“This is the most important election of our lifetime.” 

This election year I think that a lot of people can relate to Dustin Ebey. A March 26 Facebook post shows a photo of a man next to photos of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The post shares that 35-year-old Dustin Ebey of Texas legally changed his name to “Literally Anybody Else” and announced that he’s running for President against Trump and Biden. His post received more than 3,500 shares in less than a week. Out of frustration with voters’ options in the 2024 presidential race, “Else” started his campaign website and was working to collect signatures in Texas. Obviously, Ebey wanted to send a message. 

But what message does the Bible send us about politics? Did you know that the New Testament says very little about government and essentially nothing about politics? Yes, it was a different day, but it was a much more horrible day as far as biblical values. All the issues that concern Christians today were accepted as normal in that culture. Think of the lowest levels of evil and debauchery. That was the culture that Jesus and the early church lived in. Yet, never once did Jesus or the Apostles protest or even speak against those horrible abominations. They were never out marching or protesting. They didn’t write their local Caesar or sign petitions. Instead, they were passionate about sharing – Who is Jesus and the Gospel. And they turned their world upside down. 

Many of the very things that are reprehensible in our day, virtually ceased to exist because of the power of the gospel. For example, slavery is one of the greatest moral evils since Creation. It was committed Christ-followers who brought about its demise in much of the world. 

Will it really make a difference in eternity who is elected in November? Not really. But  a year from now and move that on into eternity, it will it make a difference what someone believes about Jesus.  

Would the Church even be around today if the early church had used their energy to fight the cultural/political evils of their day? No. Yet, what is the typical Christ-follower more focused on today – politics or the kingdom of Jesus Christ? What do we talk about more, think about more, focus on more? Most Christians’ concerns are monetary, not spiritual: inflation, taxes, interest rates, health care costs, jobs, Social Security benefits, etc.  Even most Christ-followers vote economically rather than spiritually. 

This election cycle will make little difference in eternity yet knowing who Jesus is and having Him as King of your life will make a difference tomorrow, next year and forever. Staying on the mission that Jesus gave us as His Church of sharing who He is and the gospel can transform a life, a marriage and family, a community and a nation. It can have a spiritual domino effect that outlasts far beyond even what we can imagine. That’s why we’re beginning this new series, Vote! King Jesus! For the next eight weeks we’ll be working through the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-13. We’ll be focusing on what’s essential, having Jesus as the King of your life and living for His kingdom. That has both a temporal and an eternal impact. 

None of what we are facing today is new. One of the early church leaders, Augustine, wrote about these same issues in his book, City of God. In it he unpacked concerns that Christ-followers must remember. One contemporary writer has compared what Augustine wrote of Rome, the political power of his day with our day. Here are some of the key points. 

If the U.S. is not our Home, politics is of relative, not ultimate, importance. There’s a difference between something being important and being ultimately important. Thus, a particular political party’s success isn’t ultimately important but only relatively important. Knowing this truth changes how anxious, triumphalist, or despondent we are about the outcome of each election cycle, campaign, or candidate. When we make ultimate something of lesser importance, it’s idolatry. Thus, we must win the debate. We get disproportionately upset at those who disagree with us, are tempted to gossip and slander those who don’t share our allegiances. Recognizing that only God and His kingdom are ultimately important  fosters godlier, Spirit-filled, healthy interactions.

Because as Christians we’re in exile in the U.S., politics is relatively important. This world is not our Home. God has delegated power to those in governmental authority (Romans 13), so we should be engaged, thoughtful, and prayerful. Recognizing the power that those in authority have under God, we’re commanded to pray for them, even those we disagree with. Since no candidate or political party represents a biblical worldview but does exhibit common grace, we need to pray for all of them. 

The earthly city and the heavenly city are present in both political parties. Since these two cities are, as Augustine wrote, “entangled together in this world, and intermixed until the last judgment affects their separation,” all political parties will have some planks in their platforms and methodological approaches aligned with the heavenly city and others misaligned with it. Our focus and allegiance must be toward the eternal city (love for God and neighbor) and their turning from the earthly city (love for self and this temporal world). We must live and focus on the real world, the eternal one. 

Living for the heavenly city means seeing merits in views you don’t share. It’s common for those on both sides in the church to say, “I don’t know how they can vote for that position.” The implication is that a true Christian would only vote the way the one making the statement is voting. Charity is an underemphasized virtue today. To be charitable demands rejecting suspicion, cynicism and judgementalism. It requires thoughtful conversations and prayerful reflection to see another’s perspective.  

Living for the heavenly city means seeking love, not power. The heavenly city is a place of love for God and our neighbor. It’s tragically ironic when those who profess they’re living for that city lack love. Whatever our political allegiance in this often-loveless world, to be obedient to Jesus, we must be characterized by His love for others.

The Beatitudes are all about living out a Christian Counterculture. The Bible never commands us to support a certain political party or to vote. It does command us as Christ-followers to surrender our lives and live for Jesus in this world. That’s the most important decision of your lifetime, not how you vote. If those living for the earthly city, their political party/candidate and a perishing glory are highly motivated, how much more should those living for King Jesus’ heavenly city be motivated to live distinctively? Be honest. Would those around you based on how you live, based on your passion and focus say that you’re voting for King Jesus? 

Literally “Anybody Else” for President