Christian Voters Must Be Values Voters

In a recent article for the Dispatch, Michael Wear writes, “Have you noticed that the term ‘values voters’ is essentially absent from national political discourse since Trump solidified his hold on the GOP? . . . It’s hard to sustain the moniker ‘values voters’ when the candidate receiving the support of those voters regularly disregards, or even flagrantly undermines, those values.”

For most of my life, evangelical Christians have prioritized championing moral values in the public square. Our vote has traditionally been cast in support of whichever party we believe aligns most with the values of Christ’s eternal kingdom. Since the 1970s, the Republican Party has more closely aligned with evangelical values because of its championing of traditional marriage, pro-life initiatives, and other conservative principles. These commitments have long made the party of Lincoln and Reagan a hospitable home for conscious-abiding evangelicals.

While the Democratic Party’s persistent progressive ethical agenda continues to exclude evangelicals, Wear’s observation merits close consideration. Has the Republican Party abandoned the values that made it the default party of Bible-believing Protestants? Does a party even exist today in the United States that overlaps considerably with the values of Christ’s kingdom?

Many will point to President Trump’s executive orders on gender as counterevidence against Wear’s claim. If we’re comparing the two major parties, only one seems obviously closer to biblical norms on gender and sexuality. However, it must be noted that President Trump has explicitly rejected a consistent pro-life ethic—the previous litmus test issue for evangelical party loyalty—and his anti-immigrant rhetoric should not sit well with Christians called to love our neighbors. He also fails the personal character test that values voters have long necessitated, but that qualification fell by the wayside in 2016.

I respect the logic of the position that says, “As Christians, we don’t really have a good political option anymore, but I’m going to choose the party that embodies at least some of our values.” That position makes sense to me. In a complex world, we will always have to align ourselves with flawed candidates and less-than-ideal policy agendas for the sake of the greater good. Sometimes we must shrug and say, “At least it beats the alternative.” Of course, even here, some issues are of such moral consequence that we should refuse to ever compromise.

But I rarely encounter that position anymore. Instead, I’m seeing evangelicals adopt a business-as-usual approach of assuming the Republican party aligns with our values wholesale. I’m seeing evangelicals unwaveringly support the actions and policies of the current Republican administration without biblical scrutiny. Rather than objectively analyzing the morality of each policy decision against the backdrop of what our Lord has unerringly revealed, so many seem eager to surrender moral judgment in the name of winning the culture war for their chosen team. We assume the rightness of policies because those policies derive from the people we put in office. It’s as if the price for voting is complete loyalty thereafter.

But, Christian, that’s not the case. You are not obligated to support your team because of your vote. No flawed human institution merits unwavering loyalty. Rule via executive order may make our last few presidents resemble monarchs, but Christians already have a King—one who perfectly embodies the principles and values of truth, righteousness, and beauty in his very person. Jesus alone is worthy of ultimate loyalty. Jesus, whose kingdom is not of this world, perpetually provides the only perfect standard by which every earthly king, kingdom, president, and party must be evaluated and judged.

If Jesus is Lord, the Christian voter must be a values voter. Because of human sin, we understand that no human leader will ever fully embody the righteous values of Christ. Jesus’s subjects, therefore, cannot give any human person or party our ultimate and unquestioned loyalty. When political parties forsake our principles, we must be willing to stand against them in the name of Christ. If we don’t, we may find ourselves on the wrong side of the loyalty line. Jesus’ weighty question is relevant here: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul” (Mark 8:36)? What good will it do to win a culture war if it comes at the cost of forsaking loyalty to our Lord?

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