I am pleased to present an article from my brother Philip Davis who is the pulpit minister at the Grundy Street church of Christ in Tullahoma, TN. It is an excellent reminder of our opportunity as citizens of the United States to participate in the election process and what focus we should have when going to the poll. In Christ, Chuck
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
— Proverbs 29:2 (NKJV)
Reflecting on human history one finds few instances before the modern era when the right to vote was as widespread as in the U.S.A. now. When voting did take place, it was often forbidden to certain people. If one were poor, female, of a minority religious conviction or political view, of select races, of lower social classes, etc., he could not vote. Even our own country formerly imposed some of these restrictions.
Voting is a precious privilege. It is precious because it allows us to affect our own future. When enough people so decide, both policies and politicians can be changed. Errors and omissions can be corrected. Reforms can be instituted. Many of our world’s people will never enjoy such great liberty or control over their own destiny.
Voting is a precious privilege because it allows us to attempt to incorporate the will of God into society. Since human society is a product of God’s design (Romans 13), and humanity ultimately answers to God, the governance of society should reflect the will of the Almighty. When corruption or perversion of God’s will advances in society, people of faith and good intent can exert collective power to right the wrongs. Sometimes we may not be successful in our attempts; but we are privileged to have the means of trying.
Voting is a precious privilege because of the many people who sacrificed so much in order that we might be afforded this privilege. When our country was established, the British king was a despot who ruled tyrannically over those in his kingdom. The colonists were seen as mere tools to do the will of the Crown. Their needs and protests could be dismissed with impunity by a wave of the hand and a sniff of the nose. The King answered only to his own wishes (unless some other strongman or country could overcome him).
This week we have another opportunity to exercise our precious privilege of voting. While these words are not meant to tell you which person, party, or policy to choose, they are meant to remind you not to leave your Christianity at the door of the polling place. God’s will ultimately makes the best world in which to live. When you vote, use your power to choose for office those who will attempt to order society after the will of God. This protects the manner of life that Christians value so highly. In our day of the promotion of perverse causes (homosexuality, abortion, etc.) the Christian’s conscience should outweigh any other consideration when voting.