Making It Count
By Luke Rowe
“We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all” writes Pericles, a politician of ancient Athens. I’m not totally sold and when it comes to election time, unlike old boy Pericles, I wonder whether you’re tempted to just not care.
To be honest I spend a fair chunk of time grumbling about the whole thing (yes, despite my only major being Politics – insert your favourite ‘Arts is a useless degree’ joke right here). However, as Christians we sit under the command of God to be subject to the authorities that He has placed over us (Romans 13, 1 Peter 3), and so voting on August 21 is not only obedience to the law, but also obedience to God. If for no other reason, this makes our attitude towards how we vote of great importance. Here are three short observations:
First, God calls us as Christians to live lives with him at the blazing centre of our universe, and to live lives that are outward looking. We therefore do not vote for the person who will most improve our personal situation, but we seek what is best for others in our society. It is also worth noting that we shouldn’t necessarily vote for the person who will do the most for the majority of people.
The majority of people don’t actually need more money from, say, a tax cut or government subsidies. As Christians seeking to follow Christ, it is the poor, the socially unimportant, the unlovely and powerless who we must consider. It is always they who are the first and most affected by our greed and apathy (check out the book of James).
Second, we take into account biblical ethics. We do not believe in a kill joy God, but a God who created the world and created us. Not only did he do this, but he also sustains us and cares intimately for us, setting out a way to live that is good for us and designed to bring us great joy. We have been blessed with a country whose laws have been profoundly influenced by biblical teaching. It is so important to stand up for those laws which reflect biblical teaching and to oppose those which stand in opposition to it.
However, at this point it is also important to emphasise the difference between ‘Christianising’ and evangelising Australia. Having laws which reflect biblical ethics is not the end goal in itself, and having Christians with political power is certainly not a guarantee of having a society which reflects God’s values. Christians have had amazing influence on societies without having political power.
Third, we take into account opportunities to evangelise. Where ‘Christianising’ Australia is not the end goal, seeing God glorified in the declaration of the gospel of Christ is. The gospel of Christ is what ultimately transforms lives and transforms societies. We need to stand up for opportunities to freely have the gospel spoken in our society.
William Wilberforce was a Christian man who, humanly speaking, was central to ending the slave trade in the British Empire − a campaign which lasted some fifty years. What would such a man, who had seen profound change come through decades of perseverance in a secular government, say about the basis for hope in the future?
“I must confess equally boldly that my own solid hopes for the well-being of my country depend not so much on her navies and armies, nor on the wisdom of her rulers, nor on the spirit of her people, as on the persuasion that she still contains many who love and obey the Gospel of Christ. I believe that their prayers may yet prevail.”
No single party will ever fit every one of your criteria for voting as a Christian, but please take the time to seriously consider how you will vote in a couple of weeks. Weigh up the policies and remember that in obedience to our great God we are subject to the authorities over us, so don’t just give a ‘donkey vote’. Remember that while someone counts our vote and sees who we vote for, God sees the attitude of our hearts and our attitude toward to the society in which we live.
This is the challenge I have set myself for the next couple of weeks: when I go to make a complaint [whether trivial or justified] about the election, that I would pause and pray, even just briefly, for Christ to be honoured and for the attitude of my heart to conformed to his. Will you join me?
Luke Rowe is in his fourth year of Arts majoring in Politics and is not to be confused with the Welsh racing cyclist of the same name.
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