By: Pastor Stephen J. Mitchell
I’ll never forget the first time I really paid attention to a Presidential election. It was the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The stakes were high for the direction of the country and all the pundits predicted a close election, but no one foresaw just how close it would be. I stayed up late watching the results, despite still being in high school at the time, and I went to bed late with the impression that George W. Bush had won the Presidency. I woke up the next morning and suddenly everything had changed, and it was unclear who the winner was. The next two months saw drama and division with Bush ending up in the White House but with lingering backlash to his being declared the winner. Unfortunately, since the 2000 election, it seems as though every political election year has seen the polarization and divide grow wider in our country. Americans were used to disagreeing with the other side politically, but today is different and this election that is now upon us threatens to be the ugliest aftermath we’ve seen yet.
Brett Farve posted on X recently something that resonated with what I’m observing: “In all the elections I’ve seen over my lifetime, I’ve never seen one where there was so much hate. It’s certainly sad to see.” My heart aches for America, the hateful and toxic rhetoric from both the left and right have created an environment of such hatred that the only thing both sides seem to agree on is that our republic and American democracy will implode if the other side wins. This is a dangerous game we are playing. The two visions for leading our country could not have more of a contrast and elections do have consequences. The stakes are high in a number of ways, and as a Christian who cherishes the freedoms of our country and cares deeply about a number of issues where faith and society collide, I for one, urge fellow believers to vote their conscience and participate in the political process, but I also would caution that we must be mindful of the stakes this election poses for our witness.
What do I mean? There is something that will long outlast the results of this election and that is our Christian witness, namely, how we represent Jesus Christ and the Gospel amid a pivotal polarizing time in modern American history. Are we called to be partisans or prophets speaking the truth in love? Will we adopt an identity centered around our political opinions and affiliation or will we keep our identity centered on Christ? Which citizenship takes precedence: American or Heavenly? Will we allow theological truths to be used as political slogans and for Jesus Christ to be used as a political mascot to help achieve political power all at the expense of the credibility and sincerity of our message? Is winning elections more important to us than winning souls for the Kingdom of God?
Do we see those who have yard signs with political messages we disagree with as the enemy who should be hated and demonized or do we see them as our neighbor who we are called to love? Is our hope and trust in a political figure or outcome for this election or is our hope and trust in Christ alone who the Bible says is, “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (1 Timothy 6:15) which really means that regardless of who wins the 2024 election, Jesus Christ remains on the sovereign throne of history. Christianity is not partisan cannon fodder; its message is the only hope for the world. Jesus of Nazareth and the Gospel will never fit into the mold of a political tribe, whether on the left or right. The Gospel will step on the toes of liberal and conservative in different ways. The Church will prevail no matter what the outcome of this election may be. A Christian should be led by hope not fear, and how we respond to this moment will have ripple effects for how a generation perceives evangelical Christianity and its message.
We’ve been told that this election will be the most pivotal and consequential in modern American history. While we have been told that several elections now, there is a lot of truth to how much of an impact the outcome of this political contest will be for America and for the world, and for the church for that matter. There are major concerns evangelicals have for different issues that this election could affect. But what we also need to consider is this: What will be the impact of our witness for Jesus with how we view and respond to this moment. The church has often given into the temptation before in its history to focus on attaining the ring of power at the expense of the Sermon on the Mount, as Brian Zahnd said. Let’s resolve to remember a few things as we vote our conscience and as this election unfolds:
Let’s remember that we are Christians first, Americans second, and republicans or democrats third. Let’s remember that we are called to be prophets in this age, not partisans. Let’s remember that while we should vote, we should not place our hope and trust in any political figure or political outcome, because our hope is in Christ alone. Let’s remember to not hate or demonize those who vote differently or believe differently than we do. And finally let’s remember that Jesus is Lord and on the throne of History. While elections do have consequences, the fate of the kingdom of God does not depend on the outcome of an election. Jesus already won.
Pastor Stephen Mitchell is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Severna Park, Maryland. He also is the host of a regular podcast, Real Christian Talk with Pastor Steve, available on all podcast platforms.
The Pastor's Pen 