There’s a clear answer to this question.
For decades, I’ve been told that Christians have to support Republican politicians, because the Republican Party is “pro-life.”
“Pro-life,” of course, meaning “against abortion being legal.”
As time went on, I realized that there are some major problems with this idea.
Let’s list some of them.
1. First of all — assuming that you regard preventing abortion as an important issue — the complete set of Republican policies gives us two to three times as much abortion as the complete set of Democratic policies does.
Because it’s not making abortion illegal that “gets rid of it.” It’s the other, far more important policies — the ones that Democrats generally support, and Republicans generally oppose — that do that.
So if “saving the unborn” is your yardstick, it’s not the Republican Party you should be voting for.
And while that idea may conflict with what so many of us have been told, this isn’t even a close call.
If this is a new idea to you, then I encourage you to spend a bit of time studying and thinking through the article on the subject that I previously wrote, as well as the follow-on article, which explains all of the ways in which the Republican Party is not even remotely pro-life.
If we want to follow the priorities revealed in the Bible, however, abortion shouldn’t be our only concern.
Abortion (both herbal and surgical) was definitely known and practiced in Jesus’ day. In fact, outright infanticide of newborns was pretty widely known and practiced.
And yet, we have no evidence that Jesus ever made fighting abortion or even fighting infanticide a part of his public ministry — or told his followers that they should do so. Instead, he focused on things like personally doing what’s right, and economic justice for the poor.
If you want a theory as to why Jesus didn’t make these issues a major feature of his ministry, maybe he knew that people were getting abortions and even abandoning infants because they couldn’t afford to have more children. Maybe he preferred to address the root cause of a very large amount of this:
Rich people taking advantage of others and forcing them into the situation of not being able to afford children.
In fact, we know for certain that today in America, one of the biggest root causes of abortion is poverty.
Even in a far, far wealthier age than the New Testament era, and in an enormously wealthier country — ours — roughly 75% of women who get an abortion give inability to afford to have a child as one of their reasons.
We actually have a major problem with economic injustice in America — and that problem is directly caused by Republican-sponsored “trickle-down economics.”
This is one of several reasons why the complete set of Republican policies gives us approximately two to three times as much abortion as the complete set of Democratic policies.
So if you believe we should be saving the lives of the unborn, then we shouldn’t be voting for a party — the Republican one — whose policies give us an additional 300,000 to 700,000 unnecessary abortions every year.
And recognizing that the lives of born people are sacred, too, should also lead you in the same direction.
2. Jesus’ command and personal example is one of focusing on loving our neighbor, no matter who that neighbor might be.
Jesus gave us no exceptions for people of other races, immigrants, or anyone else — which would include LGBTQ Americans.
When he was specifically asked, “Who is my neighbor?” he chose as his example one of the most despised persons his audience could imagine — a Samaritan. The Jews regarded Samaritans as racially, religiously, and ritually “impure,” and there was long hostility between the two groups of people.
And Jesus said the Samaritan was his questioner’s neighbor.
The politicians whose policies express love for all of the neighbors in our American community are found today in the Democratic Party.
Depending on your church background, you may object, “But I believe that LGBTQ people are ungodly. They’re corrupting society.”
That’s exactly what the Jew that Jesus was talking to thought about the Samaritans.
It’s possible that the preacher behind your pulpit may have given you the idea that your mission as a Christian is to focus on making sure that gay people or transgender people don’t “get out of hand” in American society.
But that’s not what Jesus has commanded Christians to focus on as our mission in society. Jesus was clear that our mission in society is: “Love your neighbor in the same way that you love yourself.”
Those who are focused on being anti-LGBTQ will point to a bare handful of Bible verses in both the Old Testament (even though Christians are not under the Old Testament law) and the New Testament.
The most notable of these is in Romans 1. Much has been written about how this passage has been inaccurately translated from the Greek. Much less has been written about how obviously it refers to pagan cults that worshipped various animal-headed gods, who were well known to Paul’s audience in the city of Rome. They regularly paraded through the streets.
Even less than that has been written about Paul’s words immediately following, in which he tells the reader that every time we pass judgment on the people he just mentioned in Romans 1, we are in reality condemning ourselves.
So what’s the bottom line here?
Our mission as Christians isn’t to police society’s sexuality. It’s to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
If you still have any doubts about that, then I encourage you to study John 8:1–11, in which Jesus tells us, almost literally, to mind our own business when it comes to other people’s sexual behavior.
One of our two major political parties is in harmony with the Christian priority of caring about our neighbors. Our Black neighbors, our Latino neighbors, our immigrant neighbors, our poor neighbors, our neighbors who have no health care, our gay neighbors, our transgender neighbors, our neighbors who believe the same things we do, and our neighbors who don’t.
The other major party isn’t.
