Whether it be the online memes making light of the way Vice President Kamala Harris emotes, or videos of former President Donald Trump’s supporters praising God that Trump was “chosen,” it seems as though our support for politicians has become an identity within itself rather than a reflection of our own values.
We live in a country that has normalized parasocial relationships with political figures and created adulating cults of personality. This is an often omitted form of idolatry that many people of faith fail to consider. When we engage in the sectarianism of today’s politics, I contend that not only do we rid ourselves of the interrogation of those whom we support, but we also lose the focus of our participation in politics as Christians.
As believers in Christ, Christians have a moral duty to participate in democracy and to use their vote to advance the values rooted in the Gospel. My criticism is not of participation, but rather how we participate. With suffering so omnipresent in our society (At the border, in the middle east, amongst the working poor etc.) and many exigent issues pressing up against the clock (climate change, social security solvency, the enrollment cliff), many of us have allowed ourselves to be conscripted into playing the game of vibes and tribalism.
We do so despite the criteria for support of politicians being perspicuously laid out for us in the Gospel. With this in mind, we must acknowledge that no one will meet all of those criteria, for we are beautifully and wonderfully made, yet we are all prone to mishaps and sin. I do not expect perfection from politicians, as I would not for you or myself.
Despite that, we should still hold our politicians to a certain standard, but before we apply such a standard, we must first admit that politicians are not our savior, Christ is. Politicians are also not celebrities. They are our employees and we should act accordingly. After accepting these central conditions, we must then compare politicians with the values of the Gospel to which we aspire. Are these individuals loving? Are they merciful? Do these individuals believe in the inherent dignity of all people? Will they center those on the margins? These are the types of questions that should guide our choices amidst the moral turpitude taking hold within our country.
These questions are our rubric and if we are truly honest with ourselves, neither candidate offered by our two major political parties would earn a perfect score, or even come close for that matter. I would offer that one comes a lot closer than the other, but fundamentally we are dealing with the choice of the lesser evil. Trump’s xenophobic assaults on God’s children in migrant communities is sinful, but so is Harris’ unrepentant support of Israel, which is engaged in a campaign of genocidal retribution. It is apparent, of course, that Trump also supports Israel, but Harris is part of the present administration actively facilitating this carnage. Trump’s autocratic behavior is also deeply troubling, but so is the projection of Harris as an obdurate and merciless prosecutor.
To be clear, I am not saying these two are equal in character, nor in policy. They are not the same and, in fact, I think one is a fundamental threat to democracy overall. I bring these examples up to shine a light on the fact that politicians are not who we should be looking to in order to form our values. The politicians should be looking to us, and as Christians, we should be working to ensure that those values align with those which we work to embody every day.
We cannot keep placing our hope into flesh adorned by expensive suits and armed with witty talking points, but instead we must begin to center ourselves on what the Gospel communicates to all of God’s children: all of our hope comes from the lord.
Harris will not save us, and neither will Trump. Our duty is not to give them unrelenting praise, but to be critical of them both. God’s children deserve healthcare, good-paying jobs, a habitable climate and the freedom to simply be. When politicians fall short of what God commands of us, it is our job to remind them.
As for me, I will be casting my ballot for Harris. This does not come without hesitation nor the absence of tension, but I believe Harris best aligns with the biblical values we as Christians hold, though I say to each their own. My call for you is not to agree with my choice, but rather to agree in the process of discernment. Holding God in all things includes the way in which we vote and it is incumbent upon us as Christians to make sure we continue to put God first, regardless of the cacophony coming from the political punditocracy. To this I say – have you chosen a side in this political war? If so, I hope you have chosen that of God’s, which I promise far supersedes that of the blue team and the red one.
God Bless you and may this word offer you some new insight into how we are being called to live.