Would Jesus Vote Democrat or Republican?
This is a big question—the kind of question that could probably take an entire book to answer adequately because of how intricate, complicated, and convoluted politics are. Every single policy that ever gets made will have thousands of repercussions that their policy-makers could have never foreseen.
Even though this question could never be fully answered in just one small blog post, I will do my best to share some of my thoughts on the topic.
Our governmental system is broken from the start
In the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites his ideal governmental system—and wasn’t anything like the system we use today. The governmental system God set up for his people was actually a monarchy where God himself was the all-powerful king. There weren’t elections... there weren’t political parties... and there wasn’t even a human ruler.
The governmental system that America uses today places the decision-making power in the hands of the people (instead of God)… so right off the bat, our government fails miserably when compared to the ideal setup that was originally designed by God himself.
One thing that I find really interesting is that even though the Israelites had God’s IDEAL governmental setup, they were still dissatisfied with it. No matter who runs the government, mankind will always find reasons to complain about it. The Israelites whined for God to give them a human king so that their country could be more like their secular neighbors.
In 1 Samuel 8 God even warned Israel by telling them about how corrupt human rulers would be, but the Israelites still demanded a human king, so God gave them the broken, dysfunctional system that they wanted. The books of Kings and Chronicles describe the ways that government “by the people” only led to more and more corruption (and I think that corruption is something we’re still seeing in our government today.)
Neither of America’s two political parties represents God’s ideal form of government—his ideal form of government seems to be a monarchy where HE is the king.
Good rulers are receptive to God
Since Jesus isn’t on the ballot to be elected as America’s king, then I think the next best option would be to vote for whichever candidate would be more willing to be led by God. After all, Israel did have a few good kings in the Old Testament, and the thing that made them good was always their receptiveness towards God.
If I think that one candidate is more receptive to God’s leadership than the other, then I should probably vote for that person.
Work like a capitalist & give like a socialist
Traditionally, Christianity has been more associated with the Republican party, but I think both parties have ideals that align with God’s heart.
God values hard work (an ideal associated with Republican capitalism):
If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. —2 Thessalonians 3:10 (ESV)
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. —Ephesians 4:28 (ESV)
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. —1 Tim 5:8 (ESV)
but God also values giving to the poor (an ideal associated with Democratic socialism):
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. —Matthew 5:42 (ESV)
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? —1 John 3:17 (ESV)
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. —Luke 12:33–34 (ESV)
If I lean toward capitalism, my temptation might be to keep my hard-earned money for myself instead of using it to help the needy, but if I lean toward socialism, my temptation might be to not work as hard and rely more on financial aid. No matter which side I lean towards, my lifestyle should look the same: I should work hard like a capitalist and give to the poor like a socialist.
My motives matter
In deciding who to vote for, I think my motives are what’s most important. After all, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you (and I) see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7).
In my heart, am I voting Republican because I actually care about the unborn children who are being aborted? (Or am I voting Republican just because I want lower taxes?) If I actually DO care about unborn children who are being aborted, then what am I doing to help the thousands of unwanted children who have already been born?
I recently felt compelled to give more to the poor, so I committed to sponsoring a child on compassion.com. That’s one practical way I could think of for using my money to help the poor.
Conclusion
Both parties associate with certain qualities that align with God’s heart, but neither party administers God’s ideal form of government. No matter who I vote for, my lifestyle should look the same: I should work like a capitalist and give like a socialist.