Why Christians Vote

There are several reasons for Christians to vote whenever given the opportunity.  This year, however, I have read a rather unique and compelling reason to cast a ballot on November 6th in a brief post by Todd Wilken.

Why does a Christian vote?  A Christian doesn’t vote for the same reason the unbeliever votes.

A Christian doesn’t vote because it’s his right.  That’s why the unbeliever votes.  For the Christian, his own rights have nothing to do with it.

A Christian doesn’t vote to get his way.  That’s also why the unbeliever votes.  For the Christian, getting his way has nothing to do with it.

A Christian doesn’t vote to protect his own interests.  For the Christian, his own interests have nothing to do with it.

A Christian votes to serve his neighbor—period.

A Christian votes because he is called to do so by the needs of his neighbor.  This means that a Christian will sometimes vote against his own rights, his own way and his own self-interest; but always in favor of his neighbor and his needs.  At the ballot box, the neighbor comes first.

On election day, don’t vote like an unbeliever.  Make your vote count … for your neighbor.

Peter Bender on Christian Service

Peter Bender, Sussex, WI, was interviewed on Issues, Etc., 30 Dec 2011 and offered the following advice for unemployed individuals and the church at-large in response:

There is more to employment than simply earning a paycheck. … God has given us a work to do, which is to say: God has given us love to give.  So the Christian who finds him- or herself out of work because of a downturn in the economy or so forth still has been given a faith and salvation in Christ, and therefore the call to live in love exists there.  And so I would encourage the worker, on the one hand, to pray that God would give them suitable employment by which they can continue to care for their family, and in the meantime to engage in work that's of benefit to someone. … This is also then where, I think, unfortunately, Western society and culture has taken charity away from the church, and the church has willingly let that happen and abdicated it, so that the care for the poor or the care for the unemployed or the care for downtrodden, which used to be so much a part of the church's organized efforts for her own within the congregation and then those they were very closely connected with in their community, has been taken over by government agencies and so forth.  That's unfortunate.  I'd like to see … the recapturing of the church's work of mercy for those who are downtrodden, the out-of-work, and so forth.