This post is going to be really simple. The point of it is summed up in the title above. You should go vote, and it doesn’t make me a Christian Nationalist for saying so. I am a committed Baptist, which means that a major part of my confessional identity is religious liberty—the notion that “church and state should be separate.” Among other things, religious liberty means that,
“The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power” (Baptist Faith & Message, XVII. Religious Liberty).
It is important to Baptists not to confuse the mission of the church with the mission of the state. But that doesn’t mean that we are unconcerned with the fortunes of our political order or that we have no responsibility within it. We are Baptists, not anabaptists. Which is why the following is also a part of our confession:
“All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth” (Baptist Faith & Message, XV. The Christian and the Social Order).
We believe that the only way to truly transform a nation is for the people to be transformed. The only way for people to be transformed is through the regenerating work of the Spirit working through the gospel and through the word of God being preached to them by faithful Christians. But this Great Commission work does not preclude our interest in loving our neighbor and seeking the good of the “city” in which we live: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jer. 29:7).
In God’s kind providence, He has allowed us to live in a democratic republic in which we have a say in electing the leaders the represent and govern us. If it really is our “obligation to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society” and if we really are required to “work with all men of good will in any good cause,” then we ought to steward our democratic privileges well by showing up to vote for candidates and policies that will promote justice and truth and human flourishing.
Vote pro-life. Vote against transanity. Vote for the strengthening of marriage and against any perversion that would undermine it. Vote for the protection of religious liberty. Don’t worry about the “progressive gaze.” The only “gaze” you should care about is God’s. The secularists are going to call you a Christian Nationalist no matter what you do, so we must not take their good opinion as a measure of what we must do on election day (Gal. 1:10).
We will always have imperfect alternatives, but do the best you can with the alternatives we have. Go vote this election day!
