“How Should Christians Think about the Presidential Election” (Jeremiah 29:4–7)

Series: TopicalText: Jeremiah 29:4–7

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: October 6, 2024

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: PM Service

Introduction

We are twenty-nine short days away from election day in our nation, which is November 5th. Of course, many people will be taking advantage of in-person early voting, which opens in Colorado on Monday, October 15th and ends on Friday, November 2nd. All registered voters will also receive a mail in ballot starting on the 15th and are due back on election day. It seems unwise to have so many options as that opens the door for multiple avenues of fraud, but it leaves us with multiple opportunities to vote.

Of course, some of you may be wondering why I’m taking time to discuss this. Perhaps you have no plans of voting, or you just don’t think this is a subject befitting the pulpit. Yet, as Christians, we should have our consciences thoroughly trained by the Word of God, and that includes in the arena of politics. What guidance does Scripture give us concerning elections?

Of course, there was no government like ours in world history until very recently. So, there’s no direct correlation between what we have and what Scripture describes. However, there are a few passages like this one which can inform our decisions.

This passage comes in context of the Babylonian Captivity. The people of God had sinned against God for too long, forsaking His Word and commands to them. God doesn’t just wipe them out and start over, for they are His people of promise. However, just as He warned, He now chastises them by removing them from the land of promise and placing them in a foreign land to live for 70 years.

Yet, God still had expectations for them. Jeremiah tells them to prepare to live in this land. They are to build homes, raise families, and also participate in society. They would have to seek peace and intercede for the welfare of Babylon.

This prepares us, as well. We are sojourners, awaiting our true home. Yet, while we are here, God expects us to participate in specific ways. As we go through each point this evening, we’ll try to apply it to the current election. Let’s consider each of these:

Christians Should Engage with Society (vv. 5–6)

Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

The people of Israel would likely suffer a range of emotions about being forcibly removed from their land. Yet, God promised to watch over them and return them safely after the seventy years of chastisement were over. In the meantime, He calls upon them not to retreat into private communes and stop having children; rather, they are to live life among the Gentiles, engaging with their society.

For Christians today, this speaks to the need to invest in our communities. We should be pro-family, getting married and having kids. We should consider our local impact, for instance, whether we are engaging in evangelism and supporting local missions. We should also support policies that strengthen families and contribute to the common good. Local politics are worth our time, but we’ll we’re focusing on the national election this evening.

This also applies to our national community. We should consider which candidates will help us with our gardens and produce, and which ones represent pro-family policies. Let’s look at each.

Kamala Harris has articulated that she is for affordable childcare and paid leave, which may help with the costs of childcare and providing paid leave for new parents. She also stated she wants to restore and potentially expand the child tax credit. She’s also expressed support for caregivers, such as those engaging in elder care.

It should be noted here that the years under the Biden-Harris administration resulted in some of the highest inflation rates, though. According to the Consumer Price Index, food costing $20 in 2019 would cost $25.47 in 2024. Specific items are higher, as cocoa has increased by 345%, orange juice by 260%, and olive oil by 219% since 2019. There have been efforts by the administration to lower costs in other ways, such as reinstating insulin caps comparable to those from the Trump administration and limiting out-of-pocket Medicare expenses.

Yet, she also has a hardline commitment to abortion-on-demand. She has framed it as reproductive rights for women, promising not only to protect them but also expand them. She denies that there is a human killed in the abortive process, choosing instead to frame the issue as a question of women’s autonomy and healthcare.

She has also promised unabashed support for LGBTQ+ causes. These include those which effect public education, and she has supported efforts to provide transgender promotion in schools behind parents’ backs. This includes pornographic material for children as young as eight which describes the sexual proclivities of alternative lifestyles. This has been a major point of contention with families, but the current administration’s FBI and DOJ have investigated those speaking out at school board meetings.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, has also stated plans to help families economically. His plans also include a restoration of the child tax credit, a plan he rolled out first before Harris. He also supports broad tax cuts, which could increase disposable income for families. He also is focusing on economic issues which may lower the cost of goods and services driven up by the past three years of inflation, such as different tariffs and trade policies, removing tax on tips for the service industry, and better energy policies.

He has also pledged to stop the nonsense entering our public schools. He has expressed support for the wider LGBT lobby, but he has promised that he would not allow such teaching to continue in schools.

He has been decidedly weaker on a pro-life stance than in his first term. It was his supreme court appointments that brought an end to Roe v. Wade, but he has expressed contentment with abortion being a state issue. His wife also just released a video expressing support for abortion, akin to the views of Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan. Trump’s running mate, J. D. Vance, has expressed stronger sentiments regarding abortion, but theirs is not an expressly pro-life ticket.

