For Whom Should Christians Vote?

The following post does not reflect the beliefs of ALL Reformed Presbyterians. It does, however, reflect the convictions of the author...

Introduction
Americans from their youth are often told that it is their “duty” to vote. The Church also proclaims this statement with the goal of fulfilling the cultural mandate. Christians are often told to vote Republican, or to vote pro-life, or to vote for a not-so-great candidate in order to keep an exceedingly bad candidate out of office.
Voting is often viewed as a moral obligation regardless of the choices of candidates. Does this obligation, then, simply boil down to voting for the better of two evils, or for the candidate who is a member of a certain political party? Is the follower of Jesus simply to vote for a candidate who stands for lower taxes and who is pro-life?
Many Christians also claim that America was once a Christian nation, and that we are therefore obligated to vote for those men who will be more likely to uphold the biblical standards that best fit our country’s foundation. William Einwechter accurately states:

It has been some twenty years since Jerry Falwell launched the Moral Majority and issued
a patriotic “God and Country” call to fellow evangelicals to re-enter the political arena so as to rescue the nation from secular humanism and its attendant moral decline. Evangelicals responded to his call in large numbers and the Moral Majority quickly became the major force of the so-called “religious right,” exercising significant influence on national politics. One of Falwell’s major themes was that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and that this was the reason for her greatness and prosperity. (1)

But what exactly is it that makes our nation’s foundation a Christian foundation? What makes a nation a Christian nation?
This post aims at answering the question “For whom should the Christian vote”. It will include key Scripture passages regarding this subject, as well as noteworthy inclusions from current and historical thinkers on the issue of Christian voting. This post will also address relevant issues pertaining to the United States Constitution.

The Reformed Presbyterian View of Voting

The Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America tells us the following:

When participating in political elections, the Christian should support and vote only for such men as are publicly committed to scriptural principals of civil government. Should the Christian seek civil office by political election, he must openly inform those whose support he seeks of his adherence to Christian principals of civil government. (2)

This statement obviously flies in the face of conventional American sentiment about voting. The Christian might ask “How will I vote at all, then, since political candidates are rarely devoted to scriptural principals of civil government?” It may surprise many Christians today that throughout American history Reformed Presbyterians did refuse to vote or even run for political office. Why would some Christians feel this way? The prominent reason for their refusal to vote or to hold office is that they believed that the Constitution of America was not at all a Christian constitution, and they had no intention on voting people into office if they were voting and running under an un-Christian constitution.

Is Our Nation’s Constitution A Christian Constitution?

Dr. D. James Kennedy sais the following about America:

If we know our history, we know that America was a nation founded upon Christ and His Word. But that foundation is crumbling in our time. Today some in our country are busily tearing apart that foundation. They would gnash their teeth at the idea that this is a Christian nation and will not be satisfied until they have removed every vestige of our Christian heritage from not only the minds, but also the monuments of this country. What made us great in the first place is our rich Christian heritage. It’s time to reclaim it. (3)

This is, of course, the majority view among Christians in America. There is, however, another (and more accurate) viewpoint regarding the nature of America’s foundation. It is stated well by William Gould in an open letter that he wrote to Dr. James Dobson. Dr. Dobson, in June of 1996, wrote a letter to subscribers of Focus on the Family regarding the treatment that Christians receive in our increasingly secular society. Part of Gould’s response to him is as follows:

You make the important point, that the Framers of our government believed Christian morality to be the foundation of democratic government, and that they knew the Constitution could only govern a nation where each person already governed himself according to the Ten Commandments. It is significant that some of the people you quoted were not themselves believers, in the sense of having a living, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Even they knew that only a Christian people could remain a free people.
There was however, a major error in what they did. They believed Christian morality and self-government were essential to the limited civil government they proposed in the Constitution. However, they neglected to mention that anywhere in the Constitution. The highest authority mentioned in the text of the Constitution is "We the People . . ." (4)

Gould also mentions in his open letter that this omission of Christ from the constitution “denies the most important fact about civil government: Jesus Christ is the Ruler of the rulers of Earth, and it is He who grants legitimacy to a civil government (Romans 13).” (5)

Because of this denial of Christ as Ruler in our Constitution, the framers, according to Gould, neglected to defend the Christian morality of future generations. The result of this is that they unwittingly enabled the militant secularists of our day to do great damage to America. This being the case, we can hardly call America a nation that has Christian foundations. Many of the framers may have been religious, and some may have even been Christians, but the unfortunate fact is that the framers never mentioned Christ.
According to the nineteenth century writer George Hill, America in one sense was in its origin a Christian nation -- namely, that the general character of its principals and laws were founded on Christian principals.

