[This is part 8 of 9 in a series answering the question who American Christians should vote for in the 2024 Presidential election]
Intro – Biden – Trump – Issues Not Addressed – Third Parties
– Biblical View – Fear – Summary – Final Summary
Ok, here we go. Sumup Time.
(and I’m going to generalize here, because you can see the details on the other posts)
Can a Christian Vote for Biden?
The answer is yes.
His policies tend to favor the poor over the wealthy, and I think that’s Biblical.
He supports the environment, which I think falls under the Dominion Mandate.
Regarding the big abortion one, abortion rates fall under Democrats historically, and they went up for the first time in decades under Trump.
The racial issue is tough, but overall, minority christians still say Biden is good on race relations (or at least better than alternatives).
He has a global view, which I would argue is Christian.
He is at least nominally catholic and believes in the idea of American religious freedom
The answer is also no.
The pro-abortion (and yes, I use that intentionally over pro-choice) is one I have a hard time with. He sees this as a central issue, and clearly does not see a fetus as a person, which the Bible does.
Immigration policies are hard to parse, but I would say it is valid if someone were to vote against biden as being unBiblical to immigrants.
Sexuality issues. Again, this one is complicated, because should the government force this on people? Probably not, but I get why people can’t give their vote to it.
Religious Freedom. This is not nearly as big a threat as people think, but there are some hints that Biden would like government to step in regarding religious views on sexuality. I do not think he could move the needle much in 4 or 8 years, anymore than its already moving culturally, but it’s a valid concern.
Can a Christian Vote for Trump
The answer is yes.
If you think controlling courts is the answer, then Trump did that (I would actually argue McConnel did that, but whatever).
If you think eliminating government is Biblical, then yes.
If you think people should keep their own money, then yes.
If you think protecting your clan is more important than the stranger, then yes. (People think I’m being snarky on this one, but this is the stated position of some conservative supporters of Trump – taking care of my family/neighbors/city is more important).
The answer is also no.
The character one is the big one. I won’t repeat it.
The cruelty in policy as well as word is a no.
The taking of God’s name in vain is a no (and I include here using the Bible or prayer as a prop).
The approach to immigration is a no.
The complete lack of morality or accountability is a no.
The dismissal of the poor in favor of the wealthy is a no.
Can a Christian Vote Third Party?
I can’t really answer this one generally, because there are so many third parties, each with its own plusses and minuses.
For the big ones,
Libertarianism – While i appreciate the “people should not be compelled to give” idea here, I also think it goes against the idea that WE are the rulers in America, and so I am 70-30 against libertarianism.
Green Party – Kudos for the care of the earth Dominion Mandate, but pretty no on just about everything else. How highly that ranks on your scale of Biblical mandates is the key here.
Constitution Party – Not a terrible fusion of Conservatism and Christianity, but as is usually the case, conservatism is the primary driver. It was founded as a response to tax law, so I would say it leans a little more on that than actual conservative social issues. Pretty much the same as teh libertarians as far as I can tell, except the Constitution Party is pretty directly calling for a “Christian Nation” idea.
American Solidarity Party – This party has the stated goal of using the Bible and Catholic social doctrine to form its platform. To that end, they tend to be socially conservative, but economically liberal. Full disclosure, when I do the “which party most closely matches me,” these are the guys that come up 90% of the time. I have some issues with some of the tax ideas, and i think they are amazingly naive in some areas. So, 75-25 in favor for me.
Could a christian vote for third party? In almost all cases, yes, depending on which Biblical issues are important to you.
What is my point?
I will outline my own thinking in the next post, but here’s the overall point:
Christians can vote Trump – 80+% of white evangelicals did in 2016 and 2020, and i would guess 2024
Christians can vote Biden – 90+% of black evangelicals did in 2020, and i would guess in 2024.
Christians can vote 3rd party – just about any of them have “some” Christian elements, and some are unabashedly founded on Christian ideals.
My friends, there is no “christian” party, and in reality, there probably can’t be. Following Christ is above politics. There can be Christians in politics, but no such thing as a “Christian nation.” Nations don’t have a relationship with Jesus. People do.
Remember that when you vote, and when you speak to others about politics. As Christians, we should see every one in the image of God. Yes, we can disagree, but we cannot demonize. We can argue, but we cannot demean. We should not celebrate when anyone is disappointed, or feel violated, or hurts. We should see people first, and parties second.