAYS CAN BE YOUR BEST DAYS. COPYRIGHT © 2016 BY ROBERT JEFFRESS. Used by permission of Worthy Publishing Group, a division of Worthy Media, Inc.. All rights reserved. Politics. The word alone can produce a bitter aftertaste. The word and its derivations are almost always used in a pejorative sense. For example, the observation “That’s just politics” implies that a particular issue is of secondary rather than primary importance. The charge hurled at pastors and churches who are “getting too involved in politics” suggests that they are forfeiting their primary calling for activities that have no relationship with the kingdom of God. And woe to the person who chooses to make “politics” his life calling! Used car salesmen, televangelists, and drug dealers enjoy more respect than someone who carries the label of “politician.” It is easy to see why politics is treated with disdain by so many. The mudslinging that accompanies every election, the pandering to special interest groups, and the tendency to allow policy to be shaped by poll numbers rather than deeply held convictions make politics and politicians suspect. Such realities also cause Christians to question whether they should individually and corporately allow themselves to be tainted by such a tawdry business. However, in its purest form politics is the art or science of government. To say that Christians should not be involved in 3 | How a Christian Should Vote politics is to say that believers should not have anything to do with government. The argument is that since our “citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20) and we are “aliens and strangers” in this world (1 Peter 2:11), Christians should leave the business of governing to unbelievers. After all, since everything in this world will one day be destroyed by fire and the kingdoms of this world will eventually be replaced with the kingdom of God, why invest any time and effort in trying to influence that which is transitory at best? The simple answer is that in commanding us to be “salt” in the world, Jesus is encouraging us to influence our culture rather than isolate ourselves from our culture. Granted, we will not be able to reverse the decay and prevent the destruction of the world as we know it, but through our efforts we can stall the rotting process. However, influencing our culture requires contact with our culture. A number of years ago, our church’s website encouraged businesses and organizations to acknowledge Christmas as a religious holiday by saying, “Merry Christmas” rather than the politically correct “Happy holidays.” Apparently, the website struck a nerve with the country. We heard the predictable outcries from Dr. Robert Jeffress | 4 secularists and liberals, accusing us of trying to “bully” non-Christians into worshipping God. But I was surprised by the negative reaction of some conservative Christians who denounced our efforts as “unloving,” “intolerant,” and “misdirected.” After probing deeper with these critics, I discovered that they believed Christians had no business trying to change our culture. Trying to alter the behavior of non-Christians was both brutal and futile, I was told. The wide coverage our efforts received in the national media, along with some of the scathing columns and letters to the editor in our local newspaper, raised questions in the minds of some of our members about the wisdom of what appeared to be a no-brainer issue. At the end of our church services one Sunday I explained to our congregation and the larger media audience my rationale. “I would put this effort in the same category as striving to keep ‘In God We Trust’ on our coins, allowing prayers at government meetings, and posting the Ten Commandments in courtrooms,” I said. “I realize none of these actions will ever get anyone into heaven. But I believe our country is healthier when there is at least a public acknowledgment of God than it 5 | How a Christian Should Vote will be if we allow the secularists to remove any mention of God from the public sector. I realize not everyone agrees, but I’m not willing to wave the white flag and surrender our country to the atheists and secularists.” The congregation responded with a standing ovation, but not everyone was convinced. No one wanted to be outed trying to influence—even indirectly—the behavior of unbelievers. Since the word govern means to control, direct, or influence the actions of others, this issue goes beyond simply creating “naughty” and “nice” lists at Christmas. The fundamental question is, “What role should Christians play in government?” Those who argue that Christians have no business trying to influence the actions of others, especially unbelievers, are answering, “None.” As one television anchor said to me in an interview, “I’m a Christian and believe that Christ is central to Christmas. But I have no right to try to force my belief on others.” Encouraging organizations to acknowledge Christmas hardly seems akin to holding a sword over someone’s head and threatening, “Worship Jesus or die!” However, the presupposition behind the television anchor’s exaggerated Dr. Robert Jeffress | 6 characterization of my efforts is that to exert any pressure on the behavior of non-Christians is wrong. Some might concede that it is permissible to influence an unbeliever to trust in Christ, but they would argue that anything beyond that is out of bounds. Therefore, the argument continues, Christians should not try to influence non-Christians by involving themselves in politics (the art of governing). After all, government by definition is the act of controlling the behavior of citizens. How have Christians arrived at this conclusion? Many believers have embraced a compartmentalized view of Christianity that demands they keep their faith in a spiritual silo. You may embrace whatever faith you choose. You might even want to (gently) persuade someone else to adopt your religious convictions. But you must never use your spiritual beliefs to affect the behavior of society. Francis Schaeffer highlighted the fallacy of such reasoning: A platonic concept of spirituality which does not include all of life is not true biblical spirituality. True spirituality touches all of life, including things of government and law, and not just “religious things.”1 Jesus Christ is Lord, not just over Christians, but over everyone. 7 | How a Christian Should Vote Although His complete and uncontested reign over the earth will be experienced in the future (a time many Christians refer to as the Millennium), He still exerts control over the world today. We understand that as the Head of the church, Christ directs the activities of all believers. But God also exerts influence over non-Christians in the world today through government. Consider Paul’s instructions to the Christians living under the rule of the emperor Nero. It would have been understandable for Paul to try to distance God from any connection with Nero’s evil empire. Instead, Paul reminds believers that government is an arm of God’s rule over humanity: Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. (Romans 13:1–2) This passage from the book of Romans is not an absolute prohibition against defying government under any circumstance but a warning against the mind-set of many Christians today that divorces God from Dr. Robert Jeffress | 8 government. During the reign of Christ upon the earth, God will place His Son on the throne of David in Jerusalem to enact His policies of justice and righteousness over all the earth. But God also uses the governing authorities today to execute His will: For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. (Romans 13:3–4) If government is an extension of God’s rule over the world today, then it is logical to conclude that God must be involved in the process of selecting governing officials. Scripture assures us that He is. Paul says that governing officials “are established by God” (Romans 13:1). Even the prophet Daniel, who had several run- ins with ungodly rulers, recognized that God is ultimately the One who “removes kings and establishes kings” (Daniel 2:21). Wouldn’t it be nice if God would spare us from all the political campaigns that 9 | How a Christian Should Vote are accompanied by endless chatter and speculation in the media? God could just fill every governmental vacancy each year with His slate of candidates. But God is subtler than that. He usually chooses to work through the human processes in place to select the governing authorities. In some cultures, a leader inherits his right to rule through a monarchy. In other situations, family dynasties select from among themselves those who will control a nation. But as John Jay, America’s first chief justice of the Supreme Court wrote, “Providence [God] has given to our people the choice of their rulers.”2 Since our nation allows its citizens to select our leaders (who are an extension of God’s rule), should not God’s people be instrumental in influencing the selection of those leaders? After all, some set of values is going to govern or control a nation.