Carl’s Blog » 2008» September

Should a Christian vote, part 2

So, as we saw in the last posting, the question of even trying to find a candidate who matches my beliefs, particularly those for a Christian (though I would imagine the same thoughts come out for a Hindu, a Jew, a Muslim or an Atheist), is a very difficult issue. If your faith believes in peace and yet you know no matter who you vote for, war will be a part of the issue (has been in US national life since 1950), then can you vote?

As far as voting goes, the issue is really about being a Christian in a non-Christian world. If we take the notion that as a Christian, I can’t vote because there are no clear “Christian” guidelines or clear “Christian” politicians—that those politicians will make decisions (like war) that may cut against my sense of being a real Christian—if we take that as true—then we find ourselves stuck in a world in which we cannot operate. In other words, we find ourselves retreating back to the notion of the “Christian ghetto.” We end up in the same place where, to quote Steve Taylor again, “I’ll only drink milk from a Christian cow.”

Every day, ultimately, we all make compromises between the strictness of our faith and the reality of where we live. I think this is part of the “in the world, but not of it” statement that has confounded Christians (including me) for centuries. For instance, I have to leave my children and family every day to work in order to eat. It takes up about 7-10 hours of my day—time I could be praying or serving the poor or ministering to the lost. I don’t really want to choose to do it, but I do anyway because I have to compromise in order to eat. Or, to get to work, I have to drive something. I could choose to ride my bicycle, but I do not. Thus, regardless of how much I believe or don’t believe about Global warming, “the crisis of our times” (and I don’t believe that propaganda phrase), clearly the act of driving does add some pollution to the air, something a Christian would not wish to do if they could avoid it. Or, I often go shopping at places like Publix or Target (and some of you go to Wal-Mart); we buy things from big businesses like Microsoft, Coke, Nike and The Gap—we know instinctively that all of these places and things are part of making certain people rich, keeping others poor and some of these places have even been clearly guilty of bad labor practices around the world and here at home. Yet, knowing this, we shop there still. We could, if we chose, make our own clothes and grow our own food, maybe even make our own electronic equipment, but we don’t.

These simple illustrations are merely to point out how we consistently make compromises between our faith and our need to be “in the world.” I think voting falls into this same category. Or maybe better to just say politics. But even if I don’t vote (and for now, I am not certain who I will vote for though I have voted in every election I could since Reagan), a “non-vote” IS A VOTE, so I really can’t say “I didn’t vote.” Moreover, if I really look, I know that there will be plenty of candidates to vote for come November. Come November, I am certain there will be over 10 different candidates that I can vote for. I think the Florida ballot now has 12 different parties as a part of my choices.

In other words, if I know that I already make compromises between the strictness of my faith and the everyday-ness of life, then I don’t see how I can take the moral high road and declare that I won’t vote due to my faith.

So, if that is true, “how do I decide about voting?” That’s a good question that I will address in the next pos

So should a Christian vote or not in this messed up world?

Recently, several of us in Numinous were debating whether to vote or not, feeling a high degree of frustration in the process. I think that sense of disgust or despair is one shared by many, particularly among those in the 45-under crowd of the GenX and Millennial Generations.

Included in the conversation was the sense that many issues facing the country involve complicated situations for Christians, like war. Should we even participate in a situation that promotes something that can be seen as a thing God might not want us to be involved with.

One thing seems clear, that on many issues, there simply may not be a “right” answer, but an answer that only feels best when all the issues seem to be measured. And of course no one BUT God can really ever measure all the issues. We can, and do, use history to guide us some and hope, then, for the best.

The issue of a Christian putting him/herself into the political mix and then looking for a Godly direction is as old as the Roman Empire. Probably something to do with Paul’s words in Romans 13–“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” But to be “under authority” does not necessarily mean that I have to agree with decisions made by the rulers. The war and killing thing is clearly a tough place. I don’t know the answer there either and I don’t think any other Christian can claim any answer OTHER than “here’s how I feel about it.” God clearly commands total destruction of enemies in the Old Testament. The issue is, as I can determine, mute in the NT till Revelation, where again God brings total destruction upon his enemies (and at one point, seems as if the Christians who are alive at the time go to war alongside God). Yet, one point worth bringing out is that at no point does Jesus command (nor does Paul or Peter or James) any converted Roman soldiers (or Jewish soldiers) to leave the army. In other words, though this is only implied, one can determine that Jesus doesn’t take any pacifism to the length that soldiers should thrown down their weapons and leave the army.

