A Political Christian

So, last spring when I was doing online classes with Moody Bible College, I wrote a speech for my Oral Communication class. At the time my mom said I should post it on my blog, or do something with it (she actually told me to submit it to Gen J,) but I never did anything with it... Well, it came to mind today, and so, here goes...

Back in November of 2008 I was standing in a huge banquet hall with seventy some-odd other teenagers feeling slightly out of place among all the elegantly dressed important republicans of Minnesota. I had spent seven days of low sleep and lots of caffeine campaigning and was dead on my feet. The words I heard over the loudspeakers from the woman on stage made it all worth it,

“…And I want to thank 70 great kids who came out this weekend. We often hear that there aren’t young people in the Republican Party. I’m here to tell you that couldn’t be further from the truth. We had 70 teenagers knock on our doors Friday afternoon, and by the time I got to Woodbury these 70 kids had made over 7,000 phone calls, just by the time I got to the office. The youth of America are energized, and they’re energized around the principle of freedom. They love freedom! They knocked on over 60,000 doors and made phone calls. They just went wild this weekend. We are so grateful for these great kids…”  (Stellar)

These are the words of Minnesota Senator, Michelle Bachmann from her victory speech in 2008. Two weeks before she made this speech she misspoke a quote on live-TV and was predicted to lose the race badly due to the slip up. Standing in that room with her, knowing she was talking about my friends and me, I knew I could make a difference. People had told me, and continue to tell me, that I can’t have an effect on the world that there is no purpose in trying, I am only one person. I was 14 years old back in 2008, I couldn’t even vote- but I had made a difference. In the short span of seven days I had learned that a Christian who truly cared about the work they were doing, can make a huge impact, whether or not they can vote.

 As Christians we tend to often decide that because there is no “perfect candidate” that fits all our ideology, that there is no reason to vote. This is one of the largest mistakes that Conservative Evangelicals make. If you don’t like who is in authority you need to do something yourself to change it, standing back because there isn’t a ‘perfect’ candidate is the fastest way to accomplish nothing. As I once heard someone say during a conversation- “If you want the country fixed, get up and do it yourself.”

 I may only be 19 years old, but I’ve been involved in politics at some level since I was 12. I am a member of the North Virginia based group Generation Joshua, Generation Joshua was founded by Michael Farris as an offshoot of HSLDA. Generation Joshua is a Christian group that trains young adults to be responsible voters, understand how our political system works, and getting out and using the knowledge gained to make a difference in the world. In order to be the difference in the world of politics, we, as Evangelical Christians, must become well educated voters, vote, and become involved at some level in campaigning.

All too often these days, Evangelical Christians Avoid politics, we tell ourselves that other people will do our share of the work, that we won’t make a difference, that as Christians we shouldn’t be involved and that it doesn’t really matter in the long run. But it does matter, in Romans we’re told “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (13:1) If the government authorities that are in place because God put them there, who are we to complain if we ourselves have done nothing to change the authority? We can be the change that we’re looking for by becoming informed voters, becoming active in local and national campaigns, and voting.

According to a Public Opinion strategy survey, about 32% of Americans coming to the polls identify themselves as part of the “Christian Conservative Movement.”  (Samuel) This is pretty down heartening, considering that according to a poll conducted by ABC showed that 83% of Americans consider themselves Christian, though only 37% of the 83% consider themselves born-again Christians.  (Langer) Also, even more discouraging, a study done by Georgia Mason University shows that only 41% of the registered voters actually shows up on ellection day.  (McDonald) Why the low numbers? If people have the right to vote wouldn’t the show up? Sadly this is often not true, they either forget, are ‘too busy’, or just don’t think it’s worth the effort and that their vote doesn’t matter. This was proven true to me back in 2008 when I was campaiging for Michelle Bachmann, the most used reason for not voting was time. Pretty much everyone I talked to was beyond shocked that I truly cared. I mean, why should a fourteen year old girl care about politics, I couldn’t vote. The answer I gave in reply to those questions was simple- I may not be able to vote now, but those people you’re voting for, the policies they make? They will effect me. Most policies take around 7 years to be put fully into action. I’ll be an adult by then, it effects me more than it effects you because I’ll live with those choices longer. When people realize the longevity of their choices they often look at them in a different light, it makes them re-think their stance.

Statistically, there are enough Evangelical Christians to make a pretty big swing in voting results if only they would get out and vote. But it’s not just showing up at the polls that makes a difference, it’s becoming a well educated voter, a voter that knows what they’re voting for and why and all the pitfalls in the choice along with the good things about that choice. We also must go beyond just educating ourselves, encouraging others to pay attention to politics and becoming informed themselves is a form of campaigning. Campaigning isn’t limited to knocking on doors, doing literature drops, phone banking and sign waving. Campaigning is getting the word out, whether by talking or posting links on social media sites, or just encouraging people to vote, even when that person is likely to not vote your way.

