I don't know about you, but I am offended when I read bumper stickers like, "I own a 4WD and I vote" or "I own a gun and I vote". Both were big in the early-to-mid 1990s when both lobbies were upset over government intervention in their interests. The unstated subtext of such a sticker was "don't mess with me or I will vote against you." Now, regardless of my personal views on 4WDs and guns, I was not offended by their right to possess such things, nor by their lobbying to preserve their special interests. What offended me was their attitude of individualism" that my vote is to be used for my interests rather than the good of the community.
A better attitude is "I am a member of society and I vote for its good." Modern democracy has its genesis in the Christian Reformation of the sixteenth century. But modern democracy was not devised as a way to seek one's own personal gain so much as an expression of distrust in those who would be our leaders. The electorate was to hold leadership to account rather than to accept the whims of a despot. The intention was not to vote along the lines of self-interest, but for the good of society.
That is why, with the upcoming state election I am encouraging all members of my congregation - Jamberoo Anglican Church - to vote with the attitude of "I am a Christian and I vote". I don't mean this in the same way as the 4WD and gun lobbies meant it. I mean that I want you to vote Christianly rather than for self-interest.
Before I go on I need to address another concern that always arises when we speak of "religion and politics" and that's the myth of the separation of church and state. The drafters of the US Constitution's First Amendment were devout Christians who were trying to avoid the problem in the UK, Holland and other places where Government interfered with the church. Their intent was not to remove the Christian voice from Government but rather to remove from secular government any notion that they had a say in how the church was run"”and financed. Our own constitution reflects the same motivation.
Therefore, Christians can and must be involved in their government. First and foremost Romans 13 advises Christians to submit to governing authorities"”good or bad"”acknowledging that they are put there by God. But since King Jesus is the ultimate King of all the universe Christians are to call governments"”good and bad"”to submit to the Lordship of Jesus. In a country like ours, it is safe and easy to do.
Two years ago Christians were surprised to see a reversal of policy by the Federal ALP when they were going to vote against the government on the issue of permitting gay marriage. Christians lobbied the major political parties and the ALP realised that it needed to listen to voters"”and they voted with the government to preserve marriage as being between a man and a woman.
We have a state election coming up in less than a fortnight. I implore you to make your vote count" not necessarily along your party lines but on the basis of how the policies will affect Christians. In Victoria, the State ALP government has made it illegal to critique Islam and Christian pastors have been found guilty of religious
vilification simply for critiquing the Koran.
As the election approaches, I will be updating our ‘Make Your Vote Count’ website. I will not promote one party over another, but will seek to represent fairly all parties and how their policies will affect Christians and our practice of our faith.
