Jesus Politics: Why Christians Should Not Vote At All

*The following post is part of the synchroblog hosted by The American Jesus. And while you are at, go ahead and check out Keegan's post at Paper Crane Library.*

During my research for my Master's thesis on an ethic of nonviolence in and for the Wesleyan tradition, I was introduced to Christian anarchism. My curiosity about this topic stemmed from reading Stanley Hauerwas's book War and the American Difference: Theological Reflections on Violence and National Identity. Hauerwas exposes contemporary American patriotism as a form of religion with its own set of beliefs and idols of worship that has been perpetuated on the basis of owing our allegiance and gratitude to those who have made sacrifices in previous American wars. Consequentially, future wars are deemed necessary to justify previous wars, and we are now in a seemingly never-ending cycle of state sanctioned violence.

Hauerwas does not explicitly espouse anarchism as the better alternative, but his book explains how contemporary American patriotism has captured the allegiance of its citizens, including those who willingly describe themselves as Christians. A narrative has been espoused by many influential American Christians that conflates patriotism with faithful Christian living, and the questioning of the validity of the "Christian" nature of patriotism is an act of heresy. It is in response to the dichotomy between Jesus's model of living and American patriotism that has drawn me towards Christian anarchism that is equipped Hauerwas's suggestion that the Church is called to act as an alternative political reality to that of the United States.

I believe Hauerwas has correctly identified a major issue in regards to patriotic Christianity, and he has provided a compelling alternative to American politics. In the United States allegiance is placed on "American traditional values" and the leaders who remain faithful to them, but not solely on God. The counter-argument is that God places these leaders in power, which results in God's will being fulfilled through the American government, but this argument fails to acknowledge the focus on self-serving policies that guide the presidential debates. Listening to the presidential debates reveals that the major issues are focused on the wealth, health, and prosperity of the United States. In contrast to the inward focused dialogue of the presidential debates, the will of God is focused on humanity becoming a source of service and redemption of all: including those beyond the US border. 

Anarcho-pacifist/Christian anarchist flag

But neither of the two main political parties that plague our media outlets are concerned with universal well-being. They are both in service of the self-serving desires of the citizens of the United States. And even worse, most of the political discourse in the United States buys in to the myth of our "democracy," but our vote is only important if it is cast for a republican or a democratic candidate. There are third party candidates that stretches the political imagination of what is possible, but they are silenced by the lack of attention from mainstream media, and support of these other parties are considered a wasted vote, which would have been better used in support of the lesser of two evils. The fact alone that we are limited to choosing the lesser of two evils is a sign that moral integrity is not a driving force of politics, and I refuse to submit to and perpetuate this broken system. Perhaps, I would be more inclined to vote if other parties were taken seriously, but as it stands the "choice" remains limited and the two leading parties contradict the servant leadership of Jesus Christ. You can either vote for a republican that wishes to increase a military budget, or you can vote for the democrat that permits the secret murders of people in other countries via drone attacks. 

Even the discussion of participation in elections as a political act stands outside of what it means to be a Christian anarchist. A Christian anarchist is not passive (much like a Christian pacifist is not passive either), but is pro-active. Christian anarchy is not withdrawal from political discourse and activity, but rather the Christian anarchist's political activity occurs outside of the realm of the American political system. The guiding principle for Christian anarchists is allegiance to God, and this allegiance alone requires faithful followers to bring healing and redemption to the consequences of laws and policies that shun the poor and needy. As a Christian being political requires hands on engagement with the community around them; to assist in those places where there is life happening, and to try and bring healing to those places where there is pain and suffering. The claim that voting is your highest civic duty contradicts the good news of the Gospel, because it leads us to believe that we have done all that we can to improve our political conditions merely by voting. Instead of actually embodying the redemption of God modeled by Jesus, a vote just means that we expect politicians to take care of it for us and we can go on living our lives without hands on community improvement. Political action can come in the form of protests, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, or simply befriending that lonely neighbor. Whether you vote or not, just remember that the Gospel is political, but only when Christ's disciples manifest the good news of redemption in their lives.