Now is a good time for Christians to finally let go of any participation in electoral processes that make up our nation’s body politic. The theology of the church confesses that God rules over two distinct realms: the realm of the church and the realm of the state, or perhaps we might say a spiritual and an earthly realm. A Christian, likewise, is subject to both of these realms.
About the state, we know that with all its imperfections and failings, it is nevertheless a vehicle of the authority of God. Paul famously says in Romans 13, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain.”
And yet, in writing to the church in Philippi, he reminds us of a more excellent citizenship, saying, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” We are made citizens of the kingdom of Christ by dying and rising with him in the water of baptism. The kingdom of God is at hand, and we are members of it, governed by his grace and awaiting his glorious return.
These two realms are easy enough to understand in theory. Through them, we can easily find the tension of a Christian as one tries to love God with all his heart, soul, and mind and likewise to love his neighbor as himself. As he repents and believes in the Good News, he is grounded again in his heavenly citizenship. And yet, as he lives in this age as a citizen of a given state, he works there to love and serve his neighbor through his various vocations.
All this seems simple enough. Love God, and serve your neighbor. These are two realms of divine providence and human flourishing. The problem seems to come from the whole notion and process of voting for representatives in this democracy. On paper, it makes sense; it is a just and equitable way to choose who will govern us. A notion that will be defended no matter what the cost. As Lincoln said in the wake of a battle where Christians slaughtered each other by the tens of thousands, “We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” We kill to preserve a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
So, the ballot box becomes our altar, our holy relic that the martyrs have died for. We get all fired up every few years to vote, to vote for our Christian principles, to vote that our representatives will represent our desire to love and serve our neighbor here in the earthly realm. Everything hinges on a properly cast ballot. The future of America is our responsibility; that is what all those men died for; this is our sacred duty.
But is it? Is voting all that important for the faithful? To begin with, do we believe that our representatives represent us? And if they don’t, is there any recourse? Isn’t it much more likely that they represent those with the money, power, and influence who buy the votes and create the narratives that led to their victory? And then, every four years, they pander to our wish dreams that border on idolatry and get us fired up all over again. This time, it will be different, we tell ourselves. At least our side might win.
By being involved, that is, by voting, we perpetuate a dangerous delusion. We give our voice to men and women we don’t like, hoping they will help us serve our neighbors. We repeatedly outsource our service to the “lesser of two evils,” hoping the outcome won’t be smeared with evil. I suggest that letting this go will help us gain some sanity and will help us focus on actual acts of service that we can do every day without the help of the state.
Whether we vote or not, the state remains. And behind it remains God’s authority, and we continue to serve our neighbor. So perhaps we just let it go. We stop worrying so much about it. As Christians, our prize isn’t this earthly and temporal realm but the spiritual and eternal one. How much time, energy, anger, and diversion ought we allot to such a small and weak thing as a presidential vote?
