2016 will be the first presidential election that I can vote in, and as a Christian I have to represent not only my Millennial generation, but also my religion.
I don’t know if I’m ready for the responsibility.
All my life I have been told that there is only one way to “vote religious” — i.e. Republican. But the fact is that many Republican stances are no longer relevant as our society becomes more liberal. Christianity is also becoming more liberal and less afraid to tackle social issues. Despite what you’ve been told, compromise — even between religion and politics — is possible.
When did political compromise become such an impossible task? Older generations have gotten so used to butting heads over the most inane political topics that they cannot bear to admit the younger generation can handle conflict resolution better than they can. After all, if Congress can’t compromise, why should a 20-something college student with absolutely no political experience do any better?
One reason why Millennials and Gen-Xers are better at navigating political pitfalls is that we were raised on conflict. We have seen the damage left behind by the Baby Boomer everything-is-perfect-consumerism-is-king generation. We are the ones who have to pay the consequences for their carelessness. We grew up learning that financial and political stability are myths, that families won’t always stay together, that our leaders are not to be trusted.
Our stance as Christians has changed too. For years the body of Christ has ignored social issues, content on being safe in its little Sunday School bubble, trying to love people from a distance. But it doesn’t work that way. The world will never change if nobody steps out and does something.
My generation is slowly changing that stereotype. We’re stepping out, facing challenges, turning "love" from a noun into a verb. We aren’t afraid of political confrontation, but we are also understanding of all sides and more willing to conceded our beliefs, because we have seen what happens when nobody compromises. God never guaranteed to make life easy, and we are ready for the struggle.
Jesus was a political activist. Whether you believe Jesus was the Son of God or just another wise teacher, it is impossible to deny that he had a political agenda. He was out to change his culture from the bottom up. He called out hypocritical leaders. He made friends with social outcasts. He rescued people from unjust laws. He went up against Rome, the most powerful Western empire of that time! Politics is about power, sure, but it’s also about people: if Jesus was running for office today (not that he would — but that’s another article), he would be the perfect candidate.
Having said that, it is stupid to assume you should only vote if you find a perfect candidate. They don’t exist. If (and that’s a huge “if”) you find a politician that agrees with everything you think, odds are that if they make it into office (and that is an even huger “if”) they are going to have to sacrifice some of those morals to get anything done. Another pitfall of strictly religious voting is that you sacrifice many important social or economical issues if all you’re looking for is a person who agrees with your morals.
Politics is not faith-based, and if “House of Cards” has taught me anything, it’s that politics definitely aren’t moral. I don’t care if the Founding Fathers talked about God back when they were writing the Constitution. America now is a secular nation, with a secular government and a clear division between church and state. If you are religious, you have to find a way to work your beliefs in with the non-believers that run this country. Christians, I’m looking at you: do not let anyone tell you the only way to vote is pick the most religious candidate, or that the only way to win is to not vote at all. Politics is gray, not black and white. Until Jesus is a presidential candidate, you’re going to have to compromise.
So what does all this mean for Millennial and Gen-X religious voters? Two things:
- Jesus would have voted, and so should you.
- It sucks to give up some political stances that you feel strongly about, but remember that the world is, well, the world. You can’t get everything you want.