If you don’t get out and vote, who will? Making a change starts with us, be the change you want to see! If you want to see a better informed population when it comes to voting, instead of blindly voting as if it was a popularity contest, start with yourself.

Become more educated in what is going on in the world around you, pay attention the news- know what’s going on. First and most importantly, Become an educated voter and vote. According to an article on FOX news online, Americans are not very informed in the area of politics. Most people don’t know who represents them at what level, or the difference between state senate and U. S. Senate. There was a study done from 1945-1988 that helped determine how informed the US voting population was, the results are shocking. Even back in the mid-nineteen hundreds, the general population could only correctly answer at an average of 40%.  (How) That was back in the mid to late nineteen hundreds, how much less-informed are we now? Becoming informed so that you can make well educated votes makes all the difference between a society blind to their choices to a society that knows the results of their choice.

Next, get involved in campaigns. Whether it is at a local or a national level, campaigns are always looking for help.  On the faith-based website Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission which is an offshoot of the Southern Baptist Convention, there is a list of reasons and ways to get involved, they also give a straightforward and honest answer to why we as Christians should be involved in campaigns, “Some of the involvement in an election isn’t fun. It is work. It isn’t in the spotlight. But there are many things we as Christians need to do because they are necessary to help a candidate get a message across to the public. If we believe in the ideas and the person, then we will want to work to help get those ideas discussed and that person considered for office.” (Staff)  If you are sure that God isn't calling you into working hands on in the political field, monetary donations will always be accepted. Running a campaign is not cheap, even at a local level. Tons of money is poured into a campaign that doesn't have a set outcome.

Being an educated voter, voting, and getting involved in elections will bring change, it may not be noticeable at first, but others are watching you and will take cues from your actions. You can’t sit back and wait for someone else to be the first in your circle of friends to go out and do the nitty-gritty work of campaigning, or make a pronounced effort in becoming an educated voter. If change is going to come, it needs to start with you.

Back in 2008 I went into Bachmann’s campaign as a very uneducated citizen in the area that I was suddenly working in, I didn’t know too much about the election process or why it mattered. Over that week I developed a passion for politics, I learned why it mattered to me and why it was so important for everyone else as well.  In my case, Generation Joshua provided the ‘shove’ into politics that I needed to understand the importance of it in my life. For others it may be that a bill is about to be passed that could cause them issues morally or financially and they suddenly realize that if they had gotten involved sooner they might have done something more than just calling their senator.

Often the reasons we’re not involved in politics are because of the lies that we believe when it comes to politics and Jesus Christ. Most often heard is that Christian politics are a myth, because politics can’t be good. This is far from the truth, God created government, and all that he created was good. Government can be used for bad at times, but that doesn’t make government it-self bad. It’s like saying that guns are bad because they kill people, when we all know that people kill people, not guns.  In his article Why should Christians be involved in politics? John Canon explains the obligation we have as Christians to be involved in politics “As Christians we ought to go much further than this universal moral commitment. As those redeemed by Christ and brought into the family of God we need to exhibit a spirit of justice, care and mutual concern for our fellow men and women. As Christ went about doing good (Acts 10:38), so should we. We are to get involved in the way the world is run, and seek to do good and restrain evil. As St Theresa of Avila said, 'we are the hands and feet of Jesus'. St Paul described Christians as 'ambassadors for Christ' as though God were making his appeal through us. Part of being Christ's ambassador is to advocate for him and his ways in our political system. We are his workers, who help usher in his Kingdom ways on the earth.”  (Canon)

Not getting involved and doing nothing does just that, nothing. How do we expect changes to occur if we don’t get up and be the change?

Getting involved in politics and becoming an informed voter can bring about change, slow as it may be, change is change. If all Evangelical Christians took on their responsibility as Christians and became informed voters we could change the US and bring our Founding Father’s faith back as an important foundation for our nation. 

A cry that is often heard in political circles is “Get out the vote!” it means just that- get the word out, let people know what you stand for, why and why they should vote for you. Becoming an informed voter is a way that we as Christians can cry “get out the vote!” When we make it a point to become well informed and involved voters the people around us will not only pay attention but may follow suit.

Works Cited

Canon, J. John. Why Should Christians be Involved in Politics? 2 March 2012 .

How Well-Informed Are American Voters? 20 August 2004. 2 March 2012 .

Langer, Gary. ABC News Go. 18 July 2004. 1 March 2012 .

McDonald, Dr. Michael. 2010 General Election Turnout Rates. 28 Decemeber 2011. 1 March 2012 .

New International Version Bible 1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984. Web. .

Samuel, Stephanie. Christian Post. 4 Novemember 2010. 1 March 2012 .

Staff. Ethics and Religious Commission. 16 October 2008. 2 March 2012 .

Stellar, Chris. MnIndy video: Bachmann claims victory over Tinklenberg. 5 November 2008. 2 March 2012 .