“The authorities that exist have been established by God…. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority rebels against God.” Romans 13:1-2
― St. Paul
“The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.” ― Albert Einstein
The first essay explored the meaning of the faith conviction that God is at work through the governing authorities for people who live in a representative democracy. We established that with our form of governance in the United States the “authority” is not a person but the set of ideas and principles outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Elected officials take an oath of loyalty not to a person or a homeland but to the Constitution of the United States of America. Yet government officials are only part of the authority in our kind of democracy. Citizens exercising their right to peaceful protest, the free press investigating and reporting on government activities, and those whose role is to serve as a watchdog within the government are all part of the authority through which God acts. Ultimately the main authority in the American democracy is the voter exercising their right to vote.
In this article, we’ll explore how Christians vote by looking at three considerations – two that have to do with how to evaluate candidates and one which is about our motivations as we go into the voting booth.
1. How well does the candidate seem to conform to the form of government described in the constitution? That’s basic because as Paul says in Romans 13, “Governing authorities are instituted by God.”
2. How would a candidate’s words, actions and policies impact the “sojourner, the orphan and the widow?” This is the standard by which God’s prophets judged the governing authorities.
3. Finally, what is motivating my decision? Is it anger? Fear? Preservation of my wealth or status? Love for the vulnerable neighbor (the “sojourner, orphan and widow”) expressed as a commitment to their well-being is the only legitimate motivation for a follower of Jesus.
Dear Reader, please know that it is not my intention here to tell you WHO to vote for. That would be inappropriate for a church leader. But also, I would not insult your intelligence by assuming you are not capable of making up your own mind. Rather, this is intended as pastoral guidance on HOW a person who wishes to follow Jesus in every aspect of their life would make up their mind in the voting booth. Thinking people of faith can disagree about which candidates and policies align best with a Christ-formed conscience, but there can be little disagreement about the contents of such a conscience. Of course, there are other ways of arriving at a decision, but this is for those who want their faith in Christ to be their guide.
The Three Considerations:
1. Conformity to our form of government: In part one we discussed Romans 13 in which Paul admonishes Christians to “be subject to the Governing Authorities.” In our form of government, the authority is the constitution. A first principle for a voter who is also a Christian is to vote for someone who seems to understand and wants to protect and defend the ideas and principles of the Constitution. Perhaps the easiest way to get at this is to ask two questions, “Does this candidate welcome accountability, or do they undermine it?” and “Does the candidate encourage participation (voting, speaking up and speaking out, etc.?) or do they try to suppress it?” These two principles, mutual accountability and citizen participation, are at the heart of our “governing authority.”
Accountability -- checks and balances, the idea that no one is above the law – is a core principle of our democracy. How does the candidate regard the checks and balances among the branches of government? How do they respond to internal watch-dogs such as Inspectors General, whistle blowers, etc.? Do they welcome the scrutiny as just part of being an elected official, or do they resent it and try to subvert it? How does the person regard the external watch-dogs whose role is enshrined in the constitution such as the free press and peaceful protestors? Christians should vote for candidates who, while they may not enjoy it (who does?), are open to scrutiny and accountability by others.
Participation -- citizens exercising their right to vote are the first authority in our democracy, and so those who wish to follow the guidance of St. Paul in Romans 11 would naturally be drawn toward candidates who support policies and practices intended to encourage voting by as many citizens as possible. Tactics intended to make voting more difficult for some voters (usually for minorities) should be suspect, because such practices essentially “rebel against the governing authority.”
What about voter fraud? According to data from the conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation, the concern about voting fraud is unfounded. This is an organization that is engaged in promulgating the myth that voter fraud is a big problem in the US, but their own facts show the opposite.
