Lesson #3: The Christian and Politics

How Do We Decide?
Rom 13:8-10

We are about a month away from our election. There will be more and more media vying for our attention trying to influence our vote. There are a lot of things I don’t like about this time of year, the incessant phone calls, and the attack ads by both sides, and every attempt to influence how I will vote. But this raises an important question, how do we decide? It is not just who to vote for but what to vote for. Every election has issues that call for us to vote.

I. Influences
This past week I read about a number of church leaders who are coming out very publicly for a particular candidate. Those church leaders are trying to influence how people in their communities vote. One pastor even said that to vote for the opposing candidate is to question whether you are a Christian or not. I am not going to tell you whom to vote for so you can quit asking. I do want us to think about how we will decide how to vote.

Where you stand in the world has a lot to do with how you view an election like this, what influences you to vote in a particular way. So what will influence you? For some it will be the race of the candidates. Some will vote for Barak Obama because he is African-America and others will refuse to vote for him for the same reason. It is amazing that in a country that has in its declaration of independence that “all men are created equal” (and women too) that race is such a large issue to many. If you don’t think it is a factor then ask the person who had his Obama signs spray-painted with swastikas. Hopefully this is not a factor for Christians but I confess it probably is for some.

Another big influence that raised its head this past week is the economy. Dire predictions of doom and gloom filled the airways this past week. People have always considered economic factors in whom they vote for. Will this person raise or lower my taxes? Will they help or hurt my business, my job? Those are important questions but we need to remember what people say and what people do are often not the same. But still people vote for those who promise to help them economically.

In this election the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is big for many of us. What should the nation do? Should we try and disengage from these conflicts or continue to pursue them? No matter who is elected the issues raised by this conflict will continue for a long time.

There are also social issues that for some are the controlling factor. Where do the candidates stand on the pro-life or pro-choice issue? That is a big one and yet I have observed there doesn’t seem to be much difference in what happens whatever the party. Then there are issues such as poverty and hunger around the world or the devastating AIDS epidemic in Africa that are the focus of some voters. What about the environment?

The media is always trying to influence our votes it seems. In this I include not just news programs but also comedy programs and the like. We could also include the Internet and political blogs, Youtube, and political emails.
All these different appeals are made to our prejudices, our pocketbooks, our emotions, our faith, and in the end our self-interest. What is in it for me? What is good for me?

II. Another Perspective
It is tough deciding how you will vote, no doubt about it. But I would like to add one more voice for our consideration. In Romans 13 Paul wrote about the Christian’s relationship to government. But before and after this passage Paul writes about how we should live in the world. “Love. . . Honor one another above yourselves . . . Bless those who persecute you. . . Don’t take revenge. . . Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:9-21) Then after the government passage he wrote, “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9)
I want to suggest that maybe this needs to have a place in our decision-making. Maybe we need to consider voting with our neighbor in view rather than ourselves. Of course this give rise to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

That question is answer directly by Jesus with one of the most well known parables, The Good Samaritan or as one person said the Parable of the Good Neighbor. The parable is familiar to us. A person is in terrible trouble, beaten, impoverished, totally unable to help himself. Two religious type people see him and ignore him but finally a third person, an unexpected person stops and helps him. In fact he does more than help, he puts his life at risk, he uses his provisions, and he pays for the man’s upkeep until he is able to go on. Jesus asked, “Who was the good neighbor?” It was an interesting way to answer the question. You will notice Jesus really didn’t answer the man’s question instead he asked him and us, are you a good neighbor?
What would it mean to vote hearing this voice? I’m not sure exactly but I think it would begin by asking who is lying wounded by the road? It might be the poor and dispossessed in our society. Would our vote help or hurt our neighbors in Detroit? What about our neighbors who are unemployed or working minimum wage jobs? Are we going to elect people who will pay attention to their needs? As much as we are hurting from all this economic mess it really is a lot worse for those who are poor. What about people who can’t afford health insurance and are forced into bankruptcy? Are those who are suffering in Africa or Asia our neighbors? What do we do about environmental issues because those affect our neighbors also?

You might have been thinking I was going to make it easier for you to decide how to vote today; instead I have made it more difficult. I don’t think there are any easy answers or and perfect candidates. All of us will cast our votes and then pray for whoever wins to be guided by wisdom and justice. But I do want us to think, to consider that maybe God wants us, even in our voting, to consider our neighbor.

Ultimately being a good neighbor comes down to how we treat those around us, those we see in need because that is how we would like to be treated if we are ever wounded and helpless. It is easy to walk through the world oblivious to those around us. But God has called us to be his children and that means looking at the world through God’s eyes, God’s concerns, and God’s love.

Livonia Church of Christ October 5, 2008