Pastor's Blog: Getting Out the Vote
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For what seems to be the last twelve months we’ve been hearing about the upcoming mid-term elections. In fact, I don’t know when I remember hearing as much talk about an “off year” election cycle as I have heard about this one. In these last weeks both parties have been ramping up their efforts at attracting their bases to the polls. Having previously served in a political community for a long period of time, I understand how much is at stake both for the party in power as well as the party that wants so desperately to be in power.
The purpose of this blog is not to encourage anyone to vote in a particular way. While I have strong political beliefs, I try to be as apolitical as possible so that I can be pastor to everyone along the political spectrum. I only wish that other pastors would be of the same mind. That’s not to say that I don’t think the Gospel doesn’t carry political implications; I think it absolutely does. However, like most everything else with respect to our faith, interpretation is always a factor and I prefer to allow people to receive their marching orders from the Holy Spirit, while I focus my efforts on maintaining unity in mission within the body of Christ.
Nonetheless, I do want to take this opportunity to encourage everyone registered to vote. How you vote is again your choice, but I do think Christians have a civic and spiritual responsibility to make our voices heard. You may remember back when Walter Shurden was with us earlier this fall to speak with us about our Baptist forebearers, there once was a time when people of our ilk were denied the opportunity to vote purely because of our religious convictions. Fortunately, we have moved far beyond that day. However, the choice to stay at home on Election Day essentially puts us back in that bind all over again, depriving us of the opportunity to help chart our country’s future by exercising our moral choice.
So, I invite you to join me at the polls this Tuesday. Whichever way our votes fall out we’re sure to be winners just by our presence. It’s a small but substantial way for us to speak out on pressing topics with Kingdom values, because we are certain that in the end “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33).