The Coming National Elections
By George “Chip” Hammond
I have lived through 12 U.S. presidential administrations and have voted in 10 presidential elections. I have never seen as much acrimony and murderous rage on both sides as I have seen in this one. Politicians have always been willing to misrepresent and twist the words of their opponents, but today the internet (particularly YouTube Reels) provides a powerful tool for deception that can mislabel events and places, and AI can create events and make people “say” things they’ve never said. The destructive power of it all is multiplied by the many people who are all too happy to be deceived if it benefits “their side.”
How should Christians live in this is twisted and perverse generation of Republicans and Democrats? Paul writes, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:14-15).
Paul tells us three things here: 1) Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 2) be blameless and innocent in this twisted generation, 3) let the light of Christ shine from you as you hold fast to him. How can we do that in this election season?
Our Citizenship is in Heaven
Paul wrote, “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians. 3:18-20).
Paul warned about teachers who had infiltrated the church, who may have given lip service to the cross of Christ (who in the church would listen if they were transparently opposed to the cross of Christ?), but who were enemies of it. Their minds were set on earthly things. The Greek word here means “to develop an opinion by careful thought.” Paul doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t think about worldly things carefully; his difference is with those who think that’s what life is all about, who ascribe to the things of this world ultimate meaning. What Paul says well characterizes those who think that “it will be the end of the world” if their political preference does not come to pass.
Certainly, this is what politicians tell us about their opponents. “The country will come to an end if my opponent is elected.” I’ve heard that kind of political rhetoric before, but through twelve presidential administrations, my life has changed very little. When I voted for people who I was told were going to “save the country” and make everything great – well, they never quite delivered on that promise. When people were elected for whom I did not vote, and of whom I was told my life would be ruined if they got into office – well, that never quite happened either. Through twelve administrations my life has never gotten significantly better, nor has it ever gotten significantly worse.
What can keep us from getting caught up in the over-blown frenzy of false claims from both sides? Remember that ultimately your citizenship is in heaven, and whatever happens here, you’re awaiting a savior from there. From there, not from here. The early twentieth century on both the political right and the political left demonstrates what can happen when people look for a savior from here.
Rejoice with Truth
John writes, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). One of the qualities of love is that it rejoices in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). From time to time in the political sphere someone will admit to propagating a lie “for the greater good.” Christians can never countenance this, for as it is with the God we serve, there must be no partiality. Lies are lies. Lies are not “better lies” because they come from “my side.”
To this end, your attitude toward anything you see on Facebook or in YouTube Reels should be one of skepticism. Sometimes it will be real (not AI generated) footage, but deliberately misidentified as something other than what it really is. Those who know how to access the metadata may be able to figure out what it really is and how it has been manipulated, but for those of us without that capability, skepticism should be the stance to anything we see online (it always astounds me the number of people who are skeptical toward known experts, but believe things posted by some unknown guy with a camera and an internet connection).
One major problem for those who care about truth is that people can become internet mules for lies. People see something about an opponent that they want to be true, so they repost it. I’ve seen it happen more than once in my own church. I have great respect for the people who later take the false post down and apologize for making it. The Scriptures tell us, “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).
A good test to check whether you rejoice with the truth, or have simply come a political pawn is to answer the question, “What good thing can I attribute to the candidate I am not supporting?” I recently asked someone that question who has disdain for Donald Trump. “Nothing!” was his immediate reply, but as I gently pressed him further, he said, “Well, I guess he is responsible for the production and distribution of the Covid vaccine.” I asked the same question of someone with similar disdain for Joe Biden, and got the same response, but on pressing him further, he said, “Well, I guess the U.S. economy is recovering faster than the economies of other countries.”
If you can’t think of anything good to say about a candidate opposing the one you support, then you are not rejoicing with the truth. Even during the height of Hitler’s brutality, crime was low, and the trains ran on time. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote about those who rejoice in thinking as badly of certain people as they can possibly think. He said that such people eventually end up being unable to see good anywhere and become fixed in a world of pure hatred.
Avoid Conspiracy Theories
Isaiah the prophet wrote, “For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ‘Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread’” (Isaiah 8:11-12).
There is such a thing as conspiracy, which is defined as two or more people agreeing to do wrong. Two people may be able to conceal a conspiracy, but the more people are involved the less plausible any theory of conspiracy becomes. A little critical thought would easily dispel most conspiracy theories, but at times they reach a level that is so absurd that only those who want to be deceived can believe them.
In August of 2005 the state of Louisiana, particularly the city of New Orleans, was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Criticism of the Bush administration was quick to come, with allegations that they were keeping federal aid from getting there, and charges that they were interfering with private aid. There were even people who went as far as to claim that George W. Bush controlled the weather and had sent the hurricane to New Orleans.
I rolled my eyes at these allegations, which were so patently ridiculous that only someone completely detached from reality could countenance them. At the time I was twenty years younger than I am now (we all were), and I foolishly thought that insanity reined on the political left, and reason on the political right.
Not long ago, Hurricane Helene came up the Gulf of Mexico, devasting the Carolinas. The same conspiracy theories popped up, but this time from the right – federal aid was being withheld, private aid was being interfered with, and (I wish I were making this up) Joe Biden controls the weather and had sent the hurricane to the Carolinas.
