Should Christians Vote Or Be Involved In Politics?

Should Christians vote? Or be involved in politics?

It’s an interesting question, perhaps even an unnecessary one for some of you, and you may be wondering why I’m asking.

I grew up in a religious community that taught emphatically that Christians shouldn’t be involved in politics or have any degree of civic engagement (ie the police force, law, navy). We are in the world but not of it.

To vote, specifically, was to potentially, inadvertently, counter God’s will and thwart His sovereign intentions – something I’ll dig into a little later in this article.

So insistent were they on this position that to vote was and still is listed as a doctrine to be rejected. To admit to voting was, at one time and in many places, to put your church membership in jeopardy.

This is possibly not the unofficial case now, but it still remains the official position of the church I grew up in and for, many of my peers, in other churches within the denomination.

I grew up in New Zealand, where voting isn’t compulsory anyway, so many people had a ‘take it or leave it’ attitude to the whole issue. We were taught early on that it wasn’t to be done, but it wasn’t really a topic that was open for questioning or posing an alternative view.

I moved from New Zealand to Australia in early 2008, and the church I joined (part of the larger religious movement) held the same position.

Voting in Australia, however, is compulsory, so a general statement with an appropriate explanation for failure to vote was always circulated among church members to use when their failure to vote form would arrive.

I came to know of some members who didn’t personally hold to this position and voted anyway but they kept this to themselves, for obvious reasons. Again, there was no opportunity to question or discuss the matter.

Raising it was implicit confirmation that you had a faith drift issue occurring and that your slide into apathetic atheism wasn’t far off. You were viewed with suspicion – if you were wrong on this, what else did you have wrong?

This is the framework I grew up with, and I never thought to question it too deeply. Although I do remember that the fact that this matter was so legislated on and wasn’t considered a matter of conscience sat uncomfortably with me. It formed one of the (many) small pebbles I mention in my article ‘Leaving’, niggling at me and begging for an answer.

So what should a Christian’s position be on politics, civil engagement and involvement with the affairs of this world? Is voting really prohibited in scripture?

And should this be an excommunication-level issue, or is it something that each Christian should be personally convicted on according to their conscience?

Salt and Light

The first thought that comes to mind in this conversation is the truth that the Christian mandate is to be ‘salt and light’. I’ve talked a little bit about salt and light before but here’s a quick refresher:

Salt was valuable in the ancient world, not just for its flavour but because it was also a preserving element. It was used to season, preserve, disinfect, clean, and enhance flavour.

An old Polish proverbs confirms – “without salt the feast is spoiled.”

Light dispels darkness. It guides the way and warns of danger.

From the very beginning, light is central to the biblical narrative. “Let there be light” God says in Genesis 1:3.

Before anything else, God brings order and life by dispelling the darkness. Light becomes a symbol of creation, goodness, and God’s sovereign word, of life itself.

So for Christians to be salt and light is for them to be agents of life, health, and preservation, bringing kingdom values and God’s own goodness into their spheres of influence, small or great.

This, of course, starts in their own homes and within their own families, but can’t be truly contained to just these spaces. It must spill over into the greater arenas of life: neighbourhoods, communities, churches… places where the good news of the gospel is not just heard but also demonstrated and experienced.

It’s impossible to bring light, as the gospels point out, by hiding it under a basket. And if the salt has lost its savour, surely it’s only good to be thrown out and cast underfoot (Matthew 5:13).

To “keep savour” is to remain in Christ, walking in repentance, prayer, and love. Just as salt preserves food from decay, so the Church is meant to preserve the world from corruption by bearing witness to God’s kingdom.

To be a light bearer is to continue walking with God, the glorious light of the gospel being reflected in one’s words and deeds. And just as light dispels darkness and brings life, so Christians are to share the life-giving good news of Jesus Christ and to live as guiding lights, both warning of danger and guiding toward safety.

It’s both encouragement and warning: our lives are to be filled and shared with the flavour and light of Christ, otherwise, we risk becoming tasteless and ineffective in our witness.

Objections To Voting

One of the common reasons given for the prohibition on voting in the religious community that I grew up in was the fear of countervening God’s sovereign will through making the wrong selection or supporting the wrong candidate.

