"I am here to challenge you to take ownership of your future... there is no place for Christians on the sidelines."
--Gov. Mike Pence at Liberty University's Convocation, October 12th, 2016
This year's presidential election has been extremely divisive among everyone, notably conservative Christians. This election has definitely been a challenge to our values and Biblical standards. Neither candidate is exactly ideal (to understate the matter), and both the media and individuals have not exactly been quiet about their opinions on both Trump and Clinton. Social media has only fanned the flames of political dissent, and to many people, this whole election seems like a slow-motion train wreck. There are many believers who remain undecided on whom to vote for, and some who are choosing to not vote at all.
And yes, we have the right to not vote. We have the right to say that we are morally led to choose not to vote in an election.
But this is not an advisable course of action, especially not in this election.
We as Americans have been blessed with this opportunity that citizens of so many other countries do not have: the right to vote, to have a say in how our country is run.
To not vote is to not speak up for what you feel is right for America -- and in not voting, you end up saying something, anyway.
To not vote is to sit back and allow this election to go whatever way the rest of America sees fit.
To not vote in an election that is this critical is, frankly, to be complacent.
We already have so much complacent Christianity in this country; there are many Americans who claim the name and culture of Christianity, yet when storms arise and their faith is actually questioned or tested, they are silent.
The same happens with politics; they can admittedly be confusing and even draining (I have to take my politics in small doses), and oftentimes people would rather not vote at all then vote when the storms arise, and the decision seems to be a bad one either way. They say, "Oh, I just don't like politics; I don't want to choose so I just won't vote at all", then stay home on election day, content to watch the events unfold.
But the thing is, Christ never called us to be complacent -- not about following Him, and not about standing up for what is right.
Proverbs 31: 8-9 says, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
In context, these verses are about social justice, but they can just as easily be applied to voting. When you think about it, doesn't the outcome of this election have significant impact on a number of social justice issues?
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves -- speak up for the unborn, for the infirm, for your future children.
Defend the rights of the poor and needy -- ensure that our leaders are abiding by our Constitutional rights, that we are doing all that we can to help our citizens in need, that our allies can depend on us to actually be their allies when they need us.
Speak up and judge fairly -- educate yourself so that you are able to reach a fair and reasonable judgment regarding the election, and then speak up accordingly by voting for whoever's policies (not the person themselves, especially in this case, but what they intend to do in office) line up the most with your own.
We each have social justice issues that we hold close to our hearts, and strong convictions on the things we are passionate about; knowing this, and knowing how whomever we place in office will impact those issues, why on earth wouldn't we exercise our right to vote?
As followers of Christ, we are called to take a stand for the truth, to get involved and to have influence in our society -- to be salt and light to the world (Matt. 5:13-16).
We have each been given a voice in this country that we are so blessed to live in.
Please, don't waste your voice, your liberty.
Speak up.
Go vote this November.
