Todd Wilkens, host of Issues, Etc., has a provocative post on voting like a Christian. He is applying to this work of the calling of citizenship what Luther taught is the purpose of all vocations: To love and serve one’s neighbor.
Why does a Christian vote? A Christian doesn’t vote for the same reason the unbeliever votes.
A Christian doesn’t vote because it’s his right. That’s why the unbeliever votes. For the Christian, his own rights have nothing to do with it.
A Christian doesn’t vote to get his way. That’s also why the unbeliever votes. For the Christian, getting his way has nothing to do with it.
A Christian doesn’t vote to protect his own interests. For the Christian, his own interests have nothing to do with it.
A Christian votes to serve his neighbor —-period.
A Christian votes because he is called to do so by the needs of his neighbor. This means that a Christian will sometimes vote against his own rights, his own way and his own self-interest; but always in favor of his neighbor and his needs. At the ballot box, the neighbor comes first.