To my Christian friends wondering how you’ll survive the election of 2020, I completely understand your turmoil. The editorial last month in Christianity Today and the responses by Trump defenders accentuate the political division among Christ followers.
I have certainly been very open about how the Trump presidency has been a burden for me personally, even though I am politically moderate to conservative. Unlike many evangelicals, I don’t see voting as a spiritual act, nor America as God’s country. The whole world belongs to God, but that doesn’t mean he approves of everything leaders do.
Yes, I do believe God is sovereign, and that laws and authorities keep sin in check. But I don’t believe voting for Republicans is an act of Christian obedience.
Yes, I am prolife, but I don’t believe a prolife candidate will automatically make a good president. It takes way more to run a country than creating laws that protect the unborn. Based upon my reading of scripture, I don’t see God as a one-issue God, so I refuse to be a one-issue voter.
I could go on and on about the ways I differ from other Christians about politics, and I will certainly share my strong opinions. I have always used my blog to process what’s happening in the world, but my purpose is not to sow division. I realize that our lack of unity in the public square hurts our Christian testimony, but that does not mean we all have to vote the same. It’s not who we vote for that matters, but who we stand for that matters. I want to challenge myself and others to be more devoted to Christ than to political parties and politicians.
So that’s my hope for this series Politics and Devotion. Each post will read like an entry in a daily devotional that’s anchored in scripture reading. If you’re interested in joining me on this journey of peace seeking and peacemaking in 2020, subscribe or check back once a week for my musings and meditations.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3.15
Mary Butler Coleman 
I’ve always thought of myself as a conservative, but I didn’t vote for Trump last time, and he’s only sunk lower in my judgment since then. I thought CT nailed it, both in Mark Galli’s piece, and then the follow-up by Timothy Dalrymple. This whole experience of alienation from the President has been confusing and unsettling to me, and I struggle with how to talk to my evangelical and conservative friends and family about it. I think your words about God not being a one-issue God are really clarifying and, hopefully, persuasive.
LikeLike
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, David. I have also been so very unsettled. But God has not left us without guidance for the time in which we live. I hope our peace will grow.
LikeLike