The Christian’s Conscience and the Call to Vote
We are Exiles with a Mission in a Strange Land
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Lights Under a Bushel?
Jesus called his followers “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). But what happens when 41 million points of light hide under a bushel?
That's the alarming reality we face this election season, as millions of self-described born-again Christians consider skipping one of our most critical civic duties.
Should Christians vote? The answer is an unequivocal yes. Moreover, every Christian should vote. This imperative extends even to those whose conscience might be troubled by the available candidates.
Many Christians today are ambivalent about the culture. Some hate the culture, some are hopeful, and many are jaundiced by the juggernaut of progressivism. But, as we will see, there are millions of Christians planning to sit this election out.
So let’s stop and consider some things.
Let’s look at where Christians are in the culture today. And then let’s listen to the wisdom and injunction of the prophet Jeremiah. And then, we can consider our conscience and whether it alone should keep us from casting a ballot at a time when men and women of faith are needed to speak.
Exile Status
Christians need a wake-up call. Let’s get honest about something. We are no longer in charge of our country as we thought we once were. We’ve lost presence in nearly every public sphere. In most settings, we do not have the gavel. We do not control the purse strings. We do not write the textbooks. We do not appoint policy committees. We do not make human rights selections. In many denominations, Christians with a classic belief in what our forebears believed do not choose the curriculum at seminaries or the criteria needed for ordination.
What does this make us? Losers? Yes, we have lost our hold on society. Does this make us outcasts? Yes, we may not be invited to the elite parties our parents once were. But does that make us forgotten by God? No. We are remembered. Our God will never forget us. He remembers us.
The Bible has a word for outcasts who have lost positional authority as we have, but who have not been forgotten by God: Exiles.
If you research the word “exile,” you’ll find a plethora of words that will pinpoint that vague feeling Christians feel all the time: displaced, uprooted, or refugee. “The state of being barred from one’s country.”
Once we accept the reality of who we are—exiles—and where we are—a country not our true and final home—we can figure out how best to make the best of things while we are here. We can then answer the question of how we should live and vote.
Been there. Done that.
Believers have been exiled before—many times. We know what it is like to be out of favor with the majority and out of public and political power. Exiles, aka Believers, wrote the Book on it.
From the beginning, Moses felt so displaced that he named his son Gershom, which means “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” (Exodus 2:22). Gershom is not on the list of favorite baby names, but it does pinpoint the feeling we have.
When King David received the generous offering for the Temple’s construction, he made this wistful comment: “We are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.” (I Chronicles 29:15) Talk about depressing! Despite the success of the ingathering and the Temple it would build, David knows he’s just passing through this life. (He is thinking, ‘I, too, shall pass.’)
Abraham, the father of our faith, was told he would be a great nation. “Count on it,” said the Lord. He couldn’t count that high! The possibilities were too vast to be real. But then, at the end of his life, all he had to show for this starry-eyed promise was a tiny postage-stamp piece of dirt under the trees of Mamre. He had to beg for that, too. He said to the Hittites, “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” (Genesis 23:4)
In the New Testament, things weren’t any better for Peter. He tried to make the best of it, encouraging his fellow exiles to guard their passions and make a of positive impression on non-believers surrounding them. “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh…Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable…so they may see your good deeds and glorify God..,. (1 Peter 2:11-12)
After the long list of heroes of the faith who are our role models and exemplars, the writer of Hebrews sounds a sad but honest note: “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)
Churchill said that the winners write history. That might be true. But that makes the Bible even more unique because it is written from the perspective of people NOT in power or who were displaced, disrupted, and demoted by the powers around them—not the winners. Many of the luminaries, saints, and personalities of the faith that children sing about at Vacation Bible School were exiled, pushed away, locked up, and left for dead.
One of the saddest verses in the Bible is also the most telling, predictive, and prophetic for the realities we face today. John writes of Jesus, whom he considered the Word of God, the Logos, the Meaning behind the Cosmos, the One who was at the beginning of the Beginning—that the Word became flesh and came to the world He made. But something then went wrong. He was rejected.
The King James Version is most emphatic:
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (John 1:10-11)
They knew him not; they received him not. Jesus was exiled from his own land.
Can we accept that the people of God, from Old Testament heroes and models to the centerpiece of God’s story, Jesus of Nazareth, and even the great Apostle Paul, have been kicked out, ignored, hoodwinked, betrayed, arrested, hunted, disappointed, discouraged, disregarded, exiled or cast out? And crucified.
