If we are to take our own individual interests as the measure, others who reflect our demographic concerns will line up with us. We will separate into voting blocks according to interests and concerns that match our own. What we end up with is a lot of self interested groups who align with each other.
Some of these groups promote and prioritize under a banner, and align behind a party that reflects their commonality. Minorities, feminists, immigrants, evangelicals, gun rights advocates, to name a few, can bring great pressure to bear on the political scene. Elections are influenced and candidates position themselves to receive the greatest gain they can from each of these political factions. The individual voter is left trying to figure out which candidate fits the criteria that matches his demographic and interests. It is not an easy task.
If we take our faith as the guide, we are often not much better off, as each group seeks to claim moral high ground. Some hot topics like abortion and religious expression may sway us in one direction, but candidates who may stand opposed to our faith in these areas may line up with us in others, like helping the impoverished and oppressed. Honest Christian brothers and sisters may go to the same church, but disagree on which candidate best represents their faith. They may prioritize the issues differently. They may not agree on the veracity of the candidates. Personal history and family background feed into lives differently to inform and influence. Disagreements arise as issues and interests divide us.
My plea for those caught up in the election process is to put faith above politics. Our disagreements in reality, are often precisely because we believe strongly. But that does not mean we have to part company. Faith should rise above party bickering. The one who demands loyalty above all others calls us to unify around our faith. The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth which was divided among party lines. Some aligned behind one party figure, while others untied behind another. He warned them against division and called them to unite under one head (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Addressing this division he writes,"Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (1 Cor. 10:17). He writes the Ephesian church to unify them under "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:3-6). To the Phillippian church, he writes to encourage them to stand firm "in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel" and that they "be of the same mind, having the same love" (Phil. 1:27, 2:2). He calls the Galatians to unify under their faith (Gal 3:26-29).
As we think about our country, we are called to be a light to a dark world. That is hard to do if we are divided along party lines. But if in spite of our divisions, we unite as one loving family of faith we will do much more than influence an election. We may actually influence our country.
