by Dr. Richard Blackaby
Many evangelical Christians have not been happy with the state of the nation over the last few years. There is a plethora of indicators that conservative Christians, and their values, are being marginalized. Moral standards appear to be in free fall. Whenever a presidential election looms, numerous Christians pull out their long list of complaints about how the country is in deplorable condition.
There is a troubling problem, however. Estimates suggest there are roughly 60 million Evangelical Christians in America. In the last presidential election, only about half of those were registered to vote. Of those registered, roughly half showed up at a ballot box. In America, Evangelicals represent a sizable bloc of conservative, morals-based citizens. Their vote certainly could exert an impact on society. Yet many choose to forego that fundamental right, and obligation.
There are various reasons why Christians choose not to exercise their franchise. Some do the math. They look at the millions of voters and assume their lone vote won’t make enough difference to justify waiting in a long line on election day. Others believe voting is nothing more than choosing your poison. The public approval rating of members of Congress is at a historic low. One popular bumper sticker encapsulates this sentiment by saying: “Don’t vote. It only encourages them.” A third reason some Christians don’t vote is that they perceive participation in the election process as attempting to accomplish spiritual ends with secular means. Such people assume that they should focus on building the kingdom of God, not getting politicians elected. They realize that in the long run, the focus of the Democrats and Republicans is not to populate heaven but to gain and hold on to temporal power. As a result, these individuals leave the electoral process to the “secular” minded while they focus their attention on eternal matters.
Of course there is some truth to these concerns. If you live in a strongly “red” or “blue” state, your vote for president might not tip the scales one way or another. Likewise, the political process has certainly provided ample fodder for cynicism. And, the truth of the matter is that despite the billions of dollars spent on election campaigns, very little of eternal consequence results.
Nevertheless, the key to any healthy democracy is active participation by its grass roots. Apathy can be more deadly to a free people than anarchy. But there is a further matter that is vividly highlighted during national elections. That is the desire by ordinary people to make a difference. Apathy essentially shrugs its shoulders and proclaims, “Why vote? My vote won’t make a difference anyway.” When large numbers of Christians choose not to vote, they are declaring that their life cannot make a difference. So why bother?
This attitude ought to be deeply troubling to Christian leaders. Jesus commanded His followers to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). He was saying that the preservation of moral society and the dispelling of evil hinged on His people doing everything within their power to make a difference.
I like salt too much. It seems to bring out the flavor in my food. I especially like to grind my salt and pepper so it’s fresh. But I have never looked at the individual granules of salt to see if each one was doing its job. I just trust that, when each particle does what it can, the cumulative effect is delicious! There are some individuals who seem to single-handedly change the course of history. I have a large biography section in my library devoted to such people. But there are far more people we will never know and for whom no biographical sketch will ever be written, who have changed our world for good. It might not have been spectacular, but over time, doing what they could, they made a difference.
As I was growing up, my father would challenge his children with the famous mantra of the 60s, “If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.” He urged us to not sit on the sidelines complaining about what others were doing. He also admonished us that we had no right to criticize any elected leader for whom we had not voted (for or against) and for whom we were not praying. Even then, I don’t recall my father spending his time criticizing what others were doing. He was generally too busy making a difference himself.
As spiritual leaders, we must convey to our people the critical importance of striving to make a positive difference in whatever forum they find themselves. If they work on a shop floor, they must strive to be positive and to produce the best product possible. If they belong to a church, they should make every effort to produce a positive contribution. One thing is certain, those who assume their life won’t make a difference are usually correct!
Leaders today must work against apathy in their people. But, as with most things, you cannot produce in others what you do not have yourself. If you want your people to be passionate about making a difference, however small, then you must have that same passion burning within you. If your people care so little about the state of their nation that they cannot be bothered to head down to the nearby polling booth to cast their vote, you may want to encourage them to grasp a larger vision for their life, and their country.
Scripture teaches that if you cannot be faithful in a little thing, you cannot be trusted with anything great. Becoming an informed, intentional citizen may seem like only a small thing, but it reflects our attitude about the difference one person can make.