Firstly, I think this is a very reductionist argument. It grants far too much power to human agency while failing to acknowledge the supreme power of Almighty God.

As if any decision we make can subvert God’s will or disrupt His plans and purposes. In that sense, nothing we do or don’t do can alter God’s plans.

You might then ask, well, what does it matter either way? If what we do has no real effect on God’s plans, then why not just opt out of the whole thing entirely and leave things to work out as they will?

While it’s certainly true that God’s plan has a preordained completion and that His word will not return to Him void, that we are powerless in many respects before this sovereign will, it is also just as true that God works in and through His people. He always has, and He always will.

It is precisely for this reason that I believe we should not opt out but press in, prayerfully asking for God’s guidance and will to be done and, in the words of Samuel, say, “here I am, Lord, send me”.

Why Pressing In Can Be Complex

The issues facing Christians when considering whether to vote or be involved in civic affairs perhaps relate to the complexity that comes from pressing in.

The kingdom of this world does not share the values of the  Kingdom of God, and, in fact, the truth is that darkness hates light – there is no possibility of coexistence.

The reality for Christians is that they are engaged in a spiritual battle – not with flesh and blood – but with spiritual darkness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

Being involved in a world governed at its core by opposing values will inevitably bring discord, enmity, and disruption. Where the ways of God confront the ways of the world, there can be no lasting harmony, for light and darkness simply cannot share the same space. This is why the darkness fears the light, not because it doesn’t want to share space but because the light destroys it completely, leaving no quarter for it to exist.

Christians may also mistakenly believe that their role is to impose Christian values by force ,but this, in itself, contravenes Jesus’ mandate. Followers of Jesus are to be peacemakers, the meek of the earth, given to generous love – people who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

“Blessed are the pure in heart”, Jesus says, in his kingdom manifesto, the passage of Scripture we call the Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13:31-32 describes a kingdom that starts small, buried and almost hidden, but one which grows into something life-giving and sheltering, filling the whole earth.

The parable emphasises the quiet, organic growth through faith and love, not through power or forceful coercion.

The Kingdom of God is, instead, like a mustard seed that is planted, not a violent army that conquers through force.

And, in fact, the king of this kingdom – Jesus Christ himself – demonstrated the soul of this counter-cultural kingdom in the way in which he lived and died, not as a conquering king subduing his enemies through violence and death but, instead, being (seemingly) undone by those same enemies, dying on their behalf. (However, there was deeper magic at work – as C S Lewis puts it, and Jesus’ death at the hands of his enemies was not the end but the beginning – but that is another story for another article!)

Christians must wrestle with this tension – being in the world, dual-citizens if you like, and how best to navigate the issues at hand, while firmly keeping their eyes fixed on their allegiance to King Jesus and the values of his kingdom.

Thoughts From John Stott

John Stott, in his excellent book, “Issues Christians Face” argues that Christians should seek justice, care for the vulnerable, and love their neighbour in a way that may include campaigning or influencing policy, but the motivation should always be compassion, obedience to Christ, and concern for the common good – not just winning political advantage.

And, he stresses, engagement shouldn’t be from a place of ignorance or superiority.

He comments that not every Christian must engage in what he calls ‘narrow politics’ (legislation, policy making, party politics) unless they are well informed, responsible, and feel called to do so.

Broad politics, however, is something that every Christian is and should be involved in simply by being citizens and by living out Christian values in society.

Part of Stott’s legacy is urging Christians to engage thoughtfully in issues of society – morality, justice, economics, environment, welfare.

He did not believe Christians should retreat from the public square, and neither did he believe that faith is only a matter of words.

We can go a step further, and I would be confident that this would also be John Stott’s assessment, and state that true and living faith is dead without deeds (James 2:26). Living faith can only be demonstrated through action.

If Christians are gospel people in word, they must also be gospel people in deed, sealed, saturated, and sent as kingdom ambassadors into every corner of the globe.

Yet because societies are complex and humans are flawed, Christian engagement involves tension, difficult trade-offs, and discernment.

