Why Should Christians Vote?

“Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” Romans 13:1

In 2004 only half of the evangelicals registered to vote, did. This year it is imperative that every Christian, moral person, anyone who has a conscience – VOTE. Why?

Dwayne Hastings gives us seven reasons -
1. Christians should vote because Jesus tells us in the Bible to be a part of the process, not apart from it.

Jesus commands His followers to involve themselves in the culture as “salt” and “light” - bearing the purifying and enlightening force of Scripture - to impact society for good and for God Matt 5:13-16.

Informed Christians base their views, and thus their electoral preferences, on the wisdom they gain from study of God’s Word and prayer. It is a Christian’s obligation to offer up a Bible-based agenda for the common good.

2. Christians should vote because our liberties were secured by the blood of our forbearers in faith early in our nation’s history and have been preserved by the vigilance of brace men and women who time and time again have defended our freedoms.

When we exercise our right to vote, we acknowledge our gratefulness for the sacrifice of those who have gone before us. Contemporary Christians’ lack of involvement in the political process weakens our voice and threatens to erode our right to bring biblically based views into the policy arena. John Adams, our nation’s second president, wrote to his wife Abigail in 1775: “It is Religion and Morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can freely stand. A patriot must be a religious man.”

3. Christians should vote because Jesus urged His followers to render unto Caesar what was Caesar’s Luke 20:19-26.

Voting is means by which all citizens, including Christians, exercise their civic responsibilities under the rights guaranteed in a democracy. In doing so, Christians are acting in obedience to the Lord’s command. While as Americans we do not have an emperor to whom civic homage is due, we do have a Constitution within which is made clear our right to have a participatory republic. For a Christian to sit on his hands during an election is an unconscionable breach of Christ’s command.