No one party, specifically, Republican or Democrat can or should be defined or held up as the Christian party. Do you realize how dangerous a road that may be?

When we let our political party define our Christianity, it is easy to demonize people who also wear the Christian banner of the opposite party. We have seen a lot of this take place during our 2020 election year, and occurring even in the current election cycle. Neither party is the Christian party, nor is America a Christian nation.

Given that neither party can be defined as Christian, how should we choose a party, or do we necessarily have to? Until a few years ago, I had been a Conservative Democrat most of my adult voting life as I found it more closely aligned with my principles that are based on the Bible.

I moved from the Democratic party when I found that I could no longer attach myself to it because of planks in the party platform I could not support, but I also found that I could not become a Republican either for the same reason, so I registered as independent.

Should I judge or question’s someone’s Christianity because they identify as being a Republican? A Democrat? I dare say, No! Although, that appears to be the climate in which we find ourselves today.

I listened to Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones’ exposition of Romans 13:1-7, Christian and The State, in preparation for a small group ladies Bible study, in which I heard a statement with which I wholeheartedly agreed.

Dr. Lloyd Jones’ statement essentially said that Christians, equally good Christians, may hold different views. He said that you can have equally good Christians in either party, conservative or liberal, or as we identify them as, Democrat or Republican. What is it that divides them? He stated that it is not their Christianity. He stated that the difference is not their spiritual point of view, but that the difference is their actual point of view in addressing specific problems.

The Bible is our guide. Therefore, our politics should be informed by our Christianity based on biblical principles.

I believe that the way that we arrive at making decisions on with which party to align, or which way to vote is usually based upon various things that make us who we are: our parents and family structures, our friends, our churches, our living environment and its surroundings, and our exposure or lack thereof to the issues of the day. So, when we are faced with which party most closely aligns with our convictions, or how to vote on specific issues, it is the things that make us who we are that play into how we arrive at decisions or view solutions, while seeking to honor biblical principles.

In reference to Dr. Lloyd Jones’s statement, it is my opinion that we ought to be careful not to be dismissive or criticize another for arriving at a decision that differs from ours.

Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?

Romans 14:3-4a

This principle that the Apostle Paul lays out applies here also. We may differ politically, and not understand how someone arrives at a different conclusion, but that should not be a reason for division. For Christians, we must keep in mind that we are also citizens of another kingdom; this world is not our home.

So, I am persuaded that we need to learn how to give grace. Our witness is at stake.