Where does that leave us? Well, I don’t propose that I solve anyone’s issue with war or pacificsm, but clearly the command to be under the authority of our leaders would seem to at least be a start. In the next posting, I will go a bit deeper into the issue of voting and how that deals with the compromises we all make in life.

Searching for Wisdom

A thought occurred to me today as I was trying to help my home schooling first grade daughter. I was attempting to help her gain the understanding of some of the nuances of our education (how exactly do you explain what an “apostrophe” does or what exactly is an odd number? “Uh, well, see it’s an odd number because, see, it’s odd, err, it’s not even, uh, let’s go ask your mother”) As I was sitting there, it hit me that, to God, I am much more like my non-understanding daughter than I am the understanding grown-up.

I usually like to think that I “get it.” I’m “mature.” Well, perhaps, but as I consider just the previous 6 months, I was staring in the mirror as a very tall first-grader. The truth hurts, but honesty is one strong step on the path to wisdom. I’m not as smart as I like to think I am. I don’t have it together as good as I think I do.

The Bible speaks plenty on wisdom, much about the need to pursue it, and, once finding it, to use it wisely and keep walking in it. . Psalm 90:12 says

“Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Proverbs 28:26 teaches me “Trusting oneself is foolish, but those who walk in wisdom are safe.”

Ah, see in there lies a lot of my problem—I too often trust myself, yet the Word also tells me that I don’t even know my own heart. So I look around for something to cling to, for something to rest on, and I only trust to myself and in the end, like the preacher in Ecclesiastes, I despair. Yes, he stuck with wisdom; he also decried seeking wisdom at times [times when he probably was weak or weary and had made the same mistake I made—trusting too much in myself]

The answer? I think I see it many places as long as I faith. For instance, in Habakkuk 2:3, God says, “”For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.” I must wait with patience for all of God’s will to come to pass, both in my life and in the world. And while waiting, I can remember to trust Him like my daughter trusts me. In that trusting state, then I can hear best what God said to Jeremiah, “Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things.” (Jer 9:23-24)


