I actually seriously hate writing about politics, but it seems I've been doing that a lot lately. It upsets me how things are going. I've read and seen a few articles and comments circling in the Christian community about the "Christian Case for Donald Trump" or the "Christian Case for Hillary Clinton," or (and substantially worse) "Christians Can't Vote for Trump" or "Christians Can't Vote for Clinton" (or relatively similar titles). The implication, of course, being that you can't be a good Christian and vote for a certain person at the same time. Not true. Not true. NOT TRUE. Not all good Christians are liberals; not all good Christians are conservatives. While it is of the utmost importance that we measure our political views by the Bible and by our faith, it will always be the fact that religion and politics are not the same thing. Our faith should flow into our politics, but our politics cannot define our faith.

In this particular election, it is easy (and I have seen it happen multiple times) for Christians to make a case that it is fundamentally un-Christian to vote for Clinton or fundamentally un-Christian to vote for Trump. However, it is extremely difficult to make a solid, thorough Christian case for either candidate as neither candidate is a good example of a Christian, or even a moral person. It is not fair to say that somebody's political party is "un-Christian," because neither of the political parties is entirely Christ-like. Not even a little bit. In these circumstances, it is especially unfair to say that Christians are making an "un-Christian" decision by voting for a certain candidate. Both candidates are immoral, and there are immoral aspects of each of their campaigns. That is undeniable. Our Christian values paint the way we see the candidates, but neither of them is entirely in line with all our values. Therefore, some people will inevitably focus on different issues than others. Faith is bigger than that, but politics are small, and must, by necessity, work like that.

In saying or posting something like the comments and articles mentioned above, we are not only being completely unfair to the intelligence and faith of our fellow Christians, but we are being completely unfair to the depth of what we, as Christians, believe. We believe, first and foremost, in Christ, and He is so big and so beautiful and so right. The truth is that we cannot use Christ's values to completely justify voting for either candidate, and by making a "Christian" case like that, we are diminishing the fullness of His truth. His truth is not constrained to one candidate or one party. So, be careful when measuring politics against faith, and be even more careful when measuring other people's politics against their faith.

This election really is a choice between one evil and another. It is essential that we recognize the wrong present in each choice. Either way we go, we are morally caught, and, yet, it is morally wrong not to choose. So we must make a decision. This is a hard decision. Don't fault your neighbor for making a different decision than you; not one of you is more in the right than the other. Prayerfully consider your choices, and then choose. Be convicted of your decision, but be gracious towards the decisions of others. No matter which way you vote, you can take solace in the fact that no matter how it goes, God is in control. And He loves us. And His plan is the best.