The choice between these two candidates regarding economics and families is different. Harris, noted to be the most liberal politician in 2019, favors direct government intervention. Trump, on the other hand, a capitalist running with a capitalist, focus more on tax cuts and deregulation, which indirectly benefit families. Neither candidate is good on pro-life issues, though Harris is somewhat worse with her promises to codify Roe into federal law.

This is what we have to consider for whether we can build houses, eat from our gardens, and see our families multiply. Let’s consider the next point:

Christians Should Seek the Welfare of Society (v. 7a)

Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile,

God tells the Israelites to seek the peace (or welfare) of the city. This aligns with the Christian call to love our neighbors and promote justice and peace in the public sphere (Micah 6:8). This applies to issues like religious liberty, sanctity of life, economic policies that benefit the poor, etc. In seeking the welfare of society, Christians can advocate for policies that reflect biblical justice and compassion.

Some of this we have already considered, such as the sanctity of life. As we seek the peace and welfare of our society, protecting the most vulnerable — including the unborn — is essential. Policies that promote the sanctity of life should be a priority. We’ve also considered some economic policies which would help not only families, but those who are single, poor, or somehow marginalized.

We also must consider issues of justice. Kamala Harris is choosing to focus on decriminalizing certain low-level offenses, such as petty drug possession and theft. She also has pushed gun buy-backs in the past, suggesting that it should be mandatory. Some wonder whether she will be tough on crime, considering she has overseen an enormous spike in illegal border crossings as the border czar, and she set up a bail fund for those who were arrested in the violent riots following George Floyd’s death, but her background as a prosecutor presents strength to her position.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, is facing significant lawfare himself, though there is a question as to whether the unprecedented cases against him are political in nature. He has pledged support for police officers, many of whom offer their support in return. He has advocated for the death penalty and other harsh punitive measures for violent offenders. His record on protecting the border is better than Harris’s, and he promises to continue efforts to build a wall (and has won the support of border patrol agents). He has also called for community revitalization to help discourage crime proactively.

As Christians, we love our neighbors, which includes family, friends, our community, and those who may be new. As such, we care if there is a spike in crime, or an influx of illegal immigrants which overwhelm our community resources. These are also right issues to consider in this election.

We should not only be considering issues. There is one other call before us:

Christians Should Pray for Leaders and Society (v. 7)

and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’

God also calls His people to pray for the place in which they live. This echoes 1 Timothy 2:1–2, which says, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” There, Paul instructs believers to pray for kings and all who are in authority for the sake of the tranquility and peace of believers. Christians should pray for their leaders and for God's wisdom in guiding political decisions, ultimately so that we may have the freedom to serve Christ.

This brings us to the question of religious liberty. We should be praying for the peace of our nation, which includes advocating for religious freedom. We love the brethren, so we want to ensure that Christians and others can live out their faith without fear of persecution or suppression.

Kamala Harris has a claim to a Christian background (as well as Hinduism and Judaism). Some might see that as suggesting she has a broader understanding of religious diversity and a more inclusive approach to religious liberty. However, this isn’t necessarily the reality.

For instance, her support for rolling back elements of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to potentially restrict religious organizations’ hiring practices based on faith standards. Her past position against the Little Sisters of the Poor as well as support for the recent arrest of people praying at an abortion mill suggests she is not friendly to expressions of the Christian faith which run afoul her progressive beliefs.

Donald Trump also claims to have a Christian faith, though he has demonstrated a lack of belief in a need to repent or hold to any distinctive Christian tenant. Yet, most evangelical and conservative Christians see his policies as more protective of religious liberty. This includes executive actions and judicial appointments that have been seen as supportive of religious freedoms, especially in contexts like healthcare mandates affecting religious organizations.

While personal faith influences public policy, the translation into governance shows a stark contrast. Harris’s legislative support leans towards broader issues she sees as civil rights; these might conflict with conservative religious practices. Trump’s actions, on the other hand, have been seen to favor conservative Christian interpretations of religious liberty.

Of course, who ever wins, we should pray for that individual. However, as we consider the candidates, we should consider which one will be better for believers. As Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, awhile we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” It isn’t wrong for us to consider a candidate on this position, nor is it wrong for us to want the welfare of our families and our churches protected.

Conclusion:

This passage encourages believers to actively engage in their society, seeking its welfare through prayer and responsible involvement. It speaks to many of the key issues Christians must consider during elections: promoting life, justice, religious liberty, and policies that benefit the common good. We must ultimately rely on God's sovereign guidance in all things, but He has providentially given us an extra tool that the Israelites in captivity did not have.

Of course, whoever wins, we must remember that this is not our home. We are sojourners. We are just voting for the love of our children and our neighbors as we are passing through.