Christian bloggers, clergy, and laypeople everywhere are blowing up social media with angst over which candidate to vote for in the upcoming general election.
But people make it more complicated than it needs to be. Part of the problem is many Christians limit their criteria to one or two wedge issues that are never even mentioned by Jesus.
Make is easy. Open up to Matthew 25 and get reacquainted with the works of mercy that, according to Matthew, Jesus uses as criteria for the Last Judgment:
- Feed the hungry: Which political candidate is about food safety and security for all?
- Give drink to the thirsty: What about the indefensible water crisis in Flint, Michigan? How about the rest of the U.S. water supply? Which candidates are fighting fracking and the pollution of ground water? Which candidates are fighting to make safe this necessary compound for sustaining all of life?
- Clothe the naked: How about a wage fair enough to buy some clothes? How about Oregon and that $14.75 minimum wage? That’s economic justice.
- Shelter the homeless: Don’t complain about Section 8 housing if you’re going to call yourself a follower of Jesus. Even the least of these deserve a roof over their heads. Which candidate supports such endeavors? For this issues one must turn to local leaders. For example, look for local candidates advocating for the homeless. There many creative initiatives seeking to alleviate this chronic issue, such as the tiny home village taking shape in Dallas, Texas.
- Take care of the sick: Healthcare and all that that implies. For all. That means everyone. This is a no brainer.
- Welcome the stranger: For Jesus this included the foreigner and the “other.” Xenophobia has no place in the heart or actions of a Christian. Study the candidates. Which ones display xenophobia and bigotry, or worse, stirs the “shit pot of hate?” Don’t vote for that one. Period.
- Visit the imprisoned: The U.S. has one of largest populations of incarcerated people worldwide. This is a human rights issue. Further, the high school to prison pipeline remains fully supplied by dropouts, fostered by a less than engaging education system. Which candidates offer a plan to simultaneously fight poverty and improve education.
A lot of Christians like restrict these marks of faithfulness to the work of individual congregations, contending that the government should play no part in such matters. I suspect that argument is popular for these Christians because Matthew 25 doesn’t play into their efforts to legislate an ideological, and unbiblical, morality, forcing it onto the wider population. But this has only created animosity toward Christianity.
The acts of mercy in Matthew 25 are inconvenient for sure, even for those who try to live them out faithfully. Individual congregations cannot afford, due to dwindling giving and church participation in the U.S., to realize these acts in a vacuum that transforms the wider culture. There has to be a partnership with other faiths, and even secular institutions. That’s why it important for Christians to vote and keep in mind the matters that Jesus declare to be most crucial.
It’s fine if one disagrees that Matthew 25 should inform a Christian voter. Just don’t claim to be casting a vote in the name of Jesus, otherwise.
