How will you vote?

As a product of the historic Black Church, currently active as a member of a predominantly-white, mainstream, evangelical church, who through musical associations has been exposed to mainline Christianity, and who through work in secular educational establishments has been exposed to political and social liberalism, it has been my privilege to gain a broad perspective on how different kinds of people tend to think—theologically, politically and otherwise.

When it comes to current Presidential politics and the Christian, I’ve observed that there are Christians who are genuinely puzzled that any real Christian would ever vote for President Obama, while there are other Christians who similarly wonder how in the world a real Christian could ever vote for his Republican rival. As difficult as it may be for some to imagine, there are genuine Christians who voted for Obama, and there are genuine Christians who voted (and/or will vote) for his opponent. A truly biblical and Christian stance does not fall neatly along political party lines. There are sinful practices promoted and/or tolerated by politicians in every political party.

So what does this mean for the Christian as we look ahead to November’s Presidential election? Practically speaking, it means that who Christians decide to vote for will probably boil down to which sins we can best tolerate. In other words, there are no perfect candidates, and there is no “Christian” choice. In my opinion, Christians need to pray, seek God’s guidance in Scripture, and then vote one’s conscience, trusting God who is sovereign over all.