Theology Ministry Partners FAQs Leadership Ask Carl Carl's Blog Store Contact Search: Archives: October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008	Carl's Blog Should a Christian vote, part 2 So, as we saw in the last posting, the question of even trying to find a candidate who matches my beliefs, particularly those for a Christian (though I would imagine the same thoughts come out for a Hindu, a Jew, a Muslim or an Atheist), is a very difficult issue. If your faith believes in peace and yet you know no matter who you vote for, war will be a part of the issue (has been in US national life since 1950), then can you vote? As far as voting goes, the issue is really about being a Christian in a non-Christian world. If we take the notion that as a Christian, I can’t vote because there are no clear “Christian” guidelines or clear “Christian” politicians—that those politicians will make decisions (like war) that may cut against my sense of being a real Christian—if we take that as true—then we find ourselves stuck in a world in which we cannot operate. In other words, we find ourselves retreating back to the notion of the “Christian ghetto.” We end up in the same place where, to quote Steve Taylor again, “I’ll only drink milk from a Christian cow.” Every day, ultimately, we all make compromises between the strictness of our faith and the reality of where we live. I think this is part of the “in the world, but not of it” statement that has confounded Christians (including me) for centuries. For instance, I have to leave my children and family every day to work in order to eat. It takes up about 7-10 hours of my day—time I could be praying or serving the poor or ministering to the lost. I don’t really want to choose to do it, but I do anyway because I have to compromise in order to eat. Or, to get to work, I have to drive something. I could choose to ride my bicycle, but I do not. Thus, regardless of how much I believe or don’t believe about Global warming, “the crisis of our times” (and I don’t believe that propaganda phrase), clearly the act of driving does add some pollution to the air, something a Christian would not wish to do if they could avoid it. Or, I often go shopping at places like Publix or Target (and some of you go to Wal-Mart); we buy things from big businesses like Microsoft, Coke, Nike and The Gap—we know instinctively that all of these places and things are part of making certain people rich, keeping others poor and some of these places have even been clearly guilty of bad labor practices around the world and here at home. Yet, knowing this, we shop there still. We could, if we chose, make our own clothes and grow our own food, maybe even make our own electronic equipment, but we don’t. These simple illustrations are merely to point out how we consistently make compromises between our faith and our need to be “in the world.” I think voting falls into this same category. Or maybe better to just say politics. But even if I don’t vote (and for now, I am not certain who I will vote for though I have voted in every election I could since Reagan), a “non-vote” IS A VOTE, so I really can’t say “I didn’t vote.” Moreover, if I really look, I know that there will be plenty of candidates to vote for come November. Come November, I am certain there will be over 10 different candidates that I can vote for. I think the Florida ballot now has 12 different parties as a part of my choices. In other words, if I know that I already make compromises between the strictness of my faith and the everyday-ness of life, then I don’t see how I can take the moral high road and declare that I won’t vote due to my faith. So, if that is true, “how do I decide about voting?” That’s a good question that I will address in the next pos So should a Christian vote or not in this messed up world? Recently, several of us in Numinous were debating whether to vote or not, feeling a high degree of frustration in the process. I think that sense of disgust or despair is one shared by many, particularly among those in the 45-under crowd of the GenX and Millennial Generations. Included in the conversation was the sense that many issues facing the country involve complicated situations for Christians, like war. Should we even participate in a situation that promotes something that can be seen as a thing God might not want us to be involved with. One thing seems clear, that on many issues, there simply may not be a “right” answer, but an answer that only feels best when all the issues seem to be measured. And of course no one BUT God can really ever measure all the issues. We can, and do, use history to guide us some and hope, then, for the best. The issue of a Christian putting him/herself into the political mix and then looking for a Godly direction is as old as the Roman Empire. Probably something to do with Paul’s words in Romans 13–“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” But to be “under authority” does not necessarily mean that I have to agree with decisions made by the rulers. The war and killing thing is clearly a tough place. I don’t know the answer there either and I don’t think any other Christian can claim any answer OTHER than “here’s how I feel about it.” God clearly commands total destruction of enemies in the Old Testament. The issue is, as I can determine, mute in the NT till Revelation, where again God brings total destruction upon his enemies (and at one point, seems as if the Christians who are alive at the time go to war alongside God). Yet, one point worth bringing out is that at no point does Jesus command (nor does Paul or Peter or James) any converted Roman soldiers (or Jewish soldiers) to leave the army. In other words, though this is only implied, one can determine that Jesus doesn’t take any pacifism to the length that soldiers should thrown down their weapons and leave the army. Where does that leave us? Well, I don’t propose that I solve anyone’s issue with war or pacificsm, but clearly the command to be under the authority of our leaders would seem to at least be a start. In the next posting, I will go a bit deeper into the issue of voting and how that deals with the compromises we all make in life. Searching for Wisdom A thought occurred to me today as I was trying to help my home schooling first grade daughter. I was attempting to help her gain the understanding of some of the nuances of our education (how exactly do you explain what an “apostrophe” does or what exactly is an odd number? “Uh, well, see it’s an odd number because, see, it’s odd, err, it’s not even, uh, let’s go ask your mother”) As I was sitting there, it hit me that, to God, I am much more like my non-understanding daughter than I am the understanding grown-up. I usually like to think that I “get it.” I’m “mature.” Well, perhaps, but as I consider just the previous 6 months, I was staring in the mirror as a very tall first-grader. The truth hurts, but honesty is one strong step on the path to wisdom. I’m not as smart as I like to think I am. I don’t have it together as good as I think I do. The Bible speaks plenty on wisdom, much about the need to pursue it, and, once finding it, to use it wisely and keep walking in it. . Psalm 90:12 says “Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Proverbs 28:26 teaches me “Trusting oneself is foolish, but those who walk in wisdom are safe.” Ah, see in there lies a lot of my problem—I too often trust myself, yet the Word also tells me that I don’t even know my own heart. So I look around for something to cling to, for something to rest on, and I only trust to myself and in the end, like the preacher in Ecclesiastes, I despair. Yes, he stuck with wisdom; he also decried seeking wisdom at times [times when he probably was weak or weary and had made the same mistake I made—trusting too much in myself] The answer? I think I see it many places as long as I faith. For instance, in Habakkuk 2:3, God says, “”For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.” I must wait with patience for all of God’s will to come to pass, both in my life and in the world. And while waiting, I can remember to trust Him like my daughter trusts me. In that trusting state, then I can hear best what God said to Jeremiah, “Let not the wise man gloat in his wisdom, or the mighty man in his might, or the rich man in his riches. Let them boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who is just and righteous, whose love is unfailing, and that I delight in these things.” (Jer 9:23-24)