One of the things that impressed me about the German people in Metaxes' book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer is that many of them treated Hitler as a messiah figure. There were a lot of problems in Germany as Hitler rose to power, and many looked to him to solve them all. As Hitler began to do things that never would have been acceptable a few years earlier, many people looked the other way because they didn't want to oppose their Leader who would lead them to success and prosperity.
I know people who are disappointed and in some cases disgusted by the choices they have in the Presidential election. Neither candidate is someone that I can really look up to, but after reading about Hitler, I decided I am ok with that. Politics is a dirty game, and it is very rare to find saints in government. I wish that were not the case, but for the Christian, it should not be too surprising.
The Christian already has a Messiah, Jesus, and it is in him that we place our ultimate hope. However, as citizens in a democratic republic, we have a responsibility to participate in the democratic process. Our goal should be to vote the best that we can according to the principles that we believe are right. We will seldom have a choice that exactly matches what we believe is right, so we have to pick the closest one. Then after the election, we must support whoever is in power with our prayers.
2 comments:
I really like both of your posts today, Greg! You challenge Christians to put their faith in action on voting day, not just to be a critic - or even worse - a passive couch potato who thinks that their 'non-vote' is making some sort of statement of any sort. We are called by God to be supportive of the government, and as long as we get to vote on who runs the government, then voting is not only a privilege but also a solemn duty and opportunity to place in leadership those men and women who will best lead in a Godly and biblical way. To go out and vote for the best choice given to us, even if that person isn't Jesus (and neither I or you are either), is still much better than not voting - and as a result getting someone who is much less like Jesus and much more like Hitler. (I am not alluding that Romney or Obama are Jesus or Hitler, nor anyone else in the other races that we all need to get off of our duffs on election day and go vote for). That is my take on this Christian obligation that God has given us - one of the responsibilities of our FREEDOM in a nation UNDER GOD... so far. Maybe your vote and mine next week will determine how long that nation continues UNDER GOD.
Many leaders, in both Catholic and Protestant denominations, are expressing just this. We are called to vote for who best mirrors the morals and values that God has revealed in his word. It should not be a matter of our own individual preferences for someone's style or history, but a spiritual analysis of how well what they do and what they say conforms to the ideals revealed by Christ.
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