Neither the political left nor the political right has a corner on stupidity. Both will grasp at “stupid straws” when “their guy” is not in charge or they are not getting their way. This really shouldn’t surprise us. It’s what happens when people “set their minds on earthly things.”
There are some practical ways to avoid being taken in by conspiracy theories. The first is simply “the smell test.” Ask yourself, “If this was alleged about the candidate I support, would it be at all plausible, or would it seem completely ridiculous?” Apply the same standard to everyone.
There are also ways you can verify or falsify certain claims. During the 2008 presidential campaign an allegation was made that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S., which, if true, would render him ineligible to serve as President. One of Bethel’s elders at the time worked for a national news agency, and this was potentially big news. Allegations were made that Obama’s birth certificate had been newly created. Some people at church were asking if the allegations might be true. This elder was able to report back that his news agency had sent correspondents to Hawaii to multiple libraries to access their microfiche copies of local newspapers from August 1961 and had found announcements of Barak Obama’s birth in Honolulu.
If you hear allegations of criminal activity in a particular city that are disputed, and you want to check for yourself, you can look (usually online) at the reports of the local police departments for that city. As a former Police Chaplain, I can tell you that police agencies get their funding based on crime, and so they are very eager to publish all the crime that happens in their jurisdiction. If there is nothing about the event or activity in the report, it did not happen.
Don’t get caught up with the crowd for whom ideology is more important than truth. As Christians, we must rejoice with the truth, whatever it is. We must not be conformed to the world.
Simon Says
In Acts 8 in Samaria a man by the name of Simon “believed and was baptized” (Acts 8:13). Simon previously had been what we would today call a medium, engaging in parlor tricks to deceive people for his own benefit. Simon’s conversion, however, was not sincere. He endeavored to buy from Peter the gift of the Holy Spirit so he could add the mark of Christianity to his bag of tricks and continue to attract people for his own benefit.
Sadly, the spirit of Simon is alive and well in American Christianity. Whenever you hear a preacher or pastor say, “If you are really a Christian, you must vote for my candidate,” you are hearing the voice of Simon. He is engaging in the trick of manipulation for his own perceived political benefit.
Certainly, our faith as Christians should go with us into the voting booth. But for those who take this seriously, it can never be a matter of simply being manipulated into voting for Simon’s candidate. Your decision will be a matter of what God’s Word teaches, what you believe about the candidates, and what your conscience allows. These last two may be different for different people. In the 2024 election:
A Christian may vote for Donald Trump. One may do this for a few reasons. He or she may not like or trust Trump but may think that whatever threat he represents is containable, and that he would be better for the country than Kamala Harris. It is also possible that someone might believe that all the “bad press” about Trump is simply a smear campaign, and that he is a moral, upright person. Such people can have a commitment to the truth and teaching of God’s Word and believe certain things to be true about Trump.
This is an important point. A person who believes the Bible and sincerely believes that Trump is an upright person (or at least represents less of a threat to what is good) can vote for him with a clear conscience. You may think the person is wrong, but if this is what he or she sincerely believes, their conscience is clear. If you think it will turn out later (if Trump is elected) that the person was fooled – well, he or she may have been. But being fooled and doing wrong are two different things.
A Christian may vote for Kamala Harris. He or she may not like Harris, but may think whatever threat she represents is containable, and she would be better for the country than Donald Trump, whose campaign promises he may not believe. One Christian young lady who is voting for Harris was asked about Harris’ position on abortion, and the girl said that while she disagreed with Harris’s beliefs on abortion, from her research she believed that fewer abortions took place under Democratic policies than under Republican ones, and she was more concerned with the results than with the attitudes of the candidates. This young lady may not be correct in her assessment, but this is what she believes. She can cast her vote with a clear conscience. You may think that she is being fooled, and maybe she is, but again, being fooled and doing wrong are not the same thing.
Your conscience may demand that you vote for neither candidate. I’ve spoken to several Christians who cannot in good conscience vote for either Trump or Harris. One said, “Knowing what you know about them now, if you had to vote for Hitler on the right or Stalin the left, would you choose one of them?” You may not believe that this characterization is fair of either or both candidates, but this is what he believes and given his commitment to the Scriptures and what he believes about the candidates, he cannot in good conscience vote for either.
No one should feel compelled by Simon to vote for someone if doing so violates the voter’s conscience. “Whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans14:23). No one should excoriate you for how you vote if you do so in sincere faith and according to your reasonable, sincerely held beliefs about the candidates. Nor should you excoriate anyone else for how they vote.
Blessed are the Peacemakers
In a time of acrimony, Jesus’ words are a light: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Today when false shepherds use the pulpit to promote their own interests, don’t allow yourself to be manipulated.
Christians should strive to agree on what the Bible teaches about foundational moral issues, but doing so does not settle the issue of whom to vote for. You need to ask what you actually believe about the candidates, what effect you believe their policies will actually have, and what your conscience will allow.
On the day after the election, you may be disappointed with the outcome. God knows over the years I have been. If your candidate is elected, there may come a time in his or her administration when you are disappointed in yourself that you voted for him or her. God knows over the years I have been.
That is a good time to ask yourself where your hope is. Is it in the same place as the Simons, the shepherds whose god is their belly and who have their minds set on earthly things (Philippians 3)?
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).
Where is your hope? You can answer that by asking what you’re sharing with people. Is it the acrimony and cacophony of political commentary and candidate advocacy? Or are you sharing with people the hope that is found in Christ?
