We both voted based on our faith, but we voted differently. Now what?
In 2016 I remember there being a distinct difference between Christian and non-Christian voters. Weeks leading up to the election, I started seeing posts like, “No matter what, Jesus is King” and '“God’s kingdom reigns forever.” It was a well-intentioned response to a growing conflict in the country. Tensions were rising, and Christians saw it as their duty to rise above it and put the Lord first.
Since then, I’ve been paying more attention to how people in the Church talk about politics. I’ve written before about how I felt like an outsider at my home church for having different political beliefs than its pastor, but I wanted to dive into that a little bit more. In most conversations I hear a variant of, “I am guided by nothing but the Word of God, and I make my decisions based on my faith.” I remember sitting in Starbucks with another Christian leader, and I practically whispered to her, “Well, I’m a registered Democrat.” She confessed to me she was too, and I felt a sense of relief. We didn’t talk much more about it, but she was literally the first Christian Democrat I had ever met.
Even now it feels weird writing that. And honestly, I would rather keep my political orientation to myself, but I’m learning that that’s not really possible anymore in a time like this. I think there needs to be a recognition in the Church that we don’t all view the same issues in the same way, and that is okay. I want people in the Church to know that you can think differently than someone else and still not betray the Lord.
This isn’t a New Thing - Disagreements in the Early Church
Ever since the church started following the way of Jesus, there were disagreements about what exactly that way looked like. In Acts 1:46-47 and Acts 4: 34-35, we learn that as people were being saved, they shared their possessions with the rest of the Church. They were unified, breaking bread together, and sharing their lives with one another. In Chapter 5, however, we see our first major conflict:
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of that proceeds, his wife also being aware of it and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” (Acts 5:1-3)
Ananias and his wife ended up dying for their deceit, and the Church was shocked.
One could say, “Well, Ananias was obviously in the wrong.” Yeah, you’re right. He was. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t conflict due to different beliefs. Ananias didn’t want to give all of his possessions, so he lied about it. It obviously did not end well and was a good lesson for why not to lie to the Holy Spirit. However, what about when the apostles and elders disagreed?
In Acts 15, we read about a debate about circumcision. Those of Jewish descent wanted the newly converted Gentiles to be circumcised. I love how the chapter starts:
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about the question. (Acts 15:1-2)
Love that - “no small dissension and dispute.” I wonder how big that argument was, especially with the likes of Paul. For those of us who want peace unity in the Church even when we disagree, I think this chapter is a great place to start. There was obviously a big disagreement about this topic, but I love what the apostles and elders decided to do. The rest of the chapter lays out their actions:
They called the issue a “question,” implying that there needed to be an answer. So, already, there’s a posture of curiosity, not judgment.
The apostles and elders came together to discuss the matter (v. 6). They approached it as a community ready to answer the question.
In verses 6-17, Paul, Peter, and Barnabas remind the group of God’s love and how He showed His love throughout history. They walk the group through how God has shown His love and plan for the Gentiles to enter into His family. So, why would the Jews ask the Gentiles to bear the burden of the law that even the Jews couldn’t carry?
The group comes to a conclusion in verses 18-20 of guidelines the Gentiles should follow so as not to isolate or offend their Jewish brothers and sisters. They weren’t laws for righteousness but rather guidelines for unity.
They wrote letters to the Gentiles, apologized for the other leaders’ words, wrote the instructions, and then sent men to also verbally provide the guidelines.
I love this approach - discuss together, move to a group setting, and then come to a consensus. Communicate that consensus both through writing and personally. The entire approach has the goal of community and unity at its center, not ideology. This plan is also, of course, in step with Jesus’ guidelines (Matthew 15) to how to resolve conflict. James Jackson does a beautiful job of writing out those steps in this post, but here are the basics:
Resolve conflict quickly. Don’t let it fester.
Resolve conflict face to face (but phone/FaceTime works too #COVID)
First step: one on one
If that doesn’t work, get help with a small group of people you can trust
This entire approach is centered around ensuring the relationship is resolved. The Lord wants His family to get along, but He knows that we are going to mess up and fight.
The Bible calls for unity not because it was already there but because it was needed. There are numerous stories, especially in the New Testament, of arguments among believers. Many times, those arguments don’t have a “right side” or “wrong side.” They have a question that needs to be answered.
Applying Biblical Teachings to Today’s Political Climate
You may be thinking, “Well that’s great, Kaity, but politics isn’t the Church.” You right. But if we are going to vote based on our faith, we may as well act based on our faith as well.
