I believe that voting is an issue of freedom of conscience – falling under Romans 14-15. Each of us must decide under the Lordship of Christ how to vote. There have been a lot of bullying efforts by supporters on both sides, but in my experience, some in the GOP and passionate Trump have mastered this art recently.
“No true Christian would vote…”
If you have decided to vote for Trump, fine. You do not need to convince me if you are convinced in your own mind. I am turned off by those who present Trump as “God’s man” and refuse to admit his faults and failings, but I understand those who are determined to stick to a binary choice, have examined both parties, and believe that Trump is a better choice than Biden. If you have made such a choice, you need not justify it to me. If you are comfortable with your choice, God’s blessings on you. Even if it offends me, you Trump loyalists who see him in messianic terms are free before our Lord to make your choice. You give account to him, not to me.
However, the pressure and bullying that is so evident among Christians today is concerning and is not in line with biblical teaching. Obviously, both sides have offended. In 2016, NeverTrumpers were on the offensive, challenging the gospel faithfulness of those who would support a man with the flaws of Donald Trump. To challenge the GOP nominee was within our right but to question the biblical fidelity of those who supported him was not. Trump supporters are paying back the NeverTrumpers in spades in 2020. When a prominent Bible teacher makes voting GOP and Trump a necessary evidence of salvation, questioning the salvation of anyone who makes a different choice, we have crossed the Rubicon. I have heard repeated challenges to either the salvation or the doctrinal fidelity of anyone who does not support the GOP or the Trump campaign. One primary purpose of the CBN appears to be to enforce GOP loyalty among Southern Baptists. I received a call from a long-time family friend recently. People in her church were considering running off their pastor. He’d committed no sin nor did he preach heresy. He did not support Donald Trump in the election and so he had to go. One youth pastor lost his ministry license because he posted social media messages against Trump (to be fair, his posts were a bit aggressive, but enough to lose his license?). Ronnie Floyd used the power of his office and the EC mailing list to pressure SBC pastors and leaders into supporting the president in his reelection bid. Those who do not support Trump have been painted as theologically suspect, as liberals (per CBN), and as enemies of the SBC.
When history is written, I fear that it may be the divisiveness of the 2016 and 2020 political seasons that puts paid to the work of Southern Baptists, not liberalism, or “wokeness,” or any of the other bogeymen we seek to blame. When we are questioning one another’s salvation and love for Christ based on party loyalty, we are in deep trouble.
All of that is a loquacious setup to my question. I have seen the assertion repeatedly that “Christians have to vote.” On a discussion site, I visit periodically, a man stated boldly that “biblically, we are required to vote.” I asked him to provide the scriptural support for that statement, but to this point, I’ve received nothing (he is not required to respond to me, of course). I would therefore like to ask this question:
To those of you who would say that voting is a moral or spiritual requirement for a believer, could you provide biblical support for that?
Perhaps it is an assumption held because we have heard others say it. For some, it might be a bullying tactic. “You have to vote and you can’t vote for the other side (because…abortion), so vote for my guy.” If you genuinely believe that voting is a mandate from Scripture, I would like to know why.
NOTE: please do not take me to Romans 13. That passage requires me to obey the governing authorities and there is no law requiring me to vote. I can NOT vote and still be in obedience. The verses from the Sermon on the Mount about salt and light do not require voting either. I am also not interested in aphorisms such as, “If you don’t vote you can’t complain.” Lots of people who don’t attend annual meetings complain about SBC issues! I want someone to explain to me why voting is a BIBLICAL mandate, as I have seen several assert recently.
Let me set forth a “totally fictitious” scenario, one I created wholly out of my burned-out brain.
1. Let’s pretend that there’s a committed believer (Mr. X) who finds both party’s candidates morally and ethically unacceptable. This person cannot, by conscience, vote for either man – for moral and spiritual reasons. The reasons themselves are not significant to this discussion, but Mr. X simply cannot vote for either one of the candidates put forward by the two main parties.
