CHRIST AT THE BALLOT BOX


I have yet to meet anyone who thinks the field of politics is a uniquely honest and trustworthy profession. The entire field is a lot like a vast, badlands wilderness where you can yell until you're blue in the face, and no one will hear you-not because they can't, but because they don't want to. Why is it that the common man or woman, the man on the street, on the job, or in the home, can see the problems we face in this country, and perhaps even have a clue about how they can be fixed, but those in positions to do something about it don't seem to have the slightest inkling of either the issues or the solutions? Those folks who know don't have the popularity and/or money to get elected to any office where they can be of service.

Evidently, most people think that politicians are slick, greedy and power-hungry people who have no end to their appetites. They like our money, so they take it. They like to make life difficult for us by passing laws that infringe on our personal liberties. They fear discovery of their own transgressions, so they lie to hide them. Does that approximate what you think about politicians? If so, you have a lot of company, but it certainly doesn't have to be true. Politicians don't have to fall under our disapproving glares. The only problem is that we invent those politicians. How? Why, we vote for them!

As Christians, if we treated our votes with the same concern that we do other areas of our lives, with the kind of devotion we should have for our Lord and our commitment to serving Him, and with the kind of concern we have in raising our children and earning our livelihood, perhaps we would have a better pool of candidates from which to choose our representatives in government. If we paid attention to what those politicians really stood for, what their values were, and how they behaved themselves, publicly and privately, we might see a few more of the kinds of people we really do want to represent us-and, yes, a politician's private life is our business because it reflects the attitudes and values he or she will carry into office. You would not want a pastor who is not careful with his behavior, so why would you want a president or congressman whose life exposes a seedy side?


It is difficult to address the subject of a Christian's relationship to the electoral process without first defining the nature of the person being addressed. What makes a person a Christian, and more specifically, a Christian who is expected to vote for other people who will represent him or her in government? This is especially important in these days when Christians are routinely being disenfranchised by elected officials who are opposed to our faith.

The need to define the word Christian might sound strange, except for the fact that the word means different things to different people. In Western culture, the word is often used to describe a non-Jew or a non-Arab.

The United States is often called a Christian nation. From a biblical point of view, however, being a Christian is a personal matter requiring an individual commitment on the part of the believer. Despite the fact that our nation was settled and developed to be a safe haven for Christian believers, there can be no such thing as a Christian country. Likewise, there is no such thing as "Christendom." That is a term that some people apply to any culture that is not "pagan." It's like saying, "We are civilized; therefore, we are Christian." Every time I watch the news on television, I become more convinced that no culture is civilized, let alone Christian.


Over the years a number of churches and denominations have included in their dogmas positions that are diametrically opposed to what the Word of God teaches. The virgin birth, the plenary verbal inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Christ, the new birth, and the Second Coming of Christ have all been rejected from time to time. Churches that reject those vital doctrines of the Christian faith are not Christian churches even though they carry the name above their doors or on their marquees. Their doctrines are contrary to the Word of God and are not held by true Christians. They are the views of the apostasy. A real Christian believes in the Bible as the written Word of God because that is the only place we learn about Jesus Christ, His Lordship, and our salvation. It is the only place we can go for daily spiritual renewal and guidance in the things of God. Obviously, if one does not believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then that person has no foundation for any belief at all in the Christian faith. Faith in Christ begins with that basic belief that the Bible is the Word of God, and therefore, anything the Bible teaches is absolutely true. . . .