There is a growing number of conservative Christians who have decided they are finished with politics in America. They have stopped voting, stopped participating in the process, and in many cases grown apathetic toward governance altogether. What happens when Christians voluntarily surrender their voice?
The reasons are numerous and often understandable. Some are simply exhausted with modern-day politics. Some distrust the process or believe their vote does not matter. Some have watched candidates become turncoat politicians. Others cannot reconcile voting for candidates whose character, temperament, or past conduct is objectionable. Those concerns are real.
However, we must confront a more difficult question: Is withdrawing from the electoral process really the “Christian thing to do?”
Josh Howerton, Senior Pastor of Lakepointe Church in Texas, recently addressed this very question: “Are your conservative values above your Christian values, so that if the conservative thing is ever at odds with the Christian thing, you abandon the Christian thing and do the conservative thing? Or, are your Christian values above your conservative values so that it stands in authority over all?”
His answer is clear: “I’m sticking with the Christian thing.”
That must be our starting point. Our Christianity does not answer to our conservatism; our conservatism must answer to our Christianity. Christianity first. Conservatism second.
Scripture repeatedly addresses leadership, authority, and the consequences of righteous versus unrighteous leadership. Christians are instructed to respect legitimate governing authority. In America, we have something previous generations rarely possessed: a direct voice in determining who exercises that authority. Why would we voluntarily surrender it?
God established institutions of responsibility—the family, the church, and civil government. When responsibility is abandoned, it does not disappear. Someone else fills the space. When Christians abandon their responsibility in public life, Satan does not wait for our endorsement to take over. He is eager to exploit the spaces we surrender—whether our family, our church, or our government.
Government does not stop because Christians become frustrated. Laws are written, policies enacted, judges appointed, schools governed, and families affected. Someone will exercise that authority in place of your absence. As Howerton put it, “When godly people don’t exercise their choices, then godless people will do so.”
Failing to participate does not make an election disappear; it is simply a surrender of our influence over the outcome. When Christians abandon the process, those who reject our values take ground and advance their ungodly causes. They vote, they organize, they recruit candidates, they seek office, and they govern.
Another misconception must also be confronted: some Christians believe voting for a candidate represents blessing that person. It does not. A vote is not a sacrament.
Your ballot does not declare a candidate righteous, nor does it endorse everything that candidate has said or done. You are not choosing a pastor, a Sunday school teacher, or a best friend. You are choosing someone to govern—someone who will advance the values and principles that are dear to us.
The Bible describes many with dramatically different personalities. John the Baptist was hardly polished by modern standards, and Paul could be direct and confrontational. History, meanwhile, offers plenty of pleasant, polished politicians who advanced destructive policies. Politics is not about personalities, niceties, or personal preferences. It is about policies, governance, and the preservation of our values and freedoms.
Niceness is not righteousness. Personality is not policy. Character still matters. Integrity, accountability, a candidate’s record, and whether that person keeps promises all matter. But often we have candidates who fail to meet our ideal package. We are then left with this question: How do we vote for people who’s past and personalities are questionable?
Before Election Day, we must do our homework. It is our responsibility to choose which candidate on the ballot is most likely to advance policies that benefit our children, our communities, our state, and our nation—and vote against those who will most likely cause the most harm.
This is not perfection versus imperfection. It is available choice A versus available choice B.
Practically speaking, it does not matter how many righteous policies a politician may advance. If Christians will not vote, those policies will not move forward. Somebody will show up and vote. Will it be someone who is godly or someone who is ungodly?
Staying home does not “send a message.” Despite believing this is an effective form of silent protest, it is not. No one will hear your message. No one knows you are protesting the election.
If you want better candidates, participate earlier. Recruit them. Support them. Run for office yourself. But refusing to vote does not cancel the election. It simply means the decision is made without your input.
Intentionally or not, we are handing our children and grandchildren a cultural inheritance shaped by the policies resulting from our participation—or our refusal to participate. Candidates disappear, but policies endure for generations. The question is not simply, “Do I like this candidate or that candidate?” It is: Of the candidates available, which is most likely to leave my children and grandchildren a better inheritance?
Christ called us the salt of the earth. Salt does not eliminate decay; it slows it and preserves what is good. That is an important way to understand our responsibility in public life.
Politics cannot save America. Evangelism and discipleship remain more important than politics, but that does not excuse political withdrawal. As salt, we have a responsibility to preserve what is good and slow societal decay where we can. Your vote is one way we exercise that responsibility. Your vote is not a sacrament, it is not a declaration of perfection, nor is it an expression of affection. Your vote is an exercise of responsibility.
To Christians who have stepped away from civic participation: come back. A political party does not deserve your loyalty, and candidates do not deserve your admiration. Yet, your Christian values and responsibility must be greater than your disappointment with politics.
Participate in the electoral process. Help recruit better candidates. Support good candidates. Encourage good people to serve. Consider whether you should run for office. Vote. Vote. Vote.
When Christians withdraw from the electoral process, it simply moves forward without their voice. Our duty demands action. Vote for our children. Vote for our grandchildren. Take a stand. Reclaim the ground we have surrendered. Do not let evil prevail.