Heritage reports that from 1984-2020 there have been 1218 individual cases of voter fraud across all elections at every level of government in the United States, with most of those instances occurring in local races. 1218 sounds like a big number, but in the U.S., there are 19,492 municipalities, 3,141 counties, 13,506 school districts, 16,519 towns, 50 states, 14 territories and the District of Columbia. Let’s assume that each one of those jurisdictions holds some kind of an election at least once every three years, a conservative estimate. That ends up being a lot of elections over 34 years – somewhere between 500,000 and 1.7 million elections! This is before we factor in the individual races inside each election. So, according to the Heritage Institute, since 1986, election fraud in America has occurred at a rate of .0013 cases per election - at worst. Note that I’ve used the data collected and distributed by an organization that would like to persuade the public that voter fraud is a big problem. Why would they do that? I’ll leave you to ponder that question. So, a Christian who believes that God instituted the governing authority and who understands their governing authority begins with voting would want to support candidates who work to maximize access to voting, not to limit it.
2. Care for vulnerable neighbors: Followers of Jesus should ask, “How would this candidate’s policies affect the “sojourner, the orphan and the widow?” This was the standard by which God judged the authorities in the Old Testament and that is the group to whom Jesus consistently gave special attention and called his followers to do the same. (Here is a sampling of references: Zechariah 7:10, Deuteronomy 10:18, Deuteronomy 24, Jeremiah 7:6, Luke 4:16-19, Matthew 25, Luke 16:19-25)
The “Sojourner” is the immigrant, the resident alien, the one who is vulnerable because they lack extended family or wealth or because they look, sound and behave differently than the locals. Both then and now, these neighbors are vulnerable to exploitation by others or maltreatment by the governing authority. Policies that protect the health and safety of these vulnerable neighbors are in the spirit of both the constitution and the Bible.
The “orphan” is the child who, because of family issues, racial bias, poverty, immigration status or all of the above, is especially vulnerable and in need of our care. Unborn children would be included in this category.
So, what about abortion? For some Christians, abortion is the only life-related issue that matters. Does it make sense to focus only on this issue while ignoring the myriad issues that threaten the life of children after they are born? For most Christians, abortion is an important consideration to be weighed in conjunction with the many other issues affecting vulnerable people. The ELCA’s social statement on abortion states, “The strong Christian presumption is to preserve and protect life. Abortion ought to be an option only of last resort. Therefore, as a church we seek to reduce the need to turn to abortion as the answer to unintended pregnancies.”
Finally, the “widows” in ancient Israel were vulnerable because they could not provide a living for themselves. Today’s equivalent would be anyone whose ability to earn a living is undermined by disability, prejudice or discrimination. The Christian should ask, “How would the candidate’s policies and actions benefit or hurt the prospects of those whose opportunities have been undermined by racism and other forms of discrimination?”
Yes, thinking people can disagree about what policies would be most beneficial to our vulnerable neighbors, but followers of Jesus go into the voting booth with the genuine interests of these beloveds of God foremost in their mind. Once again, St. Paul is instructive here when he writes to the Christians in Philippi, “Consider the interests of others as more important than your own.” (Phil 2:4) This brings us to our third consideration.
3. Motivation: What is motivating me as I enter the voting booth? Is it fear that I may lose some of my wealth or status? Is it anger at a group of people who I believe have gotten a better deal than I have? For the Christian, the only acceptable motivations are concern for our most vulnerable neighbors and subjection to our form of government. Perhaps righteous anger would be another acceptable motivation – anger over the maltreatment of the “sojourner, orphan and widow,” or over the subversion of constitutional values, but love is at the root of righteous anger. Facts matter, and a faithful Christian seeks out facts from multiple sources. Christians must wade through the intense emotions afoot during an election and strive toward a Christ-formed conscience that seeks more light and less heat.
As in all of life, preparation through study and through spiritual practice are essential for Christians voting in our democracy. The advice of Karl Barth is instructive, “Keep the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other,” as you pray and prepare. Deep self-reflection with a commitment to honesty before God is required if one is to be somewhat free of impure motivations. As we enter the voting booth or fill out our mail-in ballot, the prayer of the psalmist, “Create in me a pure heart, O God,” is a good and worthy prayer for that important moment in our followership of Jesus Christ. My prayers are with you, and I crave yours as well.
コメント