I was sent a video yesterday with a question. The video was produced by Glenn Beck, a conservative political commentator who has some thoughts about Christians, Christian churches, and voter registration drives. My initial response was that being a Mormon, Glenn Beck has no business telling Christians what to think and what to do. Mormonism is a heretical religion that denies the Triune God. Mormons are not Christians. Mormons deny the gospel of Jesus Christ while using many of the same words. They are outside the Christian faith and so have no authority to speak into the Christian faith. That’s my first response to the video. Now let’s take a look at the actual claims.
It is clear he comes from a very conservative, very partisan perspective. In his mind “the other party” is trying to ruin America and must be stopped at all costs. He laments the voter registration activities by those who support “the other party”. He stated very directly in that video,
The problem is Christians are not organizing.
Glenn Beck, https://youtube.com/@glennbeck
He accuses Christian pastors of fearing donors to their churches as the reason they do not organize voter registration drives. Bear in mind, the criticism is for not matching the voter registration drive energy of groups that support “the other party”. In other words, his criticism is not for failing to encourage Christians to be involved in their communities—I would offer such criticism!—but for not doing enough to support “the right party”. In other words, his criticism is a partisan criticism.
In the video he suggests that a pastor who faces “St Peter” on judgment day will be evaluated for entry based on whether or not he feared organizing voter registration drives. He further claimed faith without works is dead—that’s true!—but suggested the works that justify faith are, you guessed it, organizing partisan voter registration drives and picking up widows and old men who sit in the back row on Sundays so they can vote.
We saw in our sermon series in 1–2 Peter the need for believers to remain faithfully present in their communities. Believers must not withdraw from community and even civic engagement. That is true. We must remain among the nations, Peter says, so that they may observe our good deeds (1 Peter 2:12) and we may offer a defense for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15). If the hope that is within us is gaining or maintaining control of the House, the Senate, and the White House, that hope is not a Christian hope, but a worldly hope. Our hope is not in Congressional majorities or the Judicial Branch or the Executive Branch of the United States. Our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and his power is unaffected by which party is in control, or whether we’re governed by a dictator. The gospel spread in the first centuries with pagan emperors and it spread when the emperor claimed to be a follower of Jesus. As Daniel saw in his vision there is one kingdom that will last forever and that kingdom is the kingdom of our Lord. That kingdom will destroy all other kingdoms, including our own.
He further lamented that in the days leading up to the American Revolution, people feared the “Black Robe Regiment”. That is, those who were powerfully fomenting rebellion against the king of England and were very instrumental in bringing about the Declaration of Independence from that king were the preachers, who in that day wore black robes. He laments that no one fears American pastors, for they are unwilling, again, to organize voter registration drives.
God has called me to serve his church vocationally—with my whole life. One day I will stand before the Lord and give an account. One verse that strikes fear in my heart is Hebrews 13:17. The author urges believers to obey their leaders and submit to them. These leaders are the elders of the church. Then he adds that they—their leaders, the elders—are those who will have to give an account. One day I will stand before the Lord (not St. Peter) and give an account. I am quite confident at no point will the Lord demand an explanation for why I did not organize a voter registration drive, and frankly, I fear for those who will be asked why they actually did.
So what will I and our other elders be taken to task for on that day we give account? Paul’s meeting with the council of elders in Acts 20 is quite revealing for what Paul thought was important.
Paul and his ministry companions were traveling and ended up in the city of Miletus. From there he sent a message to the elders from Ephesus to meet him in Miletus. Due to his traveling schedule it would be quicker for them to come to him, for while they were traveling back to Ephesus, he could be on the ship again and continuing his journey. His words to them are very revealing.
Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
Acts 20:17-30 ESV
And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
There are several things to note. First, they know him. They observed his life and character. They suffered with him and knew that while he suffered yet he did not “shrink back from declaring anything that was profitable”. He taught them publicly and privately. He testified to Jews and Gentiles concerning repentance and faith. He tells them he is traveling to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen, beyond knowing the Spirit had revealed to him that suffering and hardship awaited him everywhere.
What is really powerful in this word to them is his statement that he is innocent of their blood, for he did not shrink back from declaring the whole counsel of God. This means Paul did not have his favorite hobby-horse topics to preach about, but preached and taught even the uncomfortable and difficult parts. Some things in Scripture are uncomfortable truths. Many truths are offensive to people. The Spirit revealed to Paul that suffering and hardship awaited him precisely because Paul was faithful to proclaim truth that made many angry.
He tells these elders that they will not see him again. He will die for his faithfulness to proclaim the whole counsel of God. He did not pick and choose his favorite parts. He reminds the elders the Holy Spirit has made them overseers, to care for the church of God and then explains why this is God’s design for his church: fierce wolves will come in among the flock and will not spare the flock. They will ravage the people of God, speaking twisted things, to draw away followers of Christ from following Christ that they might follow the ravenous wolves.
