On talk radio this afternoon, I heard someone state that not voting in this coming election would be falling on one's ideological sword. Another way to say that would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. In other words, the talking head felt that not voting would do greater harm than simply casting your vote for the best candidate.
That's pragmatism. You say, "I might as well get the greatest good out of the situation regardless of what is required to acquire that good." That's dangerous.
The Bible does not hide that God judges nations. Read the prophets. He holds them accountable for what they do and how they reign. Considering our government is of "We the People," that's me who will be held accountable. My vote matters.
Should I cast my vote for A to prevent B from getting nominated or elected simply because A is the better of two evils? Do I ally myself with A to do battle against B?
Isaiah 30 and 31 describe a situation where Judah faced an Assyrian threat. Because Judah did not feel they could defeat Assyria in their own strength, they sought an ally. They turned to Egypt. Note the cry of God:
Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD,
“Who take counsel, but not of Me,And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,That they may add sin to sin;Who walk to go down to Egypt,And have not asked My advice,To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!Therefore the strength of PharaohShall be your shame,And trust in the shadow of EgyptShall be your humiliation."
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
And rely on horses,
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are
very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
Nor seek the LORD!
I see the spear whizzing at my head now, "But we're not Israel!" Touche'. The principle remains, though. Do we trust God or don't we? This is not foolishly putting God to the test ("I won't wear my seat belt because God is watching over me"), but trusting a God who calls His people to trust in Him in the international realm.
How does this play out? As a Christian citizen, I have a responsibility to vote. If I believe, based upon understanding and studying candidates' positions, upon comparing those with the word of God, and upon discussion with wise men and women, that either candidate would be an affront to God, I will withhold my vote and trust Him for the outcome.
To say I am falling on my ideological sword is falsely pressuring me into trusting government above the God who is over all government. If I pragmatically cast my vote for a candidate, I disappoint the God who aches for me to trust in Him.
Not casting a vote does not mean I resign from government. Perhaps the most faithful government servant ever was Daniel, a man who had no say whatsoever in the government over him. Rather I pray the more fervently for my land and my people and strive to be the best citizen that I can be. Not hardly political impalement.
So will I vote this November?
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2 comments:
I don't think it is a demonstration of one's lack of faith to choose the best available option. There are forks in the road all the time, and sometimes all options look bad...or sometimes all of them look equally good. Rarely are we supposed to just stand there and do nothing. I read today in Matthew 25 the parable of the talents. The servant who buried his talent was not commended for his avoidance of risk.
I think the Lord works a lot of things out through people. There are a lot of Christians out there; if we all just decided to go limp whenever things didn't look right for fear of making the wrong choice, we would negate all influence we might have had and the decline of our nation would only become more rapid, wouldn't it? I think there are increasing numbers of Christians who choose to pull out of society (to varying degrees) rather than to influence it. We are making ourselves irrelevant to those who would benefit most from the Gospel we represent.
I don't think the current political situation is equivalent to placing our trust in someone/-thing other than God or failing to trust Him. Quite the contrary--we must make the best decision possible and then TRUST Him to work it out to His glory even if we can't see how it might all play out! (The political powers over Daniel didn't allow him a say...) It's not our job to know all the outcomes, the hows or whys...just to responsibly invest that with which we have been entrusted. I don't think it requires moral compromise.
...just my thoughts. :)
Shame on the political hermits who withdraw from society because they feel the Christian has no place in government. 2 Thessalonians 2 makes clear that it is very likely the presence of the Church that is preventing everything from going to pieces as it is.
One thing that should be added to this post is that God will raise up who He will raise up. That does not mean that I should throw up my hands in resignation, but with conifidence, whether in good conscience I vote or I withhold my vote, God's design will prevail.
And even if a "godless" candidate is elected, He could bring about supreme good for our nation through that person and not necessarily our demise.
Pragmatism, when it requires us to fudge godly principles, ought to force a serious evaluation of whether or not to vote. That might be the best option for us as a citizen of this great land
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