The obvious choice for the top story of 2024 is the presidential election. It’s also one of the top worldview stories of 2024, but not because a Christian worldview should ever be reduced to political loyalties. A Christian vision of life and the world is certainly much more than politics, but it is not less.

After his days in the White House, Chuck Colson never publicly endorsed a political candidate, a practice to which the Colson Center remains committed. However, Chuck did describe voting as “our duty as citizens of the kingdom of God.” Citing St. Augustine, he urged Christians “to be the best citizens of the society we live in. To do that, we must vote.”

Some Christians disagree, and their hesitation is understandable. In 2024, the Democratic platform was the most pro-death and anti-family in history. Also, in 2024, the Republican Party scrubbed both pro-life and pro-family commitments from its platform. More recently, unlike his first term, several of President-elect Trump’s cabinet picks are on record as being both pro-abortion and for same-sex “marriage.”

Even so, the trend of convictional Christians not voting long predates this election. In fact, according to recent polling by George Barna, the most common reason given for not voting is lack of interest in politics and elections. At least half of all respondents felt like their one vote wouldn’t make a difference and have grown weary of the controversial nature of the voting process.

Not voting in order to “keep our hands clean” is a form of pietism, not Christianity. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, facing far worse political realities than ours, rightly rejected pietism as contrary to Christian responsibility. Christianity is an incarnational faith and thus must be lived, he wrote, in “the tempest of the living.” In Scripture, James is clear that if there is good that we can do, we should, and to not do the good we can is sin. Voting is a way of doing good.

At the same time, we should be clear on the kind of good that voting is. It’s common for voting to be described as the choice between “the lesser of two evils.” A much better approach, especially given the realities of our current situation, is to vote in a way that will “lessen evil.” In other words, we can fully acknowledge both the moral inadequacies of candidates and the necessary limits on political power, while still seeking good through the political process.

For American Christians, voting is an act of stewardship. According to Romans 13, government is ordained by God to punish evil and reward good. In America, citizens have authority to determine who should be in government. Our authority comes from God and should be stewarded as both a right and a set of responsibilities. Like all efforts done in service to the Lord, we do our best and leave the results to God.

After all, as Chuck Colson often said, “Salvation will never arrive in Air Force One.” Even harder to remember is, “neither will the apocalypse.” Most important for Christians, whether in or out of an election season, is to steward our political responsibilities for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. This is how, in the realm of politics, the Church can be the Church.

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