I can't claim to have any answers. I don't have any. I really don't.
Maybe that's why I'm writing this. I need to explore this for myself. This is also why this piece is only part one of at least a few more installments - it will take a lot more than one article to explore it fully. I'm gonna keep this one fairly short, just to introduce what I'm gonna talk about in these upcoming pieces.
We face a huge predicament and have a serious dilemma as young Christian voters. As much as people would like to say that the answer is obvious if you're a Christian (on both sides of the aisle, somehow), it really isn't. We have a serious dilemma, but we also have a serious responsibility, and that's what makes it even more difficult. We have a responsibility as both citizens of the United States and as citizens of God's Kingdom to seriously consider, thoughtfully and prayerfully, where our vote should go.
Perhaps, in the past, this wasn't such a difficult question. The answer was pretty clear-cut for the Christian — vote for the candidate whose values most align with yours (which hopefully align with Scriptural values). All of a sudden, however, the lines are much more blurred and we're faced with hundreds of questions.
"Candidate A belongs to the party which has always been the party of evangelical Christians, but what am I supposed to do when the candidate has a tendency to be volatile and candidate's values aren't necessarily Christian? And what if they are hypocritical?"
and to follow...
"So should I then vote for a Candidate B, who has many values that are clearly anti-Christian? Even though the candidate is less volatile, how can I vote for someone who directly conflicts with what I believe on certain topics?"
and then...
"Should I not vote at all? Or should I look for a third party candidate to vote for? Would a third party candidate ever have a chance?"
Obviously I painted all of these portraits with broad strokes, and these are very blanket statements, but still, these questions are important and need to be asked.
This will be my first time voting in a general election, and it might be the most blurred election for a Christian, especially a young Christian who might feel certain pressures from others. This is why it is so important to be in prayer about it. However, we cannot only remain in prayer. If we expect to understand what we should do, we have to be actively following and pursuing the truth, and try to see each candidate's true stance on things, rather than making generalizations. This means being involved, not passively observing from across the street and pretending to know their policies based on out-of-context headlines we see on Vice News or BuzzFeed.
I've presented a lot of questions, and not a lot of answers. This is purposeful - I hope to explore this further in coming articles. For now, let's remain in prayer and actively pursue the truth together.