The principles, character, and usages to which I have referred constitute, so to speak, the unwritten constitution of the Government. ... These all have marked Christian characteristics.
But the written Constitution has not a distinctively Christian feature in it. It has not even a theistic feature. It is as silent as the grave concerning the existence of any being better or greater than man. It recognizes no obligation to, or dependence on, any power above “We the people” who “ordain and establish this Constitution.” (6)

Because the written constitution is a secular one, we should disagree with statements that comment on the “Christian foundations” of America. All Christians should note carefully that “There is no neutrality in constitutions! They either constitute God as King or man as king.” (7)

The secular nature of our constitution directly effected the voting practices of some Christians dating as far back as the 1860's. “The Old Light Reformed Presbyterians were so strong in their dissent as to refuse to vote or hold office or do any other act by which they would ‘incorporate’ with the godless United States Constitution”. (8)

In 1864 the National Reform Association was created, and they attempted to improve upon the constitution:

The National Reform Association has, for the last 125 years, sought to amend the Constitution to include a declaration that Jesus Christ is the Lord of civil government, as the Bible says in Romans 13. Our original proposal twice came up for a vote in the floor of the U. S. House of Representatives in 1874 and 1896. It would have amended the preamble to read thus:
We the people of the United States, humbly acknowledging Almighty God as the source of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Governor among the nations, and His revealed will as of supreme authority, in order to constitute a Christian government, to form a more perfect union, ... do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (9)

Who Should Christians Vote For?

Should Christians today take an all-out stand against voting of any kind in order to avoid incorporating with a godless constitution? According to William Einwechter, “The Scripture establishes the responsibility of the people to choose their magistrates. The citizens of Israel are charged by Moses to fulfill this duty on two distinct and separate occasions.” (10)

The Scriptural references he has in mind are Deuteronomy 1:13 and Deuteronomy 16:18. Therefore, rather than resolving simply to never vote (like some have done in the past), a more biblical course of action would be to vote only for godly men who honor Christ and who confess Him as the Ruler of rulers. Although many Christians argue that we are to vote Republican, or to vote pro-life, or to vote for a not-so-great candidate in order to keep an exceedingly bad candidate out of office, the Bible commands us to select godly men for public office! For example, according to Exodus 18:21 Jethro advises Moses to appoint men to help him govern the nation. Jethro's counsel to Moses includes the character of men that he should appoint as rulers: “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness (Exodus 18:21).
But one might ask, “Why do elected officials have to be godly if they are against the things that we Christians are against?” Andrew Sandlin has the following answer to this question:

Unconverted people, according to the Bible, are estranged from and in rebellion against God. They are not subject to the law of God, and, according to St. Paul, they cannot be (Rom. 8:7). Spiritually, they are dead and blind. What if they are conservatives? They are still dead and blind. What if they are Republicans? They are still dead and blind. What if they support the school prayer amendment and vouchers? They are still dead and blind. What if they oppose abortion? They are still dead and blind. The point is that we cannot have the civil ministers doing what God requires unless they belong to God. We need not argue over what theologians term the decretive versus the permissive will of God. True, God sometimes sets ungodly rulers over his people to judge them; but the Biblically ideal civil government is one in which the rulers submit to Christ and to God's law-word. (11)

Long before Andrew Sandlin wrote about this subject, nineteenth century writer David McAllister stated that Scripture requires moral and religious qualifications of civil officers. His commentary of Exodus 18:21 is that “none but able, just, and God-fearing men should be exalted to the office of civil ruler.” (12)

He also rightly wrote that “When immoral men are elevated to the civil magistracy, wickedness and wicked men are encouraged”. (13)

This is based on his reading of Psalm 12:8 which reads “The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men” (NKJ). In contrast to this, McAllister wrote that “Just and God-fearing rulers bring the clear sunshine of peace and prosperity to a nation”. (14)

This is based on his reading of 2 Samuel 23:3-4, which reads
The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: 'He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain' (NKJ).

McAllister’s commentary of Psalm 2:10-12 is that “Civil rulers are enjoined to learn Christ’s law, and acknowledge and obey him as King”, and his comment regarding Deuteronomy 17:18-20 is that “They [civil rulers] are required to consult God’s revealed law as the great law-book of the nation”. (15)

To sum up what has just been presented about qualifications of magistrates, a quote from Einwechter is appropriate:

Now are we to presume that God gave the people the authority to select the men who would serve as His ministers in the office of civil magistrate, but then give them no definite guidance as to the kind of men they should choose? No, we should not, for the Scripture contains explicit teaching on the necessary qualifications for civil rulers. God reveals the standard for citizens in choosing their rulers in. ... Exodus 18:21, Deuteronomy 1:13, and Proverbs 29:2. ... If the citizen is to honor God and establish justice in civil government, then he should support men who appear to him to meet these qualifications. (16)

Applications

How should Christians apply these biblical mandates regarding voting? One excellent point that Einwechter brings up is the need of the Church to encourage good men to run for office!

