Are You Republican or Democrat?

Sometimes I’ve had conversations while out shopping where a store employee asks if I’m Republican or Democrat. My answer? I tell them I’m a Christian, and as a Christian, I build my worldview on the Bible. Then I explain that I will use the Bible as my absolute authority and judge politicians’ beliefs and promises accordingly. This will direct the way I vote.

I’ve had Christians tell me that they grew up in a home where their parents always voted Democrat or Republican, and so they also will always vote for that party.

Shouldn’t we as Christians instead judge the worldview of each candidate against the absolute authority of God’s Word?

But shouldn’t we as Christians instead judge the worldview of each candidate against the absolute authority of God’s Word? We should then use this to determine who is the best candidate for whom to cast my vote. Now, that doesn’t mean everyone we vote for will be perfect . . . or even a Christian. We should recognize we live in a fallen world. As someone once said to me, “If you find the perfect church, don’t join it. You’ll ruin it.” We must also understand that God has ordained government (Romans 13; 1 Peter 2) for particular purposes (e.g., to maintain law and order).

Now I used the word judge above. I’ve had Christians tell me that I shouldn’t judge others (and they’re always very judgmental when they state this!), and then they quote Matthew 7:1. But when you read Matthew 7:1–5 in context, you find that Jesus is warning believers against making judgments in a hypocritical or condemning manner. In John 7:24, Jesus stated, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment.” Notice the Lord’s command here is that we are to judge. But before we make that judgment, we must make sure we are judging righteously from God’s Word and not relying on our own opinion.

It seems to me, when it comes to politics, many people express their opinions about candidates’ personalities, how they say things, and so on. But as Christians, we do have an absolute standard by which we are to judge, and we should use that same standard to judge others regarding what they believe and say. Yet it is a fallen world, so everything will not be black and white. So we must judge based on the absolute authority of God’s Word. This way we can be much more discerning in deciding who gets our vote.

Our responsibility is to research each political candidate, judge their worldview against God’s Word, and pray earnestly for the sovereign God to guide us to the decision we need.

I consider these things to be very important in guiding my voting: freedom for Christians to witness, preach God’s Word, and freely exercise their faith; the need to put an end to abortion; and stances on other moral issues. Our responsibility is to research each political candidate, judge their worldview against God’s Word, and pray earnestly for the sovereign God to guide us to the decision we need.

You can find certain voters’ guides to help you know what each candidate believes and where they stand on various issues at the following websites:

• iVoterGuide.com
• ChristianVoterGuide.com

This pdf from the National Right to Life Committee compares the two primary presidential candidates’ views regarding abortion and the right to life.

So as you vote, don’t be a Republican or Democrat—be a Christian and vote for the best imperfect person who stands a good opportunity of getting elected. Then pray that they will pass policies that don’t hinder the spread of the gospel and will help save babies!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.