Vote for the party of biblical values!
Have you ever been told this before? Recently (and not for the first time) I was asked this question by someone who was clearly a Republican. The person also claims to be a Christian. When I questioned their position, they assumed I was a Democrat.
The starting point for any discussion of U.S. politics and its relationship to faith should be that it is unlikely that any of the major parties fully embrace biblical values. If that were the case, it would be a miracle.
If we had more than two parties, there could of course be a party that advocates certain religiously inspired doctrines. It would most likely not win elections.
Above all, one thing must be clear: “Biblical values” is a slogan whose content is ambiguous. The Bible contains xenophobic and inclusive voices. It offers space for retaliation, but also teaches against it. It values human life while caring for social and economic justice.
When a party or its advocates in religious communities claim that they are “the party of biblical values,” that is not a statement of fact. It is an advertising slogan.
As a critical consumer, you hopefully know that advertising claims must be checked and not simply accepted.
If your faith is important to you, take it more seriously than your choice of laundry detergent or grocery store. Don’t just accept what you’re told.
The Bible warns against false teachers, but we always assume that others will listen to them and not to us. When we receive evidence that we have been deceived, our sinful arrogance comes out and we react with even more force. For this reason, I offered my friend some counter-evidence and then withdrew from the conversation to let the Bible seeds I had sown do their work.
My friend told me to just pray for wisdom and I would know who to vote for (little hint, little hint, little nudge). I replied that neither U.S. party comes particularly close to the biblical emphasis on justice. In the Jubilee year, debts were forgiven once per generation and property was returned to the original owners to prevent people from accumulating excessive wealth or falling into a cycle of poverty. Sometimes one party is actually a little closer to the truth than another. For example, does either party apply this biblical law better to our context?
“If a stranger lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The stranger who lives with you must be treated as one of the natives. Love him as yourself, for you were strangers in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33-34)
My friend seems to think that a party whose policies favor the rich and whose rhetoric is increasingly xenophobic is closer to Biblical principles. This shows me how easy it is to manipulate voters who have not read the Bible and still think it is authoritative. All you have to do is claim to be Biblical while doing the opposite of what the Bible teaches and you will see them follow you. This is sad and shameful and brings the gospel into disrepute.
It is said that if God’s values always coincide with your own, you have an idol created in your image. I would add that if you have a party that is completely in line with your religious values, then that political stance has replaced your religion.
Neither U.S. party fully represents my values. I will vote anyway because, unlike the early Christians or the ancient Israelites, I have a say in choosing my representatives. Indeed, the privilege of democracy is that we choose representatives rather than being governed by those strong enough to seize and hold power.
I wonder if some Christians don’t think that strong political leadership looks like an ancient king because in the Bible stories, that’s what the leaders of the nation were. Since the Bible doesn’t offer a description of Jesus or any of his followers as “commanders,” many Christians don’t try to imagine what Christian leadership should look like.
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 But it is not so among you. Rather, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)
Choose your values, or better yet, choose the values of Jesus. Do so with the awareness that neither party fully reflects the concern for the poor and oppressed, the downtrodden and marginalized that is prevalent in biblical literature. Vote with the awareness that voting is not enough. You must also stand up and advocate for justice beyond what the two options offered to you afford. Be a committed American citizen, but also be a Christian. Work to ensure that government and business reflect our concern for the least of these, but recognize that our work is not done when we leave the ballot box precisely because we do not have a party that fully reflects our values.
I’ll close with a meme I saw that sums up much of this in far fewer words, featuring Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Michael Curry.