Even during election year, our nation is more than the election. We are more than who we vote for, and we as individuals need to recognize that.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14 describes the body of Christ beautifully:
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free - and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is no one member but many.
We are a body - hands, feet, toenails, eyes, eyelashes, nerves, blood cells, muscle tissue. We all act and think differently based on how we were made, and that is not only okay, but it is beautiful. And when we all work together in unison, applying our different gifts and talents, we can do anything. That isn’t always the case, however. The Church is made up of different denominations, different nations, different languages, and different generations. We can’t even agree to all worship the same. And if we in the Church, even in one denomination, can disagree about the type of worship music we play on Sunday, what in this world makes you think we are going to agree on what political ideology to follow?
That is not to say, of course, that these disagreements are bad. We were all made to worship in a unique and beautiful way, and we tend to flock to groups that align with our values. That doesn’t mean, however, that even in those groups that we don’t disagree. Why is it, that in some churches, we can disagree on who should be the pastor but we should all vote on the same politician? If anyone should be welcoming people no matter their political ideology, it should be the Church. If anyone is going to handle political conflict and walk through it in grace and love, it should be the Church.
I don’t think Churches should back one political party or politician over another, but I do believe we should be the example of how to walk through these differences. We should be on the front lines of discourse, living out our values and having open discussions with one another about how best to serve our Lord. We should be looking at these issues like questions needing an answer and join one another as we anchor ourselves in the history of God’s love and center ourselves under His purpose.
Non-Believers are Watching Us, and They’re Taking Notes
I have a lot of non-believing friends and acquaintances, and I’ve been watching their reactions to current events. The major themes I’ve noticed resolve around the following: Christians are acting like hypocrites; Christians are not acting in love; Christians are blind to the issues of the world right now. When I spoke up about how I didn’t agree with the president holding up a Bible after walking through a path cleared by force and tear gas, a non-believer texted me and thanked me for it. Whether you like it or not, the world is watching us, and we have a responsibility to live as an example of Christ.
Christ told us to go out and make disciples. How are we supposed to do that if we’re shutting everyone out who disagrees with us? Jesus said, to go out into the world. How are we supposed to do that if we want to stay in our bubbles?
The Gospel isn’t meant to be squeezed so tightly into our chests as we try to wring out all the blessings and keep them to ourselves. It’s meant to be shared with everyone, especially with those who are hurting and are crying out for the love of God. And if you are demonizing the opposing political party and calling them “radicals” or “elitists,” how in this world are you going to convince them to follow your God?
When we become Christians, we die to Christ. That means that we leave behind any of our personal desires and replace them with the desire of Christ. And through that sacrifice, the Lord blesses us beyond measure. Our job, however, is to return that blessing back to the Lord and His people. And if we are so focuses on our rights and our needs and our perspectives, there is no way we will have the energy to focus on the rights, needs, and perspectives of others.
So, we both voted based on our faith, but we voted differently. Now what?
We love each other, and we talk about it. I would trust that you, as a God-fearing Christian, made your choice based your relationship with Christ, as I would trust that I did the same. I know that we will join together with the same mission in mind: spreading the love of Christ so that people choose to follow Him. And if either one of us are not living according to that mission, I would hope that we can talk with one another according to the guidelines laid out in Matthew 15.
I would also hope that we recognize that our political beliefs are based off more than our faith. There are so many other contributing factors: gender, race, ethnicity, geography, family, socioeconomic status, education, and more. I am a Latina, light-skinned, Christian woman from the suburbs of New Jersey who has lived in four different states. I am definitely going to believe differently than a white man who grew up on a farm in Minnesota. Our backgrounds not only inform our politics, but they also inform how we interpret the scriptures. So of course we are going to read the same Bible and apply it in a unique way to our lives. That doesn’t make us bad or evil. it just means that we’re built differently. The danger comes, however, when we ask people to interpret the Word the exact same way as we do for the sake of our nation’s politics.
Having a congregation of people with varying political views doesn’t make your church a failure; it’s an indicator of success. It shows that you are welcoming, loving, and on a different mission than backing a political party. I hope that churches can embrace their congregations different political views instead of pushing them into a box. No political party has all the answers, and it is up to us to recognize our role in the world, not just in our nation’s political discourse.
We are all called to live out the gifts the Lord has blessed us with. Let us support one another and lift one another up as we fulfill the greatest mission of all: to go out into the world and make disciples. Let us go in love, grace, and truth and keep the Lord at the center of it all.
