A Christian Response to the Political Process

We have all been bombarded this year with election news, campaign commercials, and political rhetoric. While some may find the strategies and daily developments exciting or even addicting, others may find all the political spin frustrating and just tune it out. But how should we, as Christians, respond?

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Here we are instructed not to look, act, and think as the world does, but rather to allow God to change how we think and how we discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect. We do this by testing all things against God's truth, the Bible.

Therefore, when engaging in the political process, we should not look or act like the world does. For example, we should not respond with anger or contempt toward those who hold different views than our own, whether to a specific individual or more generally to all members of a political party. Instead, we should respectfully and kindly state our reasons for believing what we do (Prov. 15:1, Eph. 4:32).

Furthermore, we must not think as the world thinks. Our position on political issues should not be based upon selfish motivations, popular opinion, or flashy advertisements. Rather, let us test all our thoughts and positions against God's word. To do this, we must first do some homework to learn about the issues and the candidates. Then we can prayerfully consider whether candidates' positions are "good and acceptable and perfect." (To download a free, non-partisan voter's guide, visit http://www.freevotersguide.org/.)

Finally, we should exercise our right to vote. As Christians, we should not wash our hands of the entire process, simply because deceit, corruption, and greed are prevalent in the political arena. That is all the more reason to be involved, to proclaim God's truth, and to demonstrate Christ's love for those who are lost among us.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
- Matthew 5:14-16

I pray that our Father is praised through our participation in this process. But remember, our hope is not in elected officials or government legislation, but in Jesus Christ who gave his life to save us!