From Your Synod Executive
Election day is Tuesday, November 2, as if the incessant advertisements and news stories don’t make that abundantly clear. As some of my favorite commentators like to point out, it’s the most recent edition of “the most important election of our lifetime.” The stakes are indeed high, with control of the House of Representatives and the Senate up for grabs.
I wanted to take the opportunity to bring some thoughts to bear on how we decide to vote. I don’t think clergy people should ever tell people which way to vote, but I do think there’s an opportunity for Christian leaders to help others frame their choice according to our faith. I want to bring up just three perspectives to consider.
First, our primary identity is in Christ, rather than in our political party. Ephesians 1:13 says that “when [we] believed, [we] were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” God longs for this marking in Christ to be the most important indicator of who we are—more central to our identity than our political party, favorite college team, church, age bracket, income level, or pet-preference (are you a cat person or a dog person?). This means that we should make our political decisions based on our understanding of who God is and what God wants for humanity, and not on any other loyalties or commitments.
Second, in a workshop on Christian Nationalism offered by the Synod on October 21, 2026, Pastor Vonnetta L. West challenged participants to embrace the idea that “love of country must never become an excuse for loving our neighbors less.” Jesus doesn’t ever command us to love our country or culture, but he does reference Leviticus 19:18 when he commands us to love our neighbors in Matt 22 and Mark 12. When we vote, we have the chance to love our neighbors by considering not just how policies impact us and our own families, but also our neighbors scattered near and far around the corner and around the globe. (You can watch Pastor West’s fantastic seminar on YouTube here: CLICK HERE.)
Third, pollsters talk about “double-haters,” voters who don’t think either of the options in a race is worth a vote. I’ve certainly been one of these; one time I wrote in one of my work colleagues for president because I couldn’t quite stomach either option. She responded that I must have only wanted to see her husband get impeached when I let her know she had my vote! However, I recently joined a statement from the Ohio Council of Churches about the importance of voting and was persuaded by it that voting and listening to each others’ voices is a loving act which demonstrates faithfulness to Christ’s words in John 13:34 “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love on another.” You can read the full election statement here: 2026 Election Statement — Ohio Council of Churches
Each day we have the chance to live out our faith as disciples of Christ. My prayer for you and for myself is that this election season will be a time when we follow Jesus as we enter the voting booth.
God bless you!
Rev. Charles B Hardwick, PhD
Executive
309-530-4578
Comments