Christians must vote.
The idea that Christians should refrain from participating in politics isn’t anything new. David Lipscomb advocated that followers of Christ perform only three civic duties; pay taxes, pray for leaders and obey laws.
These three acts are not enough. As citizens, we have the responsibility to be good stewards to the country that allows us to freely practice our religion. As Christians we need to take care of the people around us.
A government cannot – and should not -Â take care of its people on an individual basis or serve as a tool to enforce the doctrine of any religion. This is where community groups and the churches should thrive. Problems of poverty and moral issues can only be solved on a local level. Each community needs to use its money and resources to take care of its own, and churches should lead that movement. These activities should be every Christian’s priority, but that doesn’t mean civic duties don’t deserve attention.
Citizenship in an eternal kingdom does not preclude an earthly citizenship. It is a dual-citizenship situation. Christians in America benefit from the protection the country offers for ideas and actions.
To cultivate the country in which I reside is not to neglect my quest for an eternal home.
Christians cannot slough off their civic duties. Our style of government relies heavily on checks and balances. Left unchecked, leaders who don’t necessarily share our ideas of freedom will control our government – and to a certain extent, our lives. Voting is our way of participating in the check-and-balance system.
The people who run this country decide which freedoms stay and which go. Our freedom to worship any god or combination of gods is not protected or granted by of the freedom of religion clause in the Constitution. It is an unalienable right protected by the people who are involved in politics on a local and national level.
The Constitution is a meaningless piece of paper unless the ideals of the Founding Fathers reflected in the document are embodied by the people who fight for it in courtrooms across the country and on the floor of Congress.
Christians need to do more than take care of the people in their community. We need to use our votes to support political candidates who will protect our rights on a local and national level.
