“Will Your Presidential Vote Send You to Hell?”

It was a bit of a startling headline. But that, of course, is the idea of such a tease. I love the challenge of headline writers.

The article from Christianity Today (CT) a few weeks ago was an adaptation from a Russell Moore posting. Reading his earlier thoughts on politics, I know he’s no fan of Donald Trump.

Most of us are aware of the former president’s faults. Not everyone lets that disqualify him. I believe Moore does and he’s influential as the Editor In Chief of CT.

Putting that aside, Moore found himself troubled by hearing from several of his contacts, who were told they were in danger of the very fires of hell for their political choice in the upcoming presidential election. And Moore rightly assessed that he could not recall us getting our salvation challenged over any previous election in the same way.

I can’t either.

Russell Moore challenges our love for state if it supersedes the love for, and the living out of, the Gospel. In his words,

“Decisions one makes on Election Day have implications for Judgment Day. But if we confuse one day for the other, we’ve lost more than an election. It’s bad enough when we say to our political opponents, metaphorically, ‘Go to hell.’ It’s even worse when we think that’s the gospel.”

I find his posts worth reading and noting. Yet I do not always find a path forward. Like a clear one for the upcoming election.

After reading Russell Moore’s perspective, it made me wonder how I would handle election-related questions if I were a pastor.

Which I am not.

Churches (and pastors) have quite different perspectives on how to engage on the political scene. In September, the church where I formerly served offered an evening for men and a discussion on “Christ and Country.”

It dealt with our dual citizenship as citizens of the US and our citizenship in heaven. It was stated that “it can be disorienting knowing how to rightly express our love for Christ and our love for our neighbor.”

This has led many to have “questions and concerns about the future of the church and our country.”

Once again, I applaud the effort.

But with what outcome? Churches (with certain exceptions) are not allowed to tell their congregations how to vote. The best we can do is to offer a clear perspective on biblical approaches to moral issues of our day, and encourage parishioners to be well informed on the way candidates and parties embrace that approach.

Outside of the church, cultural voices can and do have influence in these areas. Most Americans are quite familiar that the sweetheart of music sales in this country—Taylor Swift—declared her support for Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.

She boldly stated that she had examined the issues and agreed with the positions of the Harris-Walz team. Her statements on “X” influenced a sizable number of her fans to register to vote.

I don’t make my political choices based on what other people opine. Least of all those from the liberal entertainment industry. After all, they are only “actors playing a part.”

How about what the candidates say about themselves? In a recent AP/NORC poll, we learn that Vice President Kamala Harris identifies as a Baptist—influenced by “religious traditions in her mother’s home country of India.”

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump started out life as a Presbyterian. He later identified as “a nondenominational Christian.”

But get this!

The Associated Press-NORC poll found that only a small portion of Americans see these two presidential candidates as particularly “Christian.” In fact, “only 14% of US adults say the word ‘Christian’ describes Harris or Trump ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ well.’”

The kicker?

According to the AP poll: despite not buying into his spiritual convictions, it doesn’t seem to matter to Donald Trump’s most loyal base: white evangelical Protestants. The AP story tells us

“About 7 in 10 members of this group view him favorably. But only about half say Trump best represents their beliefs—(and) around 1 in 10 say this about Harris.”

All my musings tell me something. Psalm 119:66 says,

“Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.” (ESV)

This teaching will enable us to guard, guide, and shape our thinking—even on the most difficult of matters. Including politics.

PS: Here is the IFI voter guide.