Stewardship of Citizenship
If you do choose to vote, honor God in how you vote and make decisions that align with all aspects of his character.
In election seasons, particularly during presidential election years, Christian organizations such as My Faith Votes, Christians Engaged, and Family Research Council encourage Christians to vote. Such groups decry the fact that about 40 percent of self-identified Christians fail to vote, and about 20 percent of these are not even registered to vote.
This effort to increase voter turnout is laudable. I have participated in voter registration drives, provided nonpartisan voter information to my church, and written on the importance of voting in the past here, here, and here.
Yes, if more biblically minded Christians voted, we could elect constitutionally minded and godly candidates to restore our governments to the founders’ original intent.
Still, this year, I’ve decided to suggest a pause in increasing the number of voters.
To be honest, the government has made it too easy to vote in states such as Washington with online registration, the motor voter bill, and pre-registration for teens when they get their driver’s permit. Adding voters who are illiterate about public policy leads to poor policy decisions.
I also maintain that if a person can’t figure out how to get registered the old-fashioned way (visiting a PCO, a local government office, or a public registration drive where he can prove his citizenship with photo identification), perhaps he won’t also figure out how to study the candidates and ballot issues and, therefore, should not be voting at all because he is not being a responsible citizen. By the way, I presume most people are up to the task, despite what the Democrat party leaders claim.
When it comes to encouraging people of faith to vote, my question is: Will they vote in a godly manner?
Why Vote? Stewardship
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. The master gave one of his servants five talents, another two talents, and the last one talent. This parable describes how Christ’s followers should use their resources (time, talent, and treasure) for the kingdom of God. The first two servants multiplied their talents. The less competent servant, who only received one talent, buried his money instead of investing it. The master chastised and cast out this lazy servant.
We who are citizens of democratic republics have the privilege to vote. This ability is a God-given treasure. Not using our citizenship for the glory of God and the good of our communities is wasting this God-given privilege—like burying a gold coin in the ground.
Yet, just as investing in the economy requires knowledge and wisdom, so does using our citizenship in a godly fashion. Voting without doing your homework and operating from a biblical worldview makes you a poor steward of your citizenship.
Don’t Vote...
Uninformed
My 20-year-old daughter doesn’t vote because she has no desire to study the candidates and issues and thus doesn’t want to make uninformed choices. In contrast, my 25-year-old son does vote. He and his dad rely on my election research and their own knowledge from regularly following the news and analysis of the issues.
I respect the decision of each of my children as they both understand that their privilege to vote also requires responsibility.
Without Biblical Worldview
Go to your Bible before you go to the polls and develop a biblical worldview. Learn how God sees the issues.
According to George Barna’s American Worldview Inventory 2024, only four percent of the American population embraces the biblical worldview, whereas 92 percent hold a syncretistic worldview. Two-thirds of Americans identify as Christian, yet only six percent of these hold a biblical worldview.
Barna categorizes his survey questions into seven cornerstone topics. See my review on Raising Spiritual Champions for more information.
Now, I’m not advocating for the United States to become a theocracy but for Americans, particularly those who claim to be Christians, to reevaluate their worldviews and align them to God’s character. The Founding Fathers held the Judeo-Christian worldview and based our Constitution and early laws on this view of reality (See my review on Faith of Our Founding Fathers and see Christianity and the Constitution).
Our nation will only function well when most people hold the Judeo-Christian worldview. Without a biblical worldview, our Constitution is meaningless in the hands of godless leaders.
Currently, our society is fractured by self-made versions of reality. As a nation, we cannot agree on much of anything. Moreover, without a belief in God, all behavior is permissible, and human rights cannot exist. Only with laws based on biblical principles and the fear of God in people’s hearts can our republic stand. Sharing the gospel and biblical citizenship go hand in hand.
Whether you are aware or not, your worldview always guides your decision-making. If you claim to be a Christ follower, honor God by applying biblical teaching to public policy issues and vote accordingly. This includes supporting candidates who protect the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and family, parental rights, religious liberty, and the rule of law. Our God is a God of order, not chaos, which we are now experiencing in many parts of our nation.
Please explore the following resources to increase your knowledge of public policies from a biblical perspective.
If you need help with biblical worldview basics, read my posts on that topic, such as What is the Biblical Response to Contemporary Issues? and see the “Newton Library Update” on Apologetics books.
Voting Aids from the Biblical Worldview
FRCAction “Party Platform Comparison 2020-2024” and “Tips for Researching Candidates.”
Christians Engaged’s video on researching the candidates and their Biblical Roadmap. I recently became familiar with this organization through The Stream. I highly recommend the Biblical Roadmap, which compares what the Bible says on several issues with Marx & Lenin and the two major political party platforms.
The National Right to Life Congressional Scorecard. This rates members of Congress based on the pro-life issue.
Biblical Voter. I just discovered this site, which partners with several other Christian groups that encourage biblical voting. The site provides candidates scorecards, prayer guides, and even resources for pastors.
The Seven Duties of a Christian Citizen by Bill Bright. The bottom line of this pamphlet states that your view of God is the top issue.
Regularly Educate Yourself on the Issues
You can’t understand the issues of the day through a crash course. You need to develop your understanding over time. I read email newsletters from several organizations and listen to podcasts that discuss culture and public policy from a biblical worldview. I also have several books on these topics.
The Stream offers news, opinion, and Christian inspiration. I receive their daily newsletter, The Brew.
The Carrie Abbott Show airs for an hour five days a week and covers cultural issues from a Christian perspective. I listen to the podcast while doing housework. Carrie often lets a news cycle run before she weighs in on a breaking story, and she never speaks derogatorily like so many other cultural commentators. The Legacy Institute, which sponsors her radio show, has a library of resources for families and ministry leaders.
Family Research Council’s The Washington Stand news website and Washington Watch podcast. This D.C.-based organization regularly interviews members of Congress and others in government from a Christian perspective.
The Daily Citizen is a digital magazine produced by Focus on the Family. We subscribed to the print publication for years to keep up with news that shapes the church and culture.
Washington State Policy Organizations
The Washington Policy Center is a secular but conservative organization that tracks bills and political news.
Conservative Ladies of Washington. Although not a Christian organization, they mostly align with biblical values. The founder, Julie Barrett, is a believer.
Should Christians Be Involved in Politics?
Some say that Christians should not be involved in politics. Just stick to the gospel. (See Tom Gilson’s “Why People Say Christians Are Too Political, and How to Answer.”)
This sentiment began after the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy and the Scopes Trial of 1925. Although the court rejected the teaching of evolution, conservative Christians lost in the court of public opinion as the ACLU smeared their beliefs in the press. So evangelicals withdrew from public life and failed to be salt and light in culture and government.
Now, a century later, we reap the consequences of that retreat—a rotten, depraved culture and government. The hour is late, but Lord willing, we still may be able to turn America around by repenting and standing against evil.
If you do choose to vote, honor God in how you vote and make decisions that align with all aspects of his character.
We show love to and provide justice for our neighbors by removing the ungodly from office and electing the godly.
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan. —Proverbs 29:2