Pastor, Who Are You Voting For?

Word from the Center
Written By LCRL Staff

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One of my junior catechumens asked that last week. Politics, and political advertising, are wall-to-wall and around-the-clock here in Iowa these days. By “these days,” I mean most of the 10 years since I was called to Iowa. . . . The answer to that question is never short. Instead, I point our members to two basic Scriptures about the relationship of the Christian to government and politics.

First, Romans 13: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

Next, to Acts 4 and 5, where Peter and the other apostles say: “We must obey God rather than men.” . . .

We also have great liberty to speak to elected officials and to hold them accountable for what is allowed on their watch. Those who bear the name of Christ must pray for these officials, encourage them in their vocation, and lovingly communicate the beautiful worldview the Lord holds out in Scripture (and not necessarily with a direct reference to the Bible).

With the murder of the unborn and the perversion of marriage heralded as normal and preferable, now is no time for the church in America to be silent. We dare not sit this one out.

Though we despair of the available candidates, grieve decisions of the courts and mourn the fruits of elections, we still act, remembering that God says: “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17).

The Rev. Kevin Roop is pastor of Peace Lutheran Church, Marcus, Iowa. This article was originally published in and is reprinted with the permission of The Lutheran Witness and can be found here.

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See Also
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With that statement, Paul defines the relationship between Christians and government. Throughout the Book of Acts, Paul invokes his Roman citizenship to make a passionate defense of the Gospel. Instead of shying away from engagement with the governing authorities, he engages them by proclaiming truth. However, he also puts his trust in God’s sovereignty because he knows that the ultimate authority and judge is the Lord, who has allowed those to be in authority so God’s purposes can be accomplished.

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LCRL Staff
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