Brian Zahnd wrote a “voter guide” for Christians some 12 years ago. (I’m writing in 2024 so that would be 2012.) It was a breath of fresh air – an encouragement to Jesus people! What he entitled BZ’s Ten Point Christian Voter Guide 12 years ago is quoted below.
1. The political process, while necessary, has little to do with how God is saving the world.
2. The fate of the kingdom of God does not depend upon political contests.
3. Don’t be naïve, political parties are more interested in Christian votes than they are in Christian values.
4. The bottom line for political parties is power. The bottom line for a Christian is love. And therein lies the rub.
5. While in pursuit of the Ring of Power, you are not permitted to abandon the Sermon on the Mount.
6. If your political passion makes it hard for you to love your neighbor as yourself, you need to turn it down a notch.
7. Your task is to bring the salt of Christian civility to an ugly and acrimonious political process.
8. To dismember the body of Christ over politics is a grievous sin.
9. Exercise your liberty to vote your conscience and conviction, while accepting that other Christians will do the same and vote differently than you.
10. It’s more important that your soul be filled with love than it is for your political team to win the game.
A few days ago in his online blog, BZ published his guide once more, and included some, shall we say, supporting texts. It’s quite a good meditation for us who say we intend to follow Jesus. It is called Election Season and Your Soul. I highly recommend it.
