Donald, Hillary and the Rest of Us
And so, here we
are. Weeks away from an historic presidential election. As a pastor, I do not
endorse candidates for political office. While I have my own convictions as a
private citizen, I also have an obligation as a pastor to remain neutral in
public discourse as far as endorsements go. Not all of my colleagues share this
particular conviction, but I still practice it.
With that said, I
do have an obligation to speak on behalf of the Gospel and offer some
historical perspective. This current election has easily been the most
troublesome one of my adult lifetime. We have had acrimony and disgusting
political discourse in the past. However, we have set the bar at its lowest in
these recent months. We have witnessed the degradation of the elective process
in this election that is incomparable to any presidential election in history.
Almost daily we
read of deplorable actions on the part of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Even their most ardent supporters have had to cringe at the revelations of the
actions and words of these two candidates. In fact, representatives from both
sides often challenge voters to support their candidate merely because “he/she
is not as bad as him/her.” Really? Is that the only reason to vote for a
candidate for president?
I know I have heard
many times that voters choose between two evils. But this time, what are our
options? All of us have been offended at some level by these two candidates.
Unfortunately, we have created a society that evidently rewards their behavior.
Both of them have abused power and taken advantage of vulnerable people. Both of
them seem to thrive on acrimony, accusation and a cavalier treatment of the
truth.
As
an American, I am deeply disappointed. As a Christian leader, I am deeply
troubled.
However, as a
Christian leader, I also feel compelled to remind us that our hope is not in an
earthly leader. As much as I love America, my hope is not in the “American
way.” My hope is in Jesus and I am first and foremost a follower of The Jesus
Way.
I have to remind
myself (and all of us) that God intervened in history when a tyrant (King
Herod) and a pagan (Caesar Augustus) were in power. His Son was birthed into a
vulnerable family in a tumultuous time. After His Messianic Mission was
complete, the church was birthed in a climate of governmental oppression. In
fact, the early life of the church was constantly in peril because of
institutional persecution.
Those early
Christians knew better than to put too much stock in earthly powers. We could
do well to learn from them. We are admonished in Scripture to pray for our
leaders. We must be obedient. We must pray for them. However, we are not to
view them as the answer to the ills of society. Our hope is in Jesus and in His
Kingdom. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Our citizenship is in heaven”
(Philippians 3:20). In His Kingdom, the only vote that matters has already been
cast!
Until He returns to
fully establish His Kingdom on earth, we will put our hope in Him. We will live
in accordance to His values. We will embody His truth. We will humbly serve
other human beings in His Name. We will pray for our leaders and each other. And
we will do our part to participate with our Lord in advancing His Kingdom on
earth.
As Christian
Americans, let’s seek God’s direction as we vote for any candidate. Let’s hope
for the best. Let’s commit ourselves to contribute what is good in our society
and refuse to participate in what makes it worse.
And—Lord help us.
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