What are the key takeaways?
- The Bible does not provide specific guidance on how Christians should vote, whom to vote for, or if they must vote at all.
- A frequently cited verse in Jeremiah 29:7 encourages seeking the welfare of the city, which can be interpreted as seeking the common good when making voting decisions.
Jason Brennan’s approach to voting, as outlined in The Ethics of Voting, suggests that citizens should vote for what they justifiably believe will promote the common good or abstain from voting.
- Good voters should be epistemically justified in their belief that they are voting for policies or candidates that promote the common good, based on strong evidence.
- Voters should avoid voting out of ignorance, irrational beliefs, or immoral beliefs and instead be well-informed about the policies and candidates they support.
It can be challenging for Christians to determine what promotes the common good, as there may be differing opinions on the definition and prioritization of elements of the common good, as well as differing voting strategies to achieve it.
- Bad voters might vote out of 1) ignorance, 2) irrational beliefs, or 3) immoral beliefs.
- In contrast, good voters not only know what policies candidates will try to implement, but also know whether those policies would tend to promote or harm the common good.
A frequently cited verse in Jeremiah 29:7 — encourages seeking the welfare of the city, which can be interpreted as seeking the common good when making voting decisions.
DEEP DIVE
What is the Christian Standard for Voting?
The Gospel Coalition
Joe Carter
November 2016
As in all areas of our life, Christians should first turn to Scripture for guidance.
The Bible doesn’t speak directly about how we should vote, whom we should vote for, or even whether we must vote at all.
But there is a frequently cited verse in Jeremiah that should shape our decision:
JEREMIAH 29.7
“[S]eek the welfare of the city
where I have sent you into exile,
and pray to the LORD on its behalf,
for in its welfare you will find your welfare”
Does that admonition still apply to Christians today?
I agree with John Piper, who once said about that verse, “If that was true for God’s exiles in Babylon, it would seem to be even more true for Christian exiles in this very ‘Babylonian’ world.”
I believe we should adopt an approach to voting outlined by Jason Brennan in The Ethics of Voting:
- Citizens must vote for what they justifiably believe will promote the common good, or otherwise they must abstain.
Brennan adds that citizens should justifiably believe that they are voting for candidates or policies that will promote the common good:
- It is not sufficient for them to believe they are voting in a public-spirited way. Rather, they should be epistemically justified in believing they are voting for the common good.
- A belief is epistemically justified when a person has sufficiently strong evidence to warrant the belief. […]
- Voters should have good grounds for thinking that they are voting for policies or candidates that will promote the common good.
In general, there are three ways that voters will violate this norm.
Bad voters might vote out of 1) ignorance, 2) irrational beliefs, or 3) immoral beliefs.
In contrast, good voters not only know what policies candidates will try to implement, but also know whether those policies would tend to promote or harm the common good.
A reasonable standard for Christians would be to cast our votes based on what we believe will most promote the common good.
This task is made more difficult, of course, since we often disagree with what it means to promote the common good and differ on what elements of the common good should be prioritized.
Our paths also diverge when we attempt to decide what voting strategies are most likely to fulfill this standard.
This is an excerpt of the article “How Should Christians Decide to Vote?”, written by Joe Carter, and published on TGC, in November, 2016
