Worship on Tuesday - Vote

Col. 3:16 & 17:

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

We are called to be vessels of His glory – and whatever we do, the way we honor God with our lives, the way we relate to our families and those closest to us, the way we behave at work, and even voting – can be an act of worship to Him.

2 Cor 5:18-19

(God) reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

We are His ambassadors, His representatives – and He uses us for His purposes, as we engage in acts of worship toward Him.

Did you carry out an act of worship today when you voted?   Or if you haven’t voted, will that be an act of worship to you?    I mean, we have the incredible right as American citizens to participate in an exercise of liberty by selecting our leaders.   Thiat is a privilege that not many in history have had – think about the Roman Empire; they certainly didn’t vote for Caesars, or even the people who lived under or loive today under absolute dictatorships – they don’t enjoy the liberties we have, and that many have fought to win and preserve.

So, I believe, like all that we do, according to the Scriptures, voting is an act of worship.   And, while some politicians would say that “freedom of worship” is contained within a church building or other place of worship, I believe that our worship transcends any physical walls, and that we can exercise our religious faith in the voting booth.

I wrote a column for Journey magazine recently…it’s in the March edition, in fact.

I jotted down some considerations that could be helpful in making our determinations about whom we will vote.

            Who is this person?   I think that it’s important that we move beyond just a name on a sheet, or the candidate that has the most signs or makes the most impressions in the media.   While there will be millions spent in political advertising, I believe Christians have a higher responsibility to look beyond the media campaigns and find out something about the candidates’ background, their character, and their core beliefs.

          Core philosophy.  This can be somewhat difficult to determine in some cases, which could actually be a red flag.  A person’s core philosophy is revealed through not only their statements, but also their track record.   A pattern of making decisions based on the political twists and turns may indicate that the person is not a reliable representative of our concerns.  Someone might have a clearly defined core philosophy, but it might contradict the values we hold.

          Faith and the decision-making process.   While the U.S. Constitution does not provide for a “religious test” to be applied to selecting leaders, I do think how a person’s faith informs and guides their decision-making is a highly important consideration. If a candidate is seeking Godly wisdom and is intent on making decisions according to principles consistent with Scripture, that can be highly influential to me.

          Policy consistent with Biblical role of government.  I believe that the Bible is clear that government is an institution established by God, responsible to maintain order and to punish evil, according to Romans 13.   The determination of what is good or evil – the moral components of our laws – is found in the Scriptures, including the Ten Commandments.  When government operates outside of the Biblical prescription for effective operation, then it ends up extending its power and allocating its resources in a manner that actually contributes to a less stable society. 

Defense of the sanctity of life.   I believe that the taking of human life, inside or outside the womb, is a violation of Scripture.   We see candidates who advocate a pro-choice, or pro-abortion position, and are strong promoters of that philosophy.  You have people that embrace a dangerous dichotomy – saying they are personally opposed to abortion or want to see reduced numbers of abortions, but still adhere to their belief that a women has a right to choose.  Then, there are people who say they are pro-life, but embrace a “check the box” mentality – paying lipservice to the cause of life, without being advocates.  I gravitate toward pro-life individuals who are champions for the unborn and promote policies that are consistent with the culture of life. I’ve heard it said if a person’s philosophy is consistent with Scripture on life, then you’ll find that person will have a Biblical position on a host of other issues.

Religious liberties.  This is an increasingly emerging issue, and as Christians, we have to be vigilant regarding politicians who would want to enact policies that would supersede our religious liberties.   We have to recognize that Judeo-Christian principles have formed a foundation for our nation, and when freedom of religion and freedom of conscience are being challenged, then the very foundations of our society are imperiled.  There is an underlying philosophy at play, embraced by some in government, that would subvert all rights, even religious liberties, to the will of the state.   We must select candidates who view religious freedom as a paramount principle.

          Leadership track record.  If someone is looking to be “hired” by the voters to do a job, I believe that experience counts. We are selecting leaders to govern, and the best speaker in the world may not possess the skill set to operate in the political realm.  Just because someone might have a political philosophy that aligns with mine doesn’t mean he or she would necessarily be able to translate philosophy into productivity.