Not On the Ballot

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Here in Moscow we are having our city council elections tomorrow. And of course, I would urge all Christians who are living within the city limits of Moscow to do their civic duty and get out there and vote. For those who are readers of this blog residing elsewhere, it is quite possible that there is an election near you (except for you international readers), and so you too have an opportunity to get out there and vote against the Dumb Stuff. And when the Dumb Stuff seems overwhelming, just remember the two different approaches David could have taken with Goliath. The first is the counsel of despair. “He is so big! I can’t win.” The second, the counsel of faith, is: “He is so big! I can’t miss.” Lots of Dumb Stuff out there in a balloting booth near you — you can’t miss. Figuring out how to vote is like trying to hit a cow on the rear end with a canoe paddle.

Moscow residents who are short one canoe paddle can find one in a voter scorecard on Dale Courtney’s blog over at Right Mind. I’ll add the link when I get down to the office.

This is an important election. Some of the candidates are willing for the Christians to be run out of downtown, and some of the candidates are not willing for that. This is the kind of election that helps to concentrate the thinking. But even with the stakes this high, and the election being a matter of no small concern to us, it remains true that our help is in the Lord who made heaven and earth. I would ask our friends around the country to pray for us.

Politics is not our savior, but it is important for us to be engaged in the political process. We only contend that we should be engaged in it with a right sense of priority and balance. In other words, we should be involved in the life of the community, including voting, for the same reason that we rake the leaves in our yard. It is the responsible thing to do. But we are to do it with full awareness that the state is not god, and we, the whispering voices of demos in the state’s ear, are not god either. When I consider the religious fervor of those whose closest brush with the numinous is to put up lots of yard signs, I am reminded that only Jesus Christ is Lord.

The election is tomorrow. And on Wednesday, the day after the election, Jesus will still be Lord. It turns out that His name is not ever going to be on the ballot.

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