What’s An Exile To Do?
If Christians can see themselves as ‘strangers in a strange land’ whose citizenship is of another world—as people who are to be in this world but not of this world— what should we do about the culture? A more relevant question is this: Should Christians vote in an election if there are no Christian candidates representing their beliefs and convictions?
To answer this, we must look back 2500 years to the prophet Jeremiah (650-570 BCE). Speaking to the Israelites who had been violently and forcefully exiled to Babylon from Israel, Jeremiah delivered this surprising message: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).
Note that Jeremiah does not call the people to withdraw. There are to be no pity parties in Babylon. There are no towels to throw in. There’s no plan to ‘go along to get along.’ They are not to sulk. They are not to shrink. Surprisingly, the exiled people of God are to thrive!
If we took him seriously today, the prophet would call us to help the people and powers around us make the towns, cities, parks, schools, classrooms, malls, and concert halls a wonder to behold.
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (Jeremiah 29:4-7)
Hope and a Future?
Of course, what follows in the prophet’s book is the most misunderstood verse in our modern times. You know it. It’s on a coffee mug somewhere in your kitchen. It was on the card you sent your niece last May for graduating college. You’ve known more than one teenager back from camp who memorized it.
I refer to the famous ‘hope and a future’ verse from Jeremiah 29. “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (vs. 11)
But it doesn’t mean what most of us want it to mean. We would much prefer it to mean we will immediately get the “hope and future” we want. But Jeremiah isn’t promising that. He is putting that hope and future on hold. Into the future. For now, he tells the exiled people of God, you are in Babylon.
Jeremiah delivers a sobering message to God's chosen people: embrace your new reality. He tells them to let go of their dreams of swift restoration, to abandon the hope of immediately reclaiming their ancestral lands, their familiar homes, or their positions of influence and authority. This isn't a temporary setback; it's a long-term situation they must accept.
Jeremiah’s letter to his exiles is the same as he’d send today: “People, dig in. Do good. Engage. Develop. Marry. Bear children. Build your families. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city, even as an exile. As it prospers, so will you. And vote!”
Jeremiah would continue, “In time, at a time and place of the Lord’s choosing, we will see what hope and a future look like.”
Jeremiah’s letter to his exiles is the same one he’d send today's generation of exiles: People, dig in. Do good. Engage. Develop. Marry. Bear children. Build your families. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city, even as an exile. As it prospers, so will you. And vote!
This was the mindset of the Apostle Paul, the most incarcerated man in the Bible. Did he ever stop his ministry just because he was behind bars? Arguably, some of the best writing Paul did was from a prison cell, and even until the last day, when the soldiers came to remove his head, he was bearing witness to the love of Jesus the Lord.
Jeremiah’s ancient wisdom is a call to action for our civic engagement today. As exiles invested in a foreign land, we are called to be present in our temporary home. Voting, then, is more than a civic duty—it’s an act of stewardship, a way of tending, building, and blessing our community.
The Alarming Reality
Recent statistics paint a concerning picture of Christian civic engagement. According to research from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University (ACU), as many as 41 million self-described born-again Christians are “unlikely” to vote in the upcoming November election. This number is more than enough to significantly impact the outcome of not just the presidential race, but numerous down-ballot contests as well.
Len Munsil, president of ACU, highlighted two critical takeaways from this study. The first was that Christians could be the deciding factor in many federal and state races — and are choosing not to be. The second was that they long for their local church to instruct them on thinking biblically about policy and politics.
When Christians were asked to explain their complacency, the reasons varied:
68% replied that they weren’t interested in politics.
57% dislike both presidential candidates
52% believe their vote won’t make a difference
48% worry that the election results will be manipulated
These statistics reveal a deep-seated disillusionment with the political process. However, they also indicate a critical misunderstanding of the broader implications of civic engagement.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins argues that there are “much more important decisions than the presidency on the state and local ballot.” Control of the House and Senate, governorships, state attorneys general, local school boards, ballot initiatives, and other positions play crucial roles in policies that affect our daily lives.
These elected officials are on the front lines of protecting children from radical ideologies, pushing back on corporate America’s agendas, fighting government overreach, and passing laws that align with Christian values. If we focus solely on the presidential race, we risk overlooking these vital local and state-level decisions.
