SERMON: “How Should Christians Think about the Presidential Election” (Jer. 29:4–7)
“How Should Christians Think about the Presidential
Election” (Jeremiah
29:4–7)
Series: Topical Text:
Jeremiah
29:4–7
By: Shaun
Marksbury Date: October 6, 2024
Venue: Living
Water Baptist Church Occasion: PM Service
I.
Introduction
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:
II.
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:
III.
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:
IV.
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.
V.
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.