What is particularly evident in the New Testament is an utter lack of culture-changing language. That is, the apostles did not see their mission in this world to be one of culture change. They were not trying to conform a government into the image of Christ. Rather, they were striving for the people of God to be transformed into his image. This transformation is completely and utterly independent of any political or legal status for followers of Christ. To say this another way, the whole counsel of God that Paul was careful to declare to the council of elders of Ephesus did not include efforts to change or control the direction of the culture around them.
Let me be clear: Christians must remain part of the culture. As is quite clear in 1 Peter we must not withdraw from the culture. This is why we at New City strive to be involved with the Creston Business Association and the Creston Neighborhood Association. This is why we strive to be involved with community organizations such as North End Community Ministry and St. Gianna’s No Cost Baby Boutique. These are worthwhile organizations to support via volunteering and financial gifts. We don’t strive to control or direct any of these organizations. There may be events or programs supported or run by one of them that we cannot participate in, but we are not trying to control what they do. We participate when participation makes sense. The reality is our participation may influence them in some way, but we do not seek to do this directly.
Instead, we strive to remain faithfully present. We love our neighbors not because they may or may not respond to the gospel in a way that we desire. We love our neighbors because God demonstrates his love in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us. That is, we love our neighbors and community simply because God himself loves our neighbors and community. We do not love them for a hoped-for response. We simply love them and seek to engage in good works that benefit our community. As Peter indicates the Lord may use these good works to draw men and women to the gospel of Jesus, but that’s his business. Our business is to be faithfully present and love our neighbors.
The real problem with Glenn Beck’s demand that Christians organize partisan voter registration drives is this is using the world’s methods to bring about worldly aims. The true church of Jesus Christ does not strive to control politics. The true Church of Jesus Christ does not strive to control the legislature. The true church of Jesus Christ does not strive to control the presidency. The true church of Jesus Christ does not strive to control judicial nominees. The true church of Jesus Christ strives to declare the whole counsel of God.
We cannot speak prophetically if we also speak politically. Churches must choose whether to be prophetic, that is, to speak for the Lord, or they must choose to be political, to speak for a party. Only one of these is sanctioned by the Lord so any church that chooses to be political no longer represents the Lord Jesus faithfully. Political rhetoric and political activism blur and obscure the gospel of Jesus. This means the pursuit of political rhetoric and political activism as the public face of Christianity plays right into the devil’s hands. Paul’s words to the Corinthians are enlightening here.
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:1-6 ESV
If New City Church is going to pursue something, it is going to be the glory of God in the face of Christ. Preaching a partisan agenda and creating fear in people for “allowing” the wrong people to be elected is fearmongering and obscures the gospel. No one will come to faith in Jesus because you ranted on Facebook about immigration policy or about tariffs or about how bad “the other party is”. Rather, we must renounce underhanded ways, for they are disgraceful. Further, we must openly proclaim the truth of God in Christ. Let us not give the enemy of God the very veil used to obscure the gospel. When we preach partisan politics people are unable to see the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ in us. The world doesn’t care about our hope for midterm elections. The world needs to hear the good news of the victory of Christ over sin and death. The world needs to hear the reason for the hope that is within us, and that hope is Jesus Christ.
Now, with that in mind, let me get to the question: should pastors tell their congregations to get out and vote? In the context of the video, in which the commentator clearly anticipates partisan voting? No. In any other context? Also, no. The church as the church has been given a mission. The apostle Paul clarified that mission in his address to the council of elders from Ephesus. We must be faithfully present in the world, and we must always be prepared to give a defense for the reason for the hope—the hope we have in the Lord Jesus—that is within us.
It may be that being faithfully present in our communities requires voting. There are things on the ballot from time to time, and I’m thinking local issues here, that benefit our community and so to love our neighbors well we should vote. It may be there is a candidate for office who would be a blessing for our community and so voting may well be an act of love and service to our neighbors. Notice the motivation, however. Voting is not about gaining or maintaining power, but about loving our neighbors well. Some partisans will try to argue this is only possible by voting for a party—their party. That is merely an attempt to obscure the partisanship in the demand that Christians vote. What about an election in which one has the choice between the lesser of two evils? I find it wise to never vote for evil and so it may be that not voting is the best way to love our neighbors.
What is beyond the scope of the role of the council of elders is to mandate that followers of Jesus vote. Even more, it is unacceptable for an elder in Christ’s church to tell the church how to vote. Vote your conscience. Then again, it may be that your conscience prevents you from voting at all. In that case, don’t vote. For anyone to claim that faithfulness to the Lord Jesus requires voting and especially voting in a particular partisan way is for that person to misrepresent the gospel. It is to add to the veil the god of this world uses to blind the minds of unbelievers.
Partisanship obscures the gospel. We are called to reveal the gospel, to be a light to the world by pointing the world to Jesus. No church, no talk show host—whether a heretic or a true believer in Jesus—has the right to lay such a burden on God’s people. The only way any of us will be able to say we are innocent of the blood of everyone is by remaining faithful to the gospel and only to the gospel. There is no such thing as “God and country”. There is only Christ and his kingdom, and for this we will all give an account.