So, how shall we then live? Or vote?
The Conscience Conundrum
It's natural to desire perfection in our choices, especially in matters as weighty as voting and choosing a political leader. However, we live in a fallen world where perfect options are rare. Instead of focusing on the "lesser of two evils," we can reframe our thinking: Which choice offers the most significant opportunity for human flourishing, justice, and compassion?
This approach doesn't mean abandoning our conscience or compromising our core values. Instead, it's about expanding our perspective to consider the wider implications of our choices. We can be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matthew 10:16), sometimes making difficult decisions for the greater good.
Consider Paul's teaching on eating meat sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8. In this passage, Paul addresses the tension between individual conscience and the well-being of the community. He emphasizes that out of love and consideration for others, believers should put aside their rights—in effect, violate their conscience—for the sake of another.
This underscores a profound truth: there are times when the purity of one’s conscience may need to be set aside—or, as one might say, put on hold—for the sake of the larger community.
The hard part about this election, at least at the top of the ticket, is that neither candidate appeals to some Christian voters. While some people don’t struggle with this, a significant number do. They find it difficult to cast a ballot if told to vote their conscience, as they have for many generations.
But, like many decisions, voting isn't solely a matter of personal conscience. We're part of a larger body—both the body of Christ and the body politic. At times, we're called to act not just for our conscience but for the well-being of our nation or community. Sometimes, we are called to vote on behalf of the conscience of the country.
Remember, we must "seek the peace and prosperity of the city where I have exiled you. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Doesn't this suggest our actions and decisions should consider the flourishing of our broader community?
The salient question isn’t which candidate meets my personal litmus test of goodness or the lesser of two evils. (I find that phrase disheartening.) Instead, it’s which top ticket leader is best for the flourishing of this country and the rest of the world. Like early Christians, we must thoughtfully discern our choices, sometimes placing the needs of the community above our individual preferences, ensuring that our actions reflect love, grace, and a commitment to the greater good.
Which candidate is that? That is not for me to say. But every Christian citizen must discern, decide, and vote.
Our Call to Action
As election day approaches, let’s consider our role as ‘exiles’ in this world. See your vote not as a burden but as an opportunity – to plant seeds of change, to tend the garden of your community, to be salt and light in a world that desperately needs both.
We’re exiles—we know that—but Jeremiah summons us to make a difference in our temporary home, one decision at a time. We should approach the ballot box with hope and purpose, recognizing our civic engagement as part of our Christian witness and responsibility.
In 1961, the icon of the approaching secular humanism, the young president John F. Kennedy, coined a phrase that would become emblematic of his administration and a call to action for his generation. He used a perfect rhetorical device to phrase it because it created a parallel sound, and so emphasized the call to action.
I remember the moment. I was six, forced to watch the evening news with my parents. It was, I was told, an important day. I lay prone on the carpet in our family room, staring at a massive wooden four-legged console housing the black-and-white TV tube showing grainy images of a fuzzy, faraway man. But even then, his famous remark, spoken with a nasal tone in a strange American accent, caught my attention.
Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.
Today, we might balk. Why would anyone want to do anything for this God-forsaken country that has turned its back on the Lord and the heritage of the West? Jeremiah has a different way of saying it that makes it all the more important to make a choice for the sake of the whole, even if it does put a dent in my conscience.
The prophet would have said it this way:
Ask not what Babylon can do for you but what you can do for Babylon’s prosperity and peace. And then you, too, will find peace. Dig in and develop your faith in the difficult days you are sure to endure. And know that one day I will bring you back to the city of your hope and future.
Our ultimate hope isn't in perfect political solutions, but in God's redemptive work in the world as begun, continued and ended in the person of Jesus Christ. As we participate in civic life, let's do so with the Lord’s grace, wisdom, and a commitment to the Kingdom of God.
The Rev. David Roseberry is an ordained Anglican priest with over 40 years of pastoral experience. He was the founding rector of Christ Church in Plano, Texas, where he served for 30 years. He served as the Chairman of the Board of Trinity Anglican Seminary in Ambridge, PA, and was appointed Canon for the Mission of the Anglican Church in North America. Today, Canon Roseberry offers leadership services to pastors, churches, and Christian writers. He is an accomplished author whose books are available on Amazon. David Roseberry is the Executive Director of LeaderWorks, where his work and resources can be found.
Thank you for the reminder in the book of Jeremiah.