Editorial: Searching souls as we decide how to vote

If nothing else, the unpredictable and often-chaotic 2016 election season offers U.S. Christians—particularly conservative evangelicals—an opportunity to examine the intersection of faith and life. How should we apply the gospel in the voting booth?

Marv KnoxIs single-issue voting acceptable? If you’re going to be true to the Bible and especially to the teachings of Jesus, can you narrow your vote-casting deal-breaker down to only one issue? And how do you exercise responsible citizenship if you believe both candidates are unworthy to hold office?

This discussion begins with abortion.

Pro-life/pro-choice

Since the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion, many Baptists and other conservative Christians have applied a simple litmus test as they cast their ballots: They would not vote for any pro-choice candidate. For much of that time, the Democratic Party has endorsed the pro-choice position, so they did not need to know anything about the Republican candidates, because they would not vote for Democrats.

(To be fair, this position has not been held by all Christians, and not even all conservative evangelicals. Reasons for declining to make abortion a political plumb line range from uncertainty about when life begins, to respect for women and reticence to force ultimate decisions upon another person, to ethical angst over choosing among horrible options, to acknowledging any consideration of abortion is exceedingly complex and fraught with nuance and misgiving.)

Trumping the considerations

This year, however, some people who historically have made abortion their yardstick for measuring political candidates are expressing second thoughts. Their reason is Donald Trump, of course.

Trump came late to the pro-life position, and they’re not certain he really means it. But that’s only a small fragment of their decision-making calculus. They take their faith seriously, so they’re wondering whether they can and should apply other criteria for evaluating the vote-worthiness of a candidate.

Trump has expressed xenophobic statements about Mexican and Muslim immigrants. His comments denigrating women, evaluating them based upon their breast size and extolling his sexual conquests outside his three marriages are too numerous to mention. He has made fun of the physically challenged. He has incited violence at his rallies. He has said he never repented of his sins because he doesn’t have a reason to repent. He has made light of the Lord’s Supper and passed on numerous opportunities to demonstrate even a glancing knowledge of the Bible.

“OK, so you won’t vote for anyone who supports abortion,” a consistent pro-life voter noted recently. “Should any other beliefs or behaviors disqualify a candidate from political office?”

Not so simple

Ah, there’s the rub. American voters who do not want to advance the pro-choice agenda won’t vote for Hillary Clinton or, longshot as it is, Bernie Sanders. But can they bring themselves to vote for Trump, even if they believe he will remain pro-life?

All of a sudden, presidential politics is not simple. U.S. Christians who try to base their voting decisions upon biblical principles and not self-interest cannot lean into a longstanding default this year.

Who does God want them to vote for?

Is “none of the above” an acceptable answer?

Or is wasting a vote a sin, even considering hard choices otherwise?

The 2016 election should push American Christians to their knees in prayer, to Scripture for wisdom and to the depths of their souls for bearing. That’s a great place to start any year, and it’s the ultimate destination in 2016.