BIBLE, CHURCH, AND VOTING

Recently, I was asked by the President of the local League of Women Voters to write a Biblical piece on the Voter ID Amendment which will be on the November ballot in Minnesota.  If passed, it will become part of our state constitution.  The LWV is adamantly opposed to the amendment.  Likewise, the St. Paul Area Synod in Assembly voted 2-1 to oppose the amendment.  The theological piece is part of the opposition argument.

The Response

Holy Scripture and Church practice provide guides for addressing voter rights.  The guides are value-based theological themes which can be related to political realities.  It is proper to make this relation- ship because Holy Scripture and the Church are given by God to guide and provide how Christians are to affect the world.  Christ came to transform the world, and the Church, the People of God, are called to make real this transformation.  It is called the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is the justice of God.  This is the practical application of Christian values to life.  What are some of the key theological themes which can inform our decision about justice in our voting procedures?

ALL ARE WELCOME

Holy Scripture places exceedingly high value on the value of the person, the dignity of the person, the civil and human rights of the person, the gifts of the person.  Paul writes of the Body of Christ.  Paul writes that we all are one in Jesus Christ. Jesus invites disciples to "Follow me."  We read of "showing no partiality."  Similarly, churches are called to welcome all into the fellowship.  The Gospel has an open door policy, an inclusive spirit.

Actions contrary to Christ';s Spirit of inclusion ought to be countered and rejected.  Examples are that of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative, corporate-funded, right-wing organization which is pushing Voter ID laws in all 50 states.  The purpose is voter suppression.  The founder of ALEC says: "I don't want everyone to vote."  Voting is a right guaranteed by the Constitution.  Men and women have died for this right.  In our democracy, we ought to promote ways to rightly include eligible voters, not devise ways to exclude.

VERIFICATION IS VALID

While having an open door policy, there is room for verification.  In the Book of Numbers, one of the reasons for the detailed census and collection of names was for the purpose of the military draft.  In the birth story, Mary and Joseph were to go to Bethlehem "to be enrolled", to register for the census and to be taxed.  Paul writes in Romans that one of the purposes of government is to ensure good order.  Verification is one way to insure good order.

Similarly, all churches have membership roles.  In order to vote you need to be a "verified" member of the congregation.  Usually, this means you need to be Baptized, have received Holy Communion, and have contributed financially to the ministry of the congregation.

Voting rightly needs verification.  It is proper that only citizens can vote.  Citizens have "skin in the game."  

OPPORTUNITY IS PARAMOUNT

Becoming a follower of Jesus must be easy.  When Jesus approached would-be disciples, he said, "Follow me."  He didn't ask them if they had a Ph.D. in theology.  Jumping through hoops is non-existent, other than to say "Yes." 

Joining a congregation is a matter of saying"Yes."  There may be classes, or the official letters of transfer, but the process is quite simple.

Voting ought to be easy, accessible, and respectful of time.  We need to eliminate barriers for those who may have physical, occupational, or mental limitations.  For many, for millions, the demand for a photo ID places an unfair burden on voting.  Many will be excluded due to the financial hardship of providing documentation.  Demanding restrictions so close to an election is exclusionary.  Some groups will be restricted because they are students, elderly, handicapped, homeless, or unemployed veterans, mostly because they may not have an up to date address on their voter ID card.  We must remember, voting is a right, guaranteed by the Constitution.

COMMITMENT TO TRUTH

Honesty in relationships, factual integrity, speaking the truth in love are sentinel values in the Christian lifestyle.  Jesus is referred to as being "the Way, the Truth, the Life."  Jesus is critical of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  Amos tells it like it is when he writes of the "three crimes and four" of various tribes and cities.  Prophets do not dodge the truth of what is happening.  Proverbs says, "Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence."  Congregational life is hyper-sensitive to people telling the truth.  The media is rightly quick to reveal the hypocrisy and deceit within the church.

In voting, overwhelmingly, accusations of voter fraud are a fraud.  The truth is scandalized.  In Minnesota, there is no evidence of voter impersonation.  Nationally, instances of voter fraud or voter impersonation are nearly zero.  This in comparison to estimates of the Brennen Center for Justice that nearly five million people may be disenfranchised by these voter ID/photo ID laws if enacted.  Ari Berman of THE NATION magazine says 11% of the eligible voters will be restricted or suppressed.  This voter ID/photo ID campaign is a canard, a solution in search of a problem.  The perpetrators of this  fraud are purposefully trying to deceive the public to suppress votes.

ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE TO THE COMMON GOOD

The Greatest Commandment says we are to love God, love the neighbor, and love ourselves.  The followers of Jesus are to serve "the least of these."  In the Book of Acts, chapters two and four, we read of the People of God pooling their resources so that everything they owned was held in common for the common good, to be shared each according to each others' need.  This is the ministry of the Church: to care for the stranger, to reach "beyond the walls" of the congregation into the community.  We are accountable to God and each other through our actions of love and justice.  Discipleship is commitment to the common good.  

Through voting we are exercising this accountability to the common good.  We vote for ourselves AND we vote for the betterment of all.  Voting is not just about ME, but about WE, about THEE.  To not vote means we do not care about ME or WE or THEE.  We owe each other our vote.  We owe our nation our vote.  To construct barriers to voting is unjust and counter to the spirit of the common good, counter to the Spirit of Scripture and Church practice.

Christians are called to be good citizens.  A good citizen votes.  Voting is a vital expression of our faithfulness.  When we vote we obey God's call to love each other and do justice.

Blessings and Peace!

Ron