At the time of this writing, we’re days away from the 2024 presidential election here in the United States. And, if you’re like me, you’re probably exhausted. But even though we’re all tired and want it all to go away, I’ve felt compelled to offer a word—and possibly a challenge—to us all.
But before I get there, keep in mind that I am an immigrant. As I write this, I am ineligible to vote in this election because the citizenship process takes time. I am also from a country where politics starts left of center and goes farther left from there. And I mention this because both facts affect the way I view political engagement.
I cannot vote, so I live with the consequences of other people’s decisions. I am also accustomed to my views not being reflected in the platforms or choices of candidates for political parties. And I have little patience for the frequently rehashed and simplistic soundbites I see, hear, and read almost daily that are too often used as a means to bind people’s consciences.
Among the issues that matter to me, I care about religious freedom for all people. I am holistically pro-life and believe people not only have the right to exist but should have every opportunity to flourish, which includes upholding the goodness of biological reality. I am for fiscal responsibility and limited government. On these issues, I’m probably more conservative than many running for office under the term, certainly in its historical sense.1
But what do I care about the most when considering any kind of leader? His or her character.
What we lose when we stop caring about character
Many have pointed out that, in an election, we’re not voting for a pastor or an elder in a church. The roles are different. And I agree. They are fundamentally different. I don’t want a pastor as a president any more than I would want a pastor as the head of a publishing organization.
But I do want someone of character—a person who takes responsibility for his or her own failures. Who speaks of every person with dignity and respect. A person who cares about justice—about doing what’s right and not what’s right for them. A person who isn’t casually cruel and caustic.2 Because character matters, and good leaders are fundamentally people of good character, no matter if they are in the marketplace, government, or the church.
And I care so much about a leader’s character because leaders shape culture. Their behavior sets the bar for their followers’ conduct. And in the context of an election, the character people reward with their votes reflects what they become over time. This is what we’ve seen on display over the last several years—not that it didn’t exist before, but many people found they had permission to say the quiet parts out loud, as it were.
I’ve witnessed and experienced the casual cruelty directed at immigrants. So have my children. People in my neighborhood proudly adorn their cars with euphemisms to mask slurs. I frequently drive past a farm with a sign proudly telling a candidate to **** herself, while another sign on the same property offers a gospel message.
None of this is right. But it’s acceptable because we’ve allowed it to be by the choices we’ve made.
Beware those who would bind your conscience
And I get it—there is a tension that people feel when it comes to voting. We all struggle with how to balance priorities. One party or candidate might have a set of policies that are utterly reprehensible to you, whereas the opponent might have a different set of equally reprehensible policies.3 We’re caught between two evils, and it stinks.
But lest you think I’m telling you how you should vote, think again. If I were to tell you how to vote, I would be at risk of binding your conscience, and I can’t do that. No one can. A social media influencer trying to convince you that it’s wrong to not vote can’t. A pastor who distorts Matthew 5:13 to tell you to vote can’t either. Nor can a seminary president who warned against voting “wrongly.” To do so is emphatically a sin. It is to subvert the gospel by placing a burden Christ does not (Galatians 5:1). And Jesus had some pretty strong words for those who cause any of his “little ones” to sin and stumble (Luke 17:1-2).
Instead, here’s what I can tell you: Obey your conscience. If, after carefully weighing the character of a candidate and the quality of a party’s platform, you can vote for one over another with a clear conscience, do so. But if voting for one over the other—or voting for either—would be a sin, then do not sin. And if others try to tell you how you should vote, rebuke them in love as you would a friend (Proverbs 27:6).
- Even if I loathe the term because it’s been twisted and distorted into something wholly other. ↩︎
- And, y’know, maybe not a convicted felon or someone who incited an insurrection after losing an election. ↩︎
- Or they might even be the same policies, as in the 2024 race, where both parties are pro-choice, just to differing degrees. ↩︎
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash
