November 3, 2024
In my corner of the world, we vote this coming Tuesday. How should Christians view national elections? I want to suggest that elections can function for us as three R’s:
First, an election is a route to pick.
Many say this is the most important election in our lifetime. Would you agree?
I’m honestly not sure about that. But I do believe that elections have consequences. They present us with a choice of routes to take. We ought to see elections as an opportunity to choose paths wisely.
It’s possible, however, to give national elections too much credit in saving or destroying a nation. We need to remember that an election is more than just a route we pick.
Second, an election is a reflection to ponder.
I believe that this election will not create something as much as reflect something. You might disagree with me, but I believe the election will function less as the momentous decision that will change the nation and more as a reflection of the spiritual state of the nation. More than anything, the election will tell us Americans where our nation is spiritually and morally.
I personally believe that in a Democratic Republic like ours, we typically get the politicians who reflect the state of our culture. If our culture is God-honoring, we will likely get politicians who are God-honoring. If our culture is morally weak and shallow, we will get politicians who are morally weak and shallow. Winston Churchill summed it up well when he said, “In a democracy, you get the politicians you deserve.”
Come Tuesday, we’ll get an update on the things we value most. Which brings me to what I think is the most important function we can make of an election.
“Come Tuesday, we’ll get an update on the things we value most.”
3. Above all, an election is a reminder to pray.
My concern is that whoever wins our elections this week will, in truth, represent a culture that has major spiritual and moral problems. We are a nation passing along significant problems to future generations largely without addressing them.
There are many such problems, but I will list twelve. As you read this list, you’ll see some which politicians can help make better (or make much worse), but you’ll also see issues which politicians simply can’t fix—no matter how grand their promises.
- The decline in faith and church
- The breakdown of Judeo-Christian morality
- The breakdown of responsible money/debt practices (rampant debt)
- The breakdown of sexual boundaries
- The breakdown of gender identity
- The breakdown of marriage
- The breakdown of the family
- The breakdown in the birthrate (our population is declining)
- The breakdown in a morally healthy way to handle immigration and refugees
- The breakdown of a vision to handle technology
- The breakdown of a moral vision on how to handle future climate change
- The breakdown in a moral framework for transhumanism
My point is this: Although elections have important consequences (and yes, I believe we should vote), I deeply believe the most consequential need in our lifetime is not an election that goes a particular way, but our need for a revival.
“I deeply believe the most consequential need in our lifetime is not an election that goes a particular way, but our need for a revival.”
I pray for a national revival where masses of people turn to God, surrender to him, and become followers of Jesus. That’s our deepest national need. And, yes, when that happens, it will be reflected in our elections, as we will more readily elect politicians who reflect those values and institute policies that reflect those values. And the nation will be at its strongest because God’s ways are the best ways for us and they lead to human flourishing. Even still, it’s a coming Kingdom from above, not a strong nation from the right or left, that should be our deepest longing.
I will vote because I care about the national route we take. And I will watch with interest how it reflects on our culture. But rather than being obsessed on who leads in Washington, I am more focused on the kind of people being raised up in our churches, in our homes, and in our communities. Our nation’s greatest need is a revolution in disciple making that leads to a revolution in the kind of people and the kind of culture that we are creating.
Whether or not we will be disciples of Jesus who make disciple of Jesus is the most important issue in our time.
So, let’s pray.
