The other day, I was talking to my roommate about the election—not about who we had voted, or were planning on voting, for, but about how ready we were for it to finally be over. I remember last election cycle wondering if we would ever have an election that would be messier. I remember thinking, and writing in a blog post four years ago, that the results of the 2016 election would leave a bad taste in my mouth no matter who won. I think that bad taste has lingered for the past four years. I’m not a very political person. Honestly, politics exhaust me. But I think I, like everyone, have been feeling a particular sense of fear and anxiety as we approach the 2020 election.
I found myself feeling this anxiety most strongly about a week ago, after the last debate. Morally, I do not support either of the big party candidates, but in the end, I did vote for one of them. In the past, I would’ve voted for a third-party candidate or I would’ve abstained but this year I didn’t. This post isn’t about who I, personally, voted for, and I’m not about to tell anyone how they should vote. That’s always a choice that should be made in alignment with someone’s personal convictions and beliefs. And especially this year, that’s a choice you ought to make for yourself. I cast my vote about two weeks ago because I voted by mail, and the day after the final debate I was feeling discouraged, frustrated, exhausted, and anxious. I remember thinking something along the lines of: “I don’t know how there can be any good outcome of this election.” Maybe you’ve found yourself asking a similar question.
Talking with my roommate, I realized that I had, in a way, stopped caring about who is elected on Tuesday. Partially because I’m simply so exhausted over the election and over divisive politics. But also, because of one very important truth. I am a Christian before I am a member of any political party, and I am a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven before I am a citizen of the United States. Regardless of who wins the election, I know where my hope lies, and so does every other Christian. We cannot look to any man for the sort of hope that can only be found in Christ.
I have tried to spend minimal time on social media of the last week or so because my phone is inundated with political ads, from both parties. I have seen vicious ads attacking the character and policies of both major candidates. These ads irritate me, but they also point to a greater problem, which is the current climate of American politics.
Before I say anything else, I should say two things. The first is that I am by no means an authority on American politics, political theory, political history, or anything else like that. I am just a young American college student with moderate interest in politics and reasonable education about issues that are important to me. I should also say that I am proud to be an American, and I believe that the American political system at its best is one where good people can try to make the world a better place. Where people who disagree with each other listen to each other. Where people recognize that sometimes diversity of opinion makes us stronger, not weaker.
Unfortunately, our current political climate is far from politics at its best. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world and we will never see politics “at its best.” We will see seasons where the political dialogue is more gracious, and times where it is more caustic (though I pray that we will never experience such sharp hatred and division as we have experienced over the past few years).
It is easy to get sucked into divisive political arguments, whether that is in person or online. There is so much anger on both sides of the political aisle right now. That’s what scares me the most.
I think political conversations tend to become so emotionally charged in part because a lot of people do look to politicians for authority, direction, and (I use this term very loosely) salvation. If we (by “we” I mean American Christians) are not careful, we can get pulled into these caustic debates. We have to remember, though, that our hope does not lie with any political party. Our hope does not lie with Donald Trump, and our hope does not lie with Joe Biden. Our hope is with Jesus Christ, and no one else. To worry too much about an Earthly, fallible, and finite nation when we ought to be most concerned about the citizens of the eternal and heavenly Kingdom of God is, I believe, sinful. Jesus has called us to love others and to be united. He called us, specifically, to love those who persecute us. The Gospels and the rest of the New Testament set up an incredible example for how to engage with those who disagree with you. I will also add that our current state looks nothing like the first century. I have heard some people say that American Christians are being persecuted for our beliefs. We are not. To say that is to reduce the true suffering of our brothers and sisters around the world and throughout history. We are not being persecuted but we are being challenged to confront our beliefs and the implications of our beliefs.
As this election finally comes to an end, there are going to be Christians who support opposing sides. There will be Christians who supported a losing candidate. Among my own friend group, we have Trump supporters, Biden supporters, apolitical abstainers, and third-party voters. We’ve had some interesting conversations. But we all know that we love each other, and that in the Kingdom of God, just as Jew and Gentile will not matter, neither with Republican or Democrat. If something is not going to matter in the Kingdom of Heaven, then maybe it shouldn’t matter so much on this Earth, either.
This is going to be a tough week for us all. A week where we all will have to extend grace. In these next few days, I would encourage my American brothers and sisters to meditate on the truth of God’s word that He is always in control. I would also encourage us all to remember what Jesus said was the greatest commandment—to love the Lord our God and our neighbor as ourselves. There were no qualifications for who was and was not our neighbor. Jesus has called us to love because He first loved us. If we remember that He is king, that we are called to look to Him, that we cannot look to any Earthly source, we will remember that there is no reason to fear.