Election Time: Love, Fear, and Idolatry

I have to admit something.

I am very happy to miss the upcoming election season in America.

Don’t worry, I voted. But to miss the speculation and doomsday prognosis makes me happy.

Each day, hate spews on the airways of Facebook and Twitter. Believers proclaiming doom to America depending which party wins the election. Obviously this venom is directed toward the party or candidate they do not desire to see prevail.

I’ve been around enough elections to know Christians always boldly proclaim “this election is key”  and “the future is at risk.”

While every believer should engage in government and their duties as a citizen, we can take it too far.

Elections can cause Mormons to suddenly be Christians and professing Christians to be closet Muslims!

Our friends from other nations get a nice chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

Fearing one man can single-handedly sink a nation is idolatry. 

Yes, you heard me correctly. It is the same as worshipping little stone statues.

It comes down to a question of “Who is in control?”

What would the Bible say?

In the Old Testament, idolatry was fear based. People engaged in worship of what they feared, so the gods would not do bad things to them. They offered sacrifices to appease them, thereby avoiding harm or