IT’S ELECTION DAY: Why Some Christians Don’t Vote

CHRISTIAN ANALYSIS

The truth is that American Christians have a poor record when it comes to voting. Want proof? All you have to do is look at the research.

A recent Pew report said: “Given sharp political divisions in the United States, small changes in voter turnout from election to election have big consequences.”

An estimated 25 million Christians do not vote in presidential elections, 65 million do not participate in local elections and 15 million are not registered voters.

It’s no secret the Church hasn’t shown up to the polls. Twenty-five million eligible Christians are not expected to vote in this next election either. That’s important because the overall margin of victory in the last election was 7 million votes.

But in some states, it was even closer. Michigan was decided by just over 150,000, Wisconsin by 20,000 and Arizona by only 10,000.

I know not all churchgoers vote the same way, but can you at least see the impact voter responsibility could have on the upcoming election? We do not elect presidents with our arguments. We elect presidents with our votes.

So here are 4 reasons why Christians don’t vote, and, how to overcome this in 2024:

Some Christians fail to see that we are ambassadors

Do you know what an ambassador is?

An ambassador is a person with authority who represents a governing body (civil or the Church). A representative of goodwill who wills good upon people. Voting is our good work as believers.

2 Corinthians 5:20 calls Christians ambassadors or apprentices for Christ. We are Christ’s representation on earth.

In many other countries, the average citizen has little agency or power; there is little stewardship. But in a nation like ours, we share power and therefore are tasked with stewarding our citizenship in a way that honors Christ.

Some Christians don’t understand the issues

Think about that. We can’t have an educated opinion about the political issues of the day without being informed about their nuances and intricacies. And more than that, it’s difficult to solve issues when we don’t really know what the issues are.

But when we really understand the issues, we change the way we vote. Because our vote can bring change at the highest level.

Do you understand the issues? The sanctity of life, the sanctity of gender, the sanctity of marriage, racism, humanitarian and welfare efforts.

Our vote can dictate who is placed in the most influential offices in our nation and, therefore, impacts the policies enacted into law. So why wouldn’t we take our voting responsibilities seriously?

Some Christians don’t recognize their influence

There isn’t a more powerful organization on the planet than the Church — the global community of Christ-followers. If Christians could comprehend our influence, we would step forward with greater responsibility.

This is our mission field. This is where we must seek the welfare of our city (Jeremiah 29.7). Community responsibility is one of the important callings of the church.

When first-century Christians gathered and declared that Christ — not Caesar — was Lord, they were making a political statement. When they refused to participate in the ritual ceremonial practices that required worship of false gods, they were in direct conflict with the culture, with the politics of the moment.

We live in a country where we have at least some say in who leads us and what policies are enacted. This is a privilege afforded to few humans in the history of the world.

Today, even as democracy is more widespread, there are billions of people who live under tyranny. They’d love the opportunity to be able to speak out and vote, an opportunity too many Americans take for granted.

Some Christians lack devotion to God

Peter urges the church to fear God and honor the king (1 Peter 2.17). Think about that statement. Peter is telling his readers to honor the same king who would eventually send Peter to his death. The crucial thing is that for Peter, fearing God and civic responsibility went hand in hand.

In fact, it was that fear of God that led Peter to instruct his audience to be faithful in their civic engagement. Could it be that our devotion to Christ is a measurement of our devotion to community, and ultimately, civil responsibility?

Finally

The church is a civil, cultural, and political anchor for society.

When the church refuses to vote, we fail to seek to influence our governing systems with the virtues of the Christian faith. We fail to stand up and care for the least of these. And when we do, sin and lawlessness run rampant.

Ultimately, poor public policy can have a negative impact on our communities. And good public policy can have a positive affect on our communities. This reality should drive Christians to the polls with passion and purpose.

Christians must take seriously our responsibility to vote. It’s a responsibility that is getting more and more important as our country comes under attack from dangerous ideologies.

So I invite you to send this article to a friend and make sure you’re ready to vote. Our votes matter. And they may well decide the outcome of the election.

Jeff Grenell is the founder of ythology.com, to inspire, educate, and resource youth leaders to prepare the next generation, to lead in the church nationally and globally. Follow Jeff on Twitter: @jeffgrenell.

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