I’ve been thinking recently about the subject of voting. Now, for many people voting isn’t a major issue. Much of my age group has, traditionally, been fairly unlikely to appear at the voting booth. My religious tradition, which I value, has emphasized the idea of the “Kingdom of Heaven”. Generally, the view of this tradition has been that our primary allegiance is to Christ, whose kingdom operates under different rules (e.g., the forgoing of force). That being the case, the logic goes, we shouldn’t involve ourselves in earthly government–even to the extent of voting.
My thought on the topic has been evolving, and continues to evolve. Some of the things I’m chewing on (and some of which I simply need to research) include:
- What is the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus came to establish? My current, general view (not original with me) is that His coming was “the beginning of the end” of a dark age, that He started the process of transforming our reality, of creating a new spiritual order with ethical and social ramifications.
- How is a citizen of that Kingdom to interact with temporal kingdoms? My cultural-religious tradition has, through much of its history, tried to minimize interaction with governments. I’ve heard in recent days that Christians are ambassadors of God’s kingdom (agreed), and an ambassador doesn’t have the right to meddle in the affairs of the country to which he’s sent (is the analogy taken too far?). Another writer has a different take on our status as “ambassadors”:
However, the call to liberate ourselves from the powers of this world is the foundation for a discipleship that re-engages these systems as prophetic agents of God’s kingdom. We are equipped to do justice and named “ambassadors” of the Good News. Ambassadors are sent to people with a foreign agenda, to engage at the highest levels of power.
- To what extent can one avoid responsibility for government in a democratic republic, and what responsibilities should one avoid? John Howard Yoder makes an effective argument (albeit one I haven’t studied sufficiently to effectively re-present) that Jesus did act “politically”, but according to the rules of the Kingdom of God. (E.g., he didn’t join the Zealots, a political movement of his day.) As Tim King points out, Jesus isn’t an Essene and he isn’t a Herodian; he neither withdrew to the desert nor “buddied up” with the political establishment, but he spoke to power in Jerusalem.
- If one chooses to involve oneself in the political system, how can one effectively avoid being pressed into a “worldly” thought pattern of using worldly politics as one’s primary tool?
- I haven’t necessarily “swallowed” his conclusion, but Lawrence Temfwe argues that, like Israel in exile in a pagan nation (Jeremiah 29), we are to work to bless the nation where we are temporarily located. We are to be model citizens for Christ’s sake (see I Peter). And yet, is the kingdom against which “the gates of hell will not prevail” going to get there by its citizens playing defense?
- Is it overly arrogant to weigh ills and goodness against each other in participating in politics? This argument has some resonance; who am I to decide that the evil of war outweighs the evil of abortion, or to decide that “Christian” national arrogance does more damage to God’s kingdom than does tolerance of immorality? And yet, Paul censures the Corinthians for not exercising their judgement (“Do you not know that we will judge angels?”), but bringing their cases for secular courts to decide. Is it arrogance to make a decision, or is it avoiding one’s duty not to do so?
- How much, and how, does the difference between the political system of Jesus’ situation and of our own make a difference?
- I think voters and nonvoters agree on the primacy of Christ’s kingdom. Is it possible to accept, but subordinate, earthly civic responsibility?
- Whether one concludes that one should vote or not, one’s responsibility to build Christ’s kingdom is still the same, as are the simple duties of citizenship in that kingdom. We’re to help the kingdom grow, and we’re to do that by telling people of it, equipping them to be productive citizens in it, and helping those–whether in the kingdom or outside it–who need us.
So…can one vote for Christ’s kingdom? I’ll leave you to answer that question. I’m working on learning some answers, but am still journeying.
As you ponder, I think it’s worth reading a few articles from Sojourners. I don’t always agree with their writers, but think they do have a lot of good to contribute–some of which resonates closely with the faith tradition in which I grew up, and some of which differs substantially. I have no particular desire to either blindly cling to or blindly reject the values of my faith community. I don’t want to blindly accept, nor do I want to blindly reject, what these writers have to say. As a Christian trying to figure out how to live, interacting with other Christians in the same pursuit, I hope I, you, and others can be productive citizens of Christ’s kingdom.
Sojourners articles I’ve been thinking about:
- Voting as Damage Control
- Jesus is not an Essene nor a Herodian
- Advise Everyone…Endorse No One
- Christian Voters Need to Reorient, not Disengage
- Why I Believe Christians Should Vote
- An International Challenge for Christians to Vote
- My Personal ‘Faith Priorities’ for this Election
Oh, and definitely get a copy of John Howard Yoder’s The Politics of Jesus. I’ve read it only once and am far from having fully digested it–but it’s well worth reading.
