Evangelicals for Jesus

Election years are tiring. It is especially tiring when you culture is pandered to and misconstrued in order to win votes.

Those who identify as an evangelical are assumed to be right-wing conservatives. Pulling up a few headlines dealing with evangelicals we find Why Evangelicals Support Trump, Why are Evangelical Votes so Ambivalent About Ted Cruz?, and my favorite, 3 questions evangelicals should ask about Donald Trump. The 3 questions article proposes the following questions:

1. What is known about Trump's personal life and morality?
2. Where does Trump stand on moral and social policy issues of concern to Christians and to which the Bible speaks to clearly?
3. Are the love of money and pride legitimate issues to weigh when considering support for a presidential candidate?

When Ben Carson endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, his campaign chairman, General Bob Dees wrote "In all candor, some of this critical dynamic reminds me of Passion Week which began with Hosannas from the people, and ended with “Crucify Him.” Yet Christ had not changed, just as Dr. Ben Carson has not changed his devotion to God, his fundamental policy convictions regarding the right path for our nation, or his undying commitment to Save America for Future Generations." Somehow people disagreeing with Dr. Carson's endorsement of Trump is comparable to the crowd choosing Barabbas over Jesus before Pilate.

I don't think evangelicals should care about any of those 3 questions from the perspective of being an evangelical. They are fine questions, but hardly the most important ones for an evangelical. We should not be equating a political election with the death of our Lord and Savior for our sins.

An evangelical should be concerned first with the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, not the kingdoms of this world. Remember what the Psalmist penned, "He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision." The kingdom that we as Christians belong to is not the kingdom of the United States. When Jesus is questioned by Pilate, he says "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place." Our kingdom is not to be ruled by people, elected or appointed, but by Jesus Christ himself. As the voices in Heaven cry out when the 7th trumpet is blown, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever."

It is frustrating to see our politics has been used to divide the Church, the Body of Jesus. Being a born-again Christian is now a politically charged term associated with Republicans. Despite that Democrat then Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter was the first to state he was a born-again Christian, to compete in the Republican party, you must cite your faith.

But even worse, is that arguments are made that if you are a Christian, you can or cannot support certain candidates. Paul encourages us to pray for all people, especially our leaders. He does not specify that we should only pray for leaders, politicians, and candidates that we support, but all people. Paul was dealing with leaders who sought to seek out and kill Christians, yet he still encouraged prayer for them. This is most certainly only done by the power of the Spirit.

Let's not allow politics to define our faith in our God. We should love God first and foremost, and love our neighbor as our self. Not because they agree with us politically, but because they too are made in the image of God.

This election is not God's ultimate redemption plan and is not to determine who will reign over the kingdom we as Christians belong to.