I remember the first time I said it out loud.
I’d watched as a global pandemic upended life at best and destroyed it completely at worst. I watched racism and police brutality have an ugly impact on black people. I heard callous, cruel words from men who claimed to follow Jesus but used language that He would have condemned.
But it took a Fall 2020 sermon on spotting the bad fruit of false teachers to give word and action to the stirring in my heart and conscience. After tearful reflecting and wondering what my then-girlfriend (now wife), my family, my friends, and my church would think, I let these words take flight in my empty vehicle:
“I can’t vote Republican this time.”
I’d been a conservative for most of my voting life. My theological convictions removed the Democratic Party as an option, but I could no longer support what the Republican party had become. Thus, I cast my first vote for a third-party candidate in the 2020 Presidential Election.
I’d like to respond to some of the objections I got from loved ones when I told them my decision. To be clear, I’m not saying that all Christians have to vote like me; salvation is based on what you do with Jesus, not what you do in the ballot box. There are issues on which Christians can disagree. But I hope to clarify why I stand where I do here.
“You wasted your vote!”
By far the most common refrain when I told people I wasn’t voting for Biden or Trump in 2020 was that I was “throwing my vote in the garbage” because no one else had a significant chance to win. On the front of victory chances, I can’t prove them wrong; per these statistics from Statista, the most successful third-party Presidential candidate in my lifetime (Ross Perot) got 18.9% of the popular vote in 1992. No third-party Presidential candidate has gotten over ten percent since then.
I won’t try to dispute that, in the current political system, only a Democrat or Republican has a shot at taking office; so, a third-party vote is unlikely to yield a new President. Despite that, I’d still say that a third-party/centrist vote is no waste.
As Christians, we’re never told to win elections at all costs. Daniel was never told to go into Babylon and uproot the kingdom there. Jesus wasn’t the political Messiah that many at the time wanted Him to be. Paul told Christians to submit to governing authorities that were actively persecuting and killing them in Romans 13. If the only aim of a Christian’s political witness is holding power at all costs, then these men were all failures. This tells me that being salt and light is more important than pursuing political agendas.
That’s not to say Christians should be apathetic politically or refuse to fight against unjust laws and practices; it just means that there’s more to voting than getting someone in office no matter what. Plus, I’d rather “throw away” my vote than sin against my conscience by endorsing beliefs and character that I can’t reconcile with the Word of God. I’d rather lose knowing I stood by the fruit of the Spirit than win by rewarding hatred, cruelty, lying, and greed.
“You’re just a sissy who refuses to take a stand! Quit trying to make everyone happy!”
Humans like things simple now more than ever. We want heroes and villains; good and evil; black and white; right and wrong. What don’t we like? Someone coming along and saying that the “other side” might have a good point.
Nowhere is this on more open display than social media during any major election cycle. Echo chambers where my side can be full of angels and your side can be aligned with demons abound. We don’t have to listen to anyone who might contradict our view of the world; we can just ride along with our confirmation bias and straw men while condemning anyone who doesn’t share our view of politics or the Bible.
Against that backdrop, moderates don’t have a chance. Trying to say that issues are more complicated than political extremes want to make them out to be is a good way to have both sides attack you. There was a season where I got called a “liberal idiot who believes what CNN told me to that day” because I advocated for the COVID vaccine; then, a few months later, someone told me that I was “harmful to women” because I couldn’t endorse 100% unabated, unconditional abortion access.
I believe the Bible when it says every human life is sacred and made in the image of God; however, I believe doctors should be able to treat miscarriages and that there must be compassion shown to women who have been the victims of horrific sexual abuse. There shouldn’t be a world where a woman faces more legal punishment for being raped than a man does for assaulting her.
I believe systemic racism still exists and that Christians should be committed to ending it. Rather than embracing “Where Woke Goes To Die” as a rallying cry (as newly re-elected Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has), I believe Christians should live Micah 6:8 in seeking justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.
I don’t believe either party fully aligns with an open Bible. My stands didn’t come from trying to make anyone happy; I’ve strained some friendships and lost others completely since speaking out more. My stands come from recognizing that God cares about babies, immigrants, children, the poor, victims of violence, and everyone else equally. Reducing the entire ballot down to one or two issues is a surefire way to misrepresent Jesus and turn allies into enemies; brothers and sisters into strangers; family into foes. Abortion, racial injustice, biblical marriage, the economy, immigration, helping the poor, and ending gun violence are all important; but we can’t ignore everything else a candidate stands for because they get one thing right.
If you disagree with how someone votes, seek clarity. Ask questions. Seek to build a bridge of understanding rather than throwing a stone of condemnation. But don’t assume their heart or salvation.