Published August 31, 2016
Christians’ Role in American Government
“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual—or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.” -Samuel Adams, United States Founding Father
America is a unique experiment in human history, for it was founded on the idea that governing authority is transmitted directly from God to the individual citizen who then transfers appropriate power to the civil government. Yet even though we have been entrusted with this incredible responsibility, nearly half of those who self-identify as evangelical Christians are not registered to vote, and 50 percent of those who are registered do not bother to vote. So as a Christian, what is our biblical obligation to the political process? Here are five principles to keep in mind as we head into election season.
- Christians are called to be stewards of our earthly treasures. Often, when speaking of stewardship, we reference natural resources or perhaps even the gift of our children. But how often do we see American freedom as a gift from God that should be cultivated, protected and treasured? Despite the chaos of an election year, remember that this is an opportunity that most people around the world crave, and we should be good stewards of our gift of freedom.
- An eternal-focus should never excuse us from our temporal obligations. Every election season I’m amazed at how many Christian leaders seem to subtly excuse Christians from political involvement by invoking spirituality. “The problem with America is spiritual,” they say, “and politics will not fix that.” Or they ask, “Just because we vote in the right person, people are still going to hell, so what good does it do?” Christians are called to be salt and light in the world, to make a difference while we are here. The call of the Great Commission does not excuse a believer from the task of serving as an influencer within the temporal world in which we reside.
- Democracy is one way for the Christian to “Love thy neighbor.” Public policy by its very nature impacts people. A strong criminal justice system serves to protect the young single mom living alone with her children. Welfare reform and fair tax policies will enable an able-bodied man to get a job and provide for his family. Pro-life legislation will help prevent the needless murder of our unborn neighbors. Christians are called to love our neighbors. One easy way to do that is to support policies that are good for our nation and good for our neighbors. The way we do that in America is through the political process.
- Know your elected officials, so you can properly pray for them. I’m amazed at how many Christians cannot even name their local congressman or state representative. If we are commanded to “offer petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving” for those in authority, how can we effectively do this when we don’t even know who they are? Imagine the impact on our nation, on our elected officials and on our own attitude toward those in government if we began to earnestly pray for those in authority. This cannot happen when we don’t know who they are.
- “Duty is ours; results are God’s.” This quotation from John Quincy Adams is applicable to everything from witnessing to voting. As believers, we have an obligation to do what God has called us to do, in both the spiritual and the civil arenas. And although our effectiveness is often hindered by our human limitations, our limitations do not excuse us from our biblical obligations. We are called to share the gospel, even when doing so may not produce the results we’d like. And we are called to be actively engaged in our civil government, even when our participation may feel like it is having less of an impact than we’d like. Although the results are up to God, the duty is still ours.
This election season, instead of focusing on the craziness, chaos and negativity of political discourse, let’s resolve to view our political responsibility as a solemn trust, for which we are accountable to God and our country.
James May (’92, ’99) served as the director of conservative outreach for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. He is currently the regional press director for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