The church must labor to raise up men who will meet the biblical standards for magistrates. Where will men come from who are qualified for civil office if not from the covenant people? If there are no men qualified for a particular office, it is because the church has failed; it is not because the biblical standards are unworkable in the present context. The goal of the church should be to have a biblically qualified man running for every civil office in the land. We are a long way from reaching this goal. But the church must begin by equipping men to serve as magistrates and challenging them to glorify God as His minister in the civil sphere. Race by race, office by office, the church needs to take dominion over politics by raising up biblically qualified men. (17)

Another important concept that Christians must keep in mind is that we are commanded by God to vote for a certain type of man. When we don’t vote for a godly man because of his slim chances of winning, we are sinning.

Voting for a biblically qualified candidate who appears to have no chance of winning is not the waste of a vote, it is obedience to God. Obedience to God is never a waste of time or effort, but the compromise of biblical truth always is. Compromise sacrifices victory in the long run for the sake of immediate "success" or "peace," while godly obedience sacrifices immediate gratification for the sake of ultimate victory. Christians often complain that there are no godly men to vote for, but when one does appear, they don't vote for him anyway because, they reason, "he can't win." Can we expect the Lord to give us qualified men as candidates for civil office if Christians are not committed in principle to supporting them in obedience to biblical law? (18)

A Christian might ask “There should never be a time when I don’t vote at all, should there? What if a godly Christian man is not anywhere on the ballot? Should I not at that point simply vote for the candidate who is the most conservative, or who seems to be the most moral?” Amazingly, it seems that many Christians feel more guilt over neglecting their duty to vote than they do over neglecting the command to vote only for those who meet scriptural guidelines. To quote Einwechter again,

The only men who are truly qualified for civil office are those who meet the standards set down in the Word of God. God is sovereign over civil government, and the sole prerogative to establish what kind of men can and ought to serve as magistrates belongs to Him. Men who do not meet the biblical standards are not fully fit to serve as rulers. (19)


Conclusion

It is unfortunate that so many people in the Church judge whether or not a civil government honors Christ based on which political party currently has the majority in the White House. Many seem to believe that since devoted followers of Christ have such a slim chance of winning an election, issues such as patriotism, low taxes, abortion and civil marriage are therefore the only criteria by which we vote. It never seems to enter into the minds of many Christian voters that God is sovereign, and that the battle for the above mentioned issues would properly fall into place if truly godly men were in office.

These [scriptural] standards instruct citizens who have the liberty of choosing their civil magistrates on how to carry out their duty in accord with the will of God. It is God's revealed will that His ministers in the civil sphere be men who fear Him. God's blessings are on the people who choose men of ability, character, and spiritual maturity.
Christians should support with their time, money, and vote those men who meet the biblical qualifications. In all that he does the Christian is to seek to glorify God and promote the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Christian gives his full support to men who meet the biblical standards for civil magistrates, he is doing these very things. If we are to have righteous civil government, then we must have righteous men as rulers. If we are to have a civil government that honors Christ, then we must have men who honor Jesus Christ as civil leaders. (20)

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ENDNOTES:

1. William Einwechter , Explicitly Christian Politics (The Christian Statesman Press, Pittsburgh, PA, 1997), ix.

2. Reformed Presbyterian Testimony, Chapter 23, section 29.

3. D. James Kennedy, What if America Was a Christian Nation Again? (Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, 2003), 4.

4. William Gould, “A Letter to James Dobson”, The Christian Statesman, September-October 1996, Volume 139, Number 5

5. Ibid

6. The Rev. George Hill, D.D., The Aims and Operations of the National Reform
Association (No publishing information given), 1888?, 5-6.

7. William Einwechter, Explicitly Christian Politics (The Christian Statesman Press, Pittsburgh, PA, 1997), 80.

8. William Einwechter, Explicitly Christian Politics (The Christian Statesman Press, Pittsburgh, PA, 1997), 2.

9. William Gould, "A Letter to James Dobson", The Christian Statesman, September- October 1996, Volume 139, Number 5

10. William Einwechter , Explicitly Christian Politics (The Christian Statesman Press, Pittsburgh, PA, 1997), 75.

11. Andrew Sandlin, "Social Witness and Christian Voting:?", The Christian Statesman, May - June 1994, Volume 137, Number 3.

12. David McAllister, The National Reform Movement: A Manual of Christian Civil Government, (Aldine Press Co., Philadelphia, 1890), 145

13. David McAllister, The National Reform Movement: A Manual of Christian Civil Government, (Aldine Press Co., Philadelphia, 1890), 146

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. David McAllister, The National Reform Movement: A Manual of Christian Civil Government, (Aldine Press Co., Philadelphia, 1890), 76

17. William Einwechter, "Biblical Standards for Choosing Civil Magistrates", The Christian Statesman, September- October 1998, Volume 114, Number 5

18. Ibid

19. Ibid.

20. Ibid.