I thought I would offer a little Election Day advice: No matter who you vote for, if you’re a Christian, your voting is not to be compelled by fear. Fear is a motivating factor for many self-interested, self-centered, and self-protective things in the political sphere. And it has been used by politicians as a tool to motivate religious people for centuries. The fear-tactic is nothing new.
The biblical writers knew all too well that fear drives us to do crazy things that go against our otherwise firm beliefs. For this reason, the scriptural command that occurs more than any other in the Bible is, “Do not be afraid.”
Fear is the definition of insanity for Christians.
When we act in fear, we act to protect our own self-interest instead of the interests of others who are less fortunate than us.
When we act in fear, we act in a way that protects ourselves and our rights instead of seeking rights for people on the margins or people who are forgotten.
When we act in fear, we confuse this-worldly political agendas with the eternal kingdom of God.
When we act in fear, our world falls apart when elections don’t go our way.
When we act in fear, we degrade and dehumanize people who don’t vote the same way we do.
I don’t know who you’re voting for today. And I don’t think it’s my place to tell you how to vote. But I will say this; we are allowed to make mistakes in the voting booth (Lord knows, I’ve made some of my own) if we make those mistakes with good intentions. But we’re not ever allowed to act out of fear, for fear should never be a motivating factor for people who rightly understand the kingdom of God.
Our kingdom is not ultimately of this world. As great as Democracy is, it is Jesus Christ, not the next president or governor, who is the savior of the world. When you vote then, vote not with the rhetoric of fear and hatred in your mind from the political ads, but vote with the hope of a crucified savior who died for Republicans and Democrats alike.