Voting or policy positions will rarely match perfectly with Christian ideals. One must weigh what is possible, less harmful, and what promotes justice, peace, and human dignity, while holding to one’s personal convictions and conscience. Stott’s writings reflect that caution.

Whatever You Decide, Be Prayerfully Convicted

Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10 remind us that some matters fall under conscience. Christians may come to different conclusions about how to vote or engage, but what matters is doing so “to the Lord” with integrity, not judgment of others.

I have friends who have deeply considered this matter and are convinced, as Christians, that they shouldn’t vote. I don’t share their convictions, but I deeply respect that they have given the matter thought and are endeavouring to live out their convictions to the best of their ability.

Any action made or taken in the civic space should be undertaken prayerfully and thoughtfully, keeping in perspective that the true hope of the world is not any one political party or agenda but Jesus Christ himself and his glorious ministry of reconciliation.

Timothy 2:1–2 calls on all believers to pray for rulers “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives.” This doesn’t replace civic action but shows prayer as the first and most essential political act.

Common Objections To Political and Civic Engagement

There are several objections that Christians raise in relation to being involved civically and politically and, while I don’t personally think they’re compelling reasons to abstain, they’re worth considering.

1. “Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Some argue this means Christians should not participate in earthly systems. However, Jesus was pointing to the source of His authority, not advocating withdrawal from public life.

Further, he acknowledges the reality of two kingdoms – his and the one of this world – and the tension that exists between the two. He prays to his Father for his followers, not that He would remove them from the world but that He would protect them from the evil one (John 17:15). Jesus makes it clear that His followers are meant to remain in the world – living, serving, witnessing – but not to be of the world.

He does not ask for their escape but for their preservation. Their presence in the world is essential to God’s plan, as salt and light among the nations, but they need God’s protection from the corruption and schemes of the evil one.

2. Fear of compromise or corruption. Many avoid politics because it feels “dirty” or full of compromise. While politics is certainly messy and not for the faint of heart or weak in faith, it remains one of the arenas where Christians can practically bear witness to faith, hope and love.

There are several biblical examples of faithful involvement in civic engagement: Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, and Esther all served in pagan governments while maintaining loyalty to God.

In the New Testament, we see Paul the Apostle using his civic rights, not for personal gain but to advance the gospel, providing a biblical precedent for using legal and political means wisely (Acts 22:25).

3. The church’s witness. Some worry that political involvement ties the church too closely to one party or agenda. This is indeed a risk and one that the early church also faced.

With its swing to public favour and legitimisation in the early fourth century, the church experienced a melding of state and faith, with many politically ambitious but religiously disinterested streaming into the officially favoured church. Not only did this produce shallowness and permeation of the pagan superstitions still held by many, but also the secularisation and misuse of religion for political purposes.

Christians need to constantly remind themselves that the church is not of this world. She exists for Christ, to lift up his name, and to proclaim his good news. When we forget these underlying principles and instead become wedded to one political party as if that alone can solve the world’s problems, we have traded the supernatural transformation that comes from the Holy Spirit for partisan preference, a form of idolatry.

Political involvement must always remain secondary to the gospel and allegiance to Christ.

Conclusion

Ultimately, our allegiance is to Jesus Christ, the true King. However, I believe voting or engaging in politics, keeping the above cautions in mind, is a way to love our neighbour and seek the common good.

Many great social reforms were driven by dedicated and prayerful Christians who believed their faith must shape society, such as William Wilberforce, the British parliamentarian, in the abolition of the slave trade, or Florence Nightingale, who was deeply motivated by her Christian faith, pioneering modern medicine and healthcare reform.

The Methodist movement is another great example of the gospel not remaining as dry theology but taking root in practical action – education for the poor, medical care for the sick, and the insistence, as John Wesley put it, that ‘there is no holiness but social holiness.’

Politics is never the heart of our faith – but it’s one way of living out our discipleship in a broken world, faithfully acting as salt and prayerfully bringing light.

Finally, as in all things, we must act with integrity, hold firm to our allegiance to Jesus Christ, and continually pray, as he did, “Father, your will be done on earth as in heaven.”

Indeed, to pray in this way is to commit ourselves to becoming part of the answer.