If you want a “Christian country,” then caring about all Americans, not only those who are just like us, is what that looks like.
3. As Christians, we are not to force our will on others — either believers, or non-believers — in morally debatable issues (Romans 14:4, 1 Cor. 10:29, 1 Cor. 5:12).
Supporting Republican politicians violates this rule.
It violates the rule in regard to early-stage abortion, in regard to abortion in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, and threats to the health of pregnant women, and it violates the rule in regard to LGBTQ folks.
If you’re still stuck on the LGBTQ thing (in spite of my words above), then consider this:
It is obvious that such things as modern-style gay marriage (which wasn’t a thing back in Jesus’ day, and so wasn’t addressed in the Bible) are debatable issues for Christians. According to Pew Research, close to half of American Christians support gay marriage.
Even if you strongly disagree, that still makes gay marriage clearly morally debatable by sincere Christians. And because it is, you are not authorized to try and impose your own beliefs and will on other people.
This is according to the Bible.
4. We are also supposed to live by the Golden Rule, treating others as we would wish to be treated. (Matt. 7:12)
Democratic policies treat all of our fellow citizens with respect and dignity.
Republican policies violate the Golden Rule in regard to women, the poor, members of other races and religions, and LGBTQ people.
5. Those who follow Jesus are generally commanded to serve others, not try to dominate them. (Matt. 20:25–26)
Supporting Republican politicians violates this rule.
6. Democratic policies are in line with what Jesus said in Matthew 25 is worthy of heaven.
On the other hand, Republican policies appear to be directly in line with what he said is worthy of eternal damnation.
Jesus said that those who feed the hungry, care for the poor, take care of the sick, care about those accused of crimes or incarcerated, and extend hospitality to strangers (literally, “foreigners”) who come to us in need are those who will be welcomed into heaven.
And those who ignore the hungry, refuse to help the poor, withhold health care from the sick, care nothing about those accused of crimes or incarcerated, and turn away strangers (literally, “foreigners”) are destined for damnation.
This seems extremely important.
Remember that in a democratic republic such as ours, when you support a politician, you are appointing that person to act on your behalf.
And because they campaign on their plans, we know in advance what kinds of actions they’re going to take when elected.
As a Christian, which kind of politician do you want acting on your behalf?
You might want to think long and hard about Matthew 25:31–46 before you decide.
7. Those who want to follow Jesus are specifically commanded not to put unbearable religious burdens on other people. (Matt. 23:1–4)
The Pharisees did this, and Jesus condemned them.
8. Christians are to support justice (which would include both economic and racial justice), and stand up against injustice.
The Republican Party generally gives a pass to economic and racial injustice; the Democratic Party tends to address it.
9. Christians are to support the truth, not lies.
If Satan is the “Father of Lies” (see John 8:44), then Donald Trump shows strong evidence of being a close relative. He lied to and misled us a documented 30,000+ times just during the four years he was President.
But the entire party is one of deception. Every major Republican narrative is misleading or outright false in some way.
10. Christians are commanded in 2 Timothy 3 to have nothing to do with certain kinds of people. These include those who are:
* lovers of themselves,
* lovers of money,
* boastful,
* proud,
* abusive,
* disobedient to their parents,
* ungrateful,
* unholy,
* without love,
* unforgiving,
* slanderous,
* without self-control,
* brutal,
* not lovers of the good,
* treacherous,
* rash,
* conceited,
* lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God —
* having a form of godliness but denying its power.
Donald Trump checks off every box on the list.
And yes, that includes “disobedience to parents.” Because what this really is, is disobedience to rightful authority.
The grown-up version of this is defiant disobedience of the law. And Donald Trump does that any time he thinks it will benefit him and he can get away with it.
It also includes “having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
The power of godliness is the power to change our lives and make us more honest, more kind, more loving to others, more of all of the things the Bible says we should be.
Donald Trump waves a Bible in front a church and talks about “God,” but displays none of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–23).
Supporting someone to lead the entire nation isn’t “having nothing to do with” them.
You can’t obey this Scripture and support Donald Trump.
You just can’t.
11. Christians are supposed to follow the example of Jesus.
And Donald Trump has given Christians the exact same deal that Jesus vehemently rejected. “Bow down before me, make me your king, and I will give you political power.” (Matt. 4:8–10)
But our answer to that deal should be the same one that Jesus gave. Our rejection of that bargain should be clear and unmistakable.
In fact, it’s far past time that we repent and withdraw from that deal.
Every Christian Principle Seems to Point the Same Direction.
In short, given the current nature of our two major political parties, every single relevant Christian principle I can find points to it being far better for Christians to support one of these two parties and not the other.
Can you tell now which one is which?
By John M. Woodman on .
Exported from Medium on October 28, 2024.