3 timeless truths for Christians to remember at the ballot box

How should Christians engage in politics in a manner consistent with their Christian faith? How should a Christian's faith influence his political engagement?

In our hyper-politicized culture, Christians disagree on the correct answer to these questions — and that's OK.

Christians must remember: No matter where you live, your primary allegiance is to Jesus, his church, and what he called the 'kingdom of God.'

Christians are not a monolith. Every Christian has personal experiences that impact how they view the world. Our background and life circumstances affect what issues we believe are important. Life experience, moreover, shapes how we understand what role our faith should have in influencing our political engagement.

In 1984, the Assemblies of God offered Christian voters guidelines to help them wisely consider how to engage in politics.

Dr. Daniel Isgrigg, a professor at Oral Roberts University, who reposted the principles this week, calls them "a breath of fresh air in this current political climate."

The guidelines are as follows:

1. Do not confuse patriotism, national pride, and Western culture with Christian faith and practice.
2. Do not confuse secular political activity with the purpose of the church, nor campaigning with witnessing and preaching.
3. Do not make slanderous or false accusations against your opponents, but maintain your integrity. Do not consider a brother or sister who is of like precious faith an adversary if he or she holds a different political view.
4. At all times endeavor to verify information before accepting it as true or before repeating it to others.
5. At all times endeavor to know and understand the candidate's positions and evaluate him or her on that basis, on the basis of his or her ability to perform the duties and functions of the office, and his or her integrity.
6. At all times endeavor to know and understand the issues; do not excuse yourself from this duty by saying, "God will show me whom to vote for."
7. At all times compare a candidate's position with Scripture but only where the Scripture addresses the issue; do not force Scripture to address issues that the Author did not intend to address.
8. Neither vote nor work for a candidate merely because he or she professes to be of the Christian faith.
9. Do not neglect your family, worship, prayer, or Bible study.
10. At all times uphold your leaders in prayer.

These guidelines are not rules. They are guidelines to help us wisely engage in politics.

But there are a few timeless truths embedded in this list that we should remember when engaging in politics on social media, in relationships, and as citizens at the ballot box.

1. A Christian's allegiance belongs to Jesus

Few people would argue that it is a sin to love your country or to be proud of the land in which you live. But Christians must remember: No matter where you live, your primary allegiance is to Jesus, his church, and what he called the "kingdom of God."

Yes, we are citizens of earthly nations. But as the apostle Paul reminds us, "Our citizenship is in heaven." Christians should not be indifferent to their communities, and we should seek the common good.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote to the exiles in Babylon on behalf of God:

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Seeking the good of your community, state, and country is good for everyone. But Christians should not pursue certain political outcomes if they are incongruent with the Christian faith or their allegiance to Jesus.

2. Love your neighbor

Most of the guidelines above reverberate around Jesus' teaching on loving your neighbor.

Not to slander or lie about those who hold politically different views is loving your neighbor. To approach them with charity is loving them. Verifying the truth before sharing information is loving your neighbor. Understanding a candidate correctly is to love the candidate as your neighbor. Understanding the issues of an election — because it allows you to vote wisely — is loving your neighbor.

The command to love your neighbor wasn't new when Jesus taught it.

In fact, God gave the Israelites an imperative to radically love their neighbors, and Jesus drew on the ancient wisdom of his Jewish faith (in Leviticus 19) when he taught the greatest commandment.

Many of the voting guidelines above are echoed in Leviticus 19:

• Verse 11: "You shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another."
• Verse 13: "You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him."
• Verse 15: "You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor."
• Verse 16: "You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor."
• Verse 17: "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor."
• Verse 18: "You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

3. Read the Bible, pray, and engage your Christian community

Two of the primary modes of communication that God uses to speak to his people are through prayer and the scriptures.

The guidelines above remind Christians that they must remain steadfast in the core Christian disciplines of prayer, Bible-reading, and worship to engage in politics wisely.

Psalm 1 teaches Christians:

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.

Biblical wisdom — that which comes from God — comes from communing with God through prayer, the scriptures, and the church. It is only when Christians remain in prayer, in the scriptures, and in community with other Christians that they grow in God's wisdom.

As we head to the ballot box this November, thoughtfully consider how the guidelines above may help you vote in a wise and discerning manner. And most importantly, remember who you are in Christ.