2. Like many NeverTrumpers I’ve talked to, Mr. X voted third party last time but wasn’t completely satisfied with his vote. Since the 2016 election he’s come to believe the man he voted for isn’t qualified to be the dog catcher in Gretna, Nebraska, much less president. Third-party candidates do not get the scrutiny that the D and R fellas have gotten (for good or ill). There are a couple of candidates that appeal to Mr. X in third parties, but he is reluctant to go this direction again.
3. He has considered a protest vote, writing in CB Scott, or perhaps just writing “None of the Above” (per Brewster’s Millions) in the president slot. Obviously, this would be a protest vote, an intentionally wasted vote.
4. The other option is for Mr. X to stay home and not go to the polls. In his locality, there are no key races or issues that would drive him to the polls (Senate, House, etc) and so he is considering just staying home.
If the two political parties cannot provide a morally acceptable candidate for whom to vote, why would it be morally unacceptable to just stay home?
I understand some of you are passionate about Trump and some of you hate him. I’d really rather not talk about him. This is not meant to be a discussion of the comparative merits of Trump or Biden. A lot of my friends seem to be going with Brian Carroll. It isn’t about him either. This is about a theoretical question.
- Why would it be wrong to respond to the two parties putting forward morally unacceptable candidates (if it is your conviction they have done so) by staying home on election day and refusing to vote?
- Is there a BIBLICAL argument that requires us to vote?
- What kind of world would we have if we all wrote in “CB Scott” for president?
My answer: No, of course not.
Best post I have seen in a while. Much my position. Thanks.
Complimenting my posts is always a sign of high intellect and insight.
I don’t have the answer but I’d just like to call for more Brewsters Millions references.
Ha.
Dave, thanks for the post. I don’t want to hijack the discussion but something I have been wondering is which would make the louder statement – a protest vote or not voting at all. It seems that low turnout is reported more but a protest vote makes the statement “I want to participate and be involved, please give me someone I can vote for.” Not necessarily what I would do but just pondering out loud… Thanks.
Good thoughts.
I think a protest vote is viable as long as the “other” candidate can garner a significant number of votes to be noticeable. I wrote in a candidate in 2016. It made me feel better, but didn’t really effect any change. I consider my party to be twice as bad as what turned me off in 2016.
I voted for my friend John in 2016.
I would say voting is a biblically mandated duty fulfilling the role our form of government has given us. But you are certainly not morally obligated to vote in every race. If there is no good candidate running for a position just skip it. I believe voting is part of rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s; and therefore biblically mandated as much as paying taxes. Just skip those races you do not know about and/or those whose options you find unsupportable; even if that race you are not voting in is the race for the White House.
Is it generally a good thing to vote? Sure. But the Bible places a far higher priority on other things (reading the Bible, sharing the Gospel, fasting, practicing personal generosity and hospitality, etc.) that I rarely hear Christians call each other out on for failing to do. It is interesting what rises to the level of “Biblical mandate” and what does not in common evangelical parlance.
To accept what you say, we’d have to believe that American Christians put TOO high a status on politics. Surely not!
There is always the option of voting for all the possible races except president. I have considered doing that option. Here in Texas we have an important Senate race that needs all votes on deck. I will go and vote for that race alone.
I vote; and I see it as a responsibility. But I also understand the argument to not be so invested in politics & elections. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal or political. And honestly, if elections had been conducted in Jesus’ day, I cant imagine that He would have voted. More likely would have been, “Let the dead [vote for] their dead…” There’s no biblical mandate either way.
The voting franchise granted by our government is not something to be taken lightly. Blood has been spilled and many hours of protest have happened to expand the franchise from white land-owning males to all US citizens (male and female alike).However, it is not biblically mandated; you are free to vote or not to vote. The Apostle Paul pull out his Roman citizenship “card” when he needed it to make Roman functionaries do the right thing (Acts 16). Following his example, Christians should present their voter registration card on election day to encourage our functionaries to do the right thing,… Read more »
The Biblical answer is religious freedom…..taken for granted today…for the first time in my life…..state governors have ordered church shut downs….the church leader you probably reference has been under threat of arrest or contempt of court and excessive fines for defying those orders…..This election is very different…..government ordered church closings has many small churches as well as many small businesses in a position that they may not survive…….one consistent party still driving ordered church shutdowns…..
Dave, Enjoyed your fine/timely article …so glad you eventually broached this foundational question! All of the previous discussions here pertaining to politics, platforms, parties and personalities …seemed to implicitly presume an understood ‘duty’ of the obedient Christian to cast their vote. Finally, the ‘elephant in the room’ is properly recognized. I continue to maintain my oft expressed conviction here, that I respect the stoic detachment and non-participation in ‘civic religious ritual’ that is demonstrated by the Amish, SDA and JW’s. While clearly objecting to much of their other doctrines, I believe they have this one right. Yes, as Ken Hamrick… Read more »
Dave, I read Romans 13, and 14 much differently than you do. No where in these chapters does it tell someone how to vote. There were no democracies then, therefore no voting or elections. The people were told in Rom, 13 and 14 to get along with the existing leaders. No where in the bible does it tell people how to vote. God will not tell someone who to vote for. He never has and he never will. God will not tell someone to put their confidence in a man. A spiritual leader is a different story. But we are… Read more »
Jess Alford, this has nothing to do with the post or your comment. I do have a question for you. Do you have any ‘coon dogs?
cb, I gave my coon dogs away. I would have given them to you if I had known you wanted some.
Jess, I saw your brother’s dogs on Facebook recently. The Walker dog was treed. It brought back pleasant memories of days gone by. BTW, your brother, Roger, has been a good very good to me during my time back here in Kentucky.
I see it more as a moral thing as opposed to a biblical mandate. When I consider the price paid for our right to vote, including the suffragette movement and civil rights act, while I have to hold my nose, I vote and encourage others to do so for that reason. What am I saying to the marchers who struggled for this right if I neglect it? Having said that, we as a nation have the leadership we deserve. We have either ignored the Lord or made a mockery of that which is holy. You decide which party/candidate fits those… Read more »
IMO, no; a follower is not obligated to vote. We are commanded: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. (I Co. 10:31). If you can’t vote to the glory of God then I don’t think you should. Similarly, if you decide not to vote.
May God guide your conscience in His peace brother.
There is no Bible command to vote that I am aware of. There is a Bible mandate to pray for our leaders. 1 Timothy 2:2 KJV — “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
In light of this command, when I vote, I choose the candidates that I believe will be most likely to allow me to live a quiet and peaceable life.
The powers (govts) that be are ordained of God. Which govt has he ordained for us? A govt “of the People, by the People, and for the People. The People have the responsibility to vote. And furthermore, we have a two party system. One party will win and the other will loose. Which do you want to govern? If you want a third party you have the freedom to organize that. But you will need to do it a long time before you expect to win. Pereau kneejerks will not succeed.
WHY I’M VOTING: I’m voting for the First Amendment and my right to speak out and be heard. I’m voting for law and order and my Second Amendment rights. I’m voting for the right of unborn babies to live. I’m voting for an independent Supreme Court that protects our Constitution and Bill of Rights. I’m voting for freedom of religion. I’m voting for continued peace progress in the Middle East. I’m voting to fight human/child trafficking. I’m voting for a strong economy. I’m voting for the protections of the Electoral College and the republic we live in. I’m voting for… Read more »
I believe that I am morally obligated to vote. I have voted in almost every election since I earned the right to vote. The few primaries I missed are a source of regret. In our political system participating is like submitting to the authority of the emperor in the Roman system. With that said, I don’t know that I would bind your conscience in that same way. We should be careful about finding absolute commands where they don’t exist. Most of have enough trouble with the clear demands of scripture without finding new ones. Not only do I vote but… Read more »
Well said, John R.
Well said, indeed.