Voices of Faith: Three questions to ask before you vote

On June 21, I have the unique opportunity of attending a meeting in Manhattan with a group of fellow Christian leaders and Donald Trump. This meeting is not to be interpreted as an endorsement, but instead as an opportunity to hear Mr. Trump’s thoughts for his platform (including his support of Israel), prospective Supreme Court appointees, his cabinet, and vice president possibilities in relation to Christianity.

Ultimately, I’m in the same situation as a lot of people of faith, Christian or otherwise. The question at hand is: “For whom should I vote?” Should you vote for Hillary Clinton, Trump, a third-party candidate, write in a name or abstain?

In addition to what atheists ponder when choosing their candidate of choice, people of faith need to ask three questions about any candidate before casting their respective ballots:

1. What is the candidate’s faith?

I don’t have to have the same theological beliefs as another person in order to feel good voting for them. However, it is also important to remember that Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

Think about what happened the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Would you rather a person have the fear of the Lord to guide their decision-making or not? Romans 8:14 says, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

2. How would the candidate’s faith impact their policies?

The Bible teaches that one’s belief in Jesus Christ should impact the entirety of life: finances, relationships, vocation, hobbies, etc. Does the candidate bifurcate their faith from their political policies or is there unity and synergy within their platform?

3. Do the candidate’s policies align with their faith’s Scriptures?

I’ve looked through the Bible and can’t find any verses that pertain to fracking or global warming or the devaluation of Chinese currency. You could play Scriptural gymnastics to try to prove a lot of tertiary political issues, but that’s not the point of what you should do. The point is to see what values the candidate holds compared to the values of the Scriptures and see if they’re the same.

In conclusion, where do you stand theologically and politically? Do they align? Now is the time to educate yourself on all the options that are before you by doing your homework. Ask these three questions and hold them up to all of the candidates on your ballot. Then vote and trust the results within the hands of a sovereign God.

Jeremy Roberts is the pastor of Church of the Highlands.