Pastors & Politicians

Rarely a day goes by when I don't see a pastor post why it is spiritually better to vote for Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Trump. Recently I saw a new post on why Mr. Johnson would be the better choice for Christians. I usually am heartbroken at what I read.

Over 600 years before God’s people began their return journey from the exile in Babylon to Jerusalem, they were warned about what a King would do. They begged for a King but God told them the specific disasters that would come to them. They were unrelenting so God relented and had Samuel appoint a King. 600 years later they were filled with regret. We were never meant to give our first allegiance to a King. Our allegiance should always be given first to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Now when a pastor uses their position to encourage others to vote for a specific candidate I can’t help but think back to the days of Samuel. I want to ask the pastor if they really know what they are advocating for in their endorsement. Regardless, there are several realities that I want to highlight for my pastor friends with the hope that we would all exercise a bit of caution with our endorsements.

  1. When we make an endorsement, we are creating a barrier between those who are voting for the other candidate and their need for a pastor. When we spiritualize the election of one person over another we are telling those who disagree with us that they are unspiritual. This harms our witness and our calling. If we believe voting for a candidate is anti-Christian then let’s say it and deal with the consequences. If not, let’s be careful with our endorsements.
  2. There isn’t enough time in the day for me to give to Christ the witness I want to give. Why would I want to spend my time giving witness to a man or woman running for office. The clock on all of us is winding down toward our entrance into eternity pretty fast. I don’t have time for endorsements.
  3. It is a biblical and historical reality that God uses bad Kings and secular rulers for His purpose. What if God wants the “bad” candidate elected to wake up His Church? What if God wants something to take place that is outside our ability to understand. We must be careful with our endorsements.

Let’s remember that our first and primary allegiance is to Christ. Let’s remember that our calling as Pastor / Shepherd should not be squandered with wasted words. Let’s remember that time is ticking and what time we are giving to an election could be given to telling someone about Jesus.