Today I voted.
I exercised my civic duty by voting in the 2024 Presidential Election.
There were other items on the ballot, too. Other positions and people and amendments. I voted for these as well. Most of them, anyway. There were a few boxes I left blank, as I wasn’t educated enough to make a decision on all the choices in front of me. Some of these were amendments, others were local offices. Normally, I would research these people and what they stand for, but if I’m being honest this election has been challenging for me. I haven’t had the mental and emotional capacity to look into every item to be voted on.
I’m going to be quite vulnerable here.
There have been days I’ve struggled functioning normally because of the discourse around the election. I don’t pretend to know all the details and complexities of politics. But I do know the Bible. I know Christian theology and church history and spiritual formation and the way of Jesus. And I don’t expect politics to follow the way of Jesus. Why would they? Politicians have different goals than Jesus did. The government is concerned with one country. Jesus was not about empire or country. He was not concerned with hierarchy or government processes. He paid taxes, sure, but it was a non-issue for him.
I don’t have a problem with politicians making decisions that disagree with the way of Jesus. But I do have a problem with politicians making decisions “in the name of Jesus” or “because the Bible says so.” More often than not, these decisions are reflected in Scripture but not the way of Jesus. If biblical scholarship is informing these decisions, that’s a different story. But it’s usually not.
Let me give you an example.
The book of Job tells the story of a man who lost everything–his home, family, wealth, and health. The book is clear that this man was righteous and did nothing wrong. It’s clear that what was happening to him was not a result of his actions. The majority of the book is this man conversing with his friends about how to get back into God’s good graces, even though he never fell out of them.
One verse in particular jumps out because when you first read it, you would think it’s great advice! Job 36:11, “If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.” But without biblical scholarship and reading the whole book, you may not realize this “advice” is not coming from God. It’s not coming from the righteous man. It’s coming from his misguided friend with a poor theology. His friend is wrong, a fact that’s made very clear if you read more than just this verse. So while the idea of obedience leading to prosperity is reflected in Scripture, it’s not the way of Jesus or reflective of the heart of God.
When politicians take verses of Scripture out of context to make or justify their decisions, policies, and proposals, we all lose. People of faith lose. Non-believers lose. No one benefits from poor theology informing politics.
So let’s bring this big idea to my current context.
Two days ago a man was arrested outside of my polling station for wielding a machete to intimidate Democratic voters. Today while I was waiting in line, I heard someone drive by and yell “F*** you!” to the campaigners holding Harris signs. In the moment, hearing those words felt just as aggressive as the machete.
A machete is not the way of Jesus.
Intimidation is not the way of Jesus.
My heart breaks that these actions are even slightly associated with the way of Jesus. These men may not be people who follow Jesus, but they are most certainly Republican voters. And the Republican party has been linked to Jesus in the minds of many Americans.
If you’re wondering about the biblical scholarship associated with any specific policies or people, comment below or send me an email and let’s talk about it. I would love to offer some clarity on what Scripture says if I can, with no judgment toward you. I will never judge someone for earnestly asking a question. And I wouldn’t expect you to respond in any particular way. I would just hope to be a resource to you, one that’s encouraging, hopeful, and is focused on the heart of God.
Today I voted. I did my civic duty while feeling a mix of hope and fear.
As we await the outcome of the election, I’m reminded of these words of David M. Bailey, “No matter who wins the election, Jesus is on the throne.”
Additional Thoughts
I shared the following thoughts on social media immediately after voting this week. Follow me on Facebook or Instagram for real-time reflections in addition to weekly blog posts.
It’s a bit surreal that I can sit in this beautiful courtyard surrounded by palm trees and tropical flowers, eat chocolate cake for lunch, and spend the afternoon writing sermons. The good kind of surreal.
It’s a bit surreal that I voted today in the same location a man wielded a machete to intimidate voters a few days ago. The bad kind of surreal.
I don’t really understand a lot of the reality we live in, and honestly I don’t always want to. I don’t want to understand why a person would think it’s a good idea to threaten others.
But I can be empathetic towards him. I can think about how sad it is that something in his reality allowed him to make that choice. I can be sad that he hasn’t yet been able to grasp the beauty that he lives in a country with diverse thinkers.
Maybe it’s naive of me to think empathy is an appropriate response. But when I feel this much confusion and anger, empathy seems like the only thing that makes sense.
