Teaching Children Civics: Should Christians Vote?

Politics matter because policy matters. Policy matters because people matter. – Allie Beth Stuckey

I am old enough to remember accompanying my Dad into the singular voting booth every Election Day. You may recall the style of booth: the one where the curtain was pulled around you, completely enclosing you in as you pulled levers or pushed buttons to cast your votes.

I remember watching my Dad as he carefully reviewed and selected the candidates that he had researched well in advance. The same was true of any ballot amendments; the decision of “yes” or “no” had been made long before we had entered the polling location.

While casting a vote looks a little different today than it did in my childhood, Christian citizens in America have an opportunity to engage the culture twice a year by voting (primary elections in the spring and general elections in the fall). It is an enormous privilege and responsibility for citizens to select their representatives.

Regrettably, many Christians voluntarily forfeit this right rather than exercise it. There are many reasons for this, but I want to emphasize WHY I think Christians must vote and the lessons we can teach our children as we exercise this civil right.

• God has instituted government. It is HIS institution (Rom. 13:1). He is a God of order, and He has laid out a clear role and purpose for the state. They are to bear the sword, punish evil, and reward good (Rom. 13:3-5). In Romans 13:6, Paul refers to government authorities as “minsters of God.” What a privilege to have a vote in who occupies this very important role in our own cities, states, and nation! This is not a worldly matter; it is and has always belonged to God. It’s important to Him, so it should be important to us as well.

• Christians are commanded to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). It is a perverse lie of the devil that this command from our Lord somehow does not apply to politics and the civil realm. The powers of Hell are gleeful when Christians withdraw from a position of influencing the culture! This should not be so. Salt acts as a preserving agent, and so should Christians; our votes should be cast in an effort to seek preservation of the good, the true, and the beautiful as God defines them. Light casts out darkness, destroys lies, and reveals truth. Similarly, we should seek to use our voting to promote truth-telling and righteousness at all levels of government (Proverbs 14:34). We are to seek the welfare of the city we find ourselves in (Jer. 29:7).

• We must teach our children to vote according to Biblical standards. In Exodus 18, Moses’ father-in-law confronts him about being the sole arbiter in matters of dispute among the people of Israel. Jethro gives Moses very clear requirements in choosing representatives for the people of Israel: they must be able men, who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate a bribe (Ex. 18:21). These should be baseline requirements for elected officials today. Alas, we severely lack for men with such integrity. I believe this is in large part to the church forfeiting any political involvement and surrendering it to the world. We NEED godly men to have influence on our political landscape! Imagine seeing the names of qualified Christians, perhaps from your church, next to several races on your ballot…how wonderful that would be.

It should be noted that there are no perfect men to occupy political offices. Alas, all have sinned. However, we must return to caring about personal character and integrity when it comes to voting. We may disagree on strategy and tactics; but we must look for those who will hold to godly principles when it comes to enacting and enforcing public policy.

Finally, it must be said that Christian involvement in politics should not stop at ONLY voting. They are many other ways Christians can and should impact public policy in a Biblical direction. This could include emails and letters to elected officials, discourse with representatives (regardless of whether we voted for them or not), rallying for righteous causes, and even drafting legislation that promotes Biblical justice. Some may even choose to run for office. There are opportunities everywhere if we will only look for them.

In closing, we have a sacred trust as Christians in America. We must endeavor to pass down this legacy of freedom to the next generation. Bring your kids with you to the voting booth! Teach them what a privilege it is to choose representatives, and how to do so responsibly and Biblically. Together, we can honor and perpetuate our American heritage as we ultimately seek to honor and follow Christ in all of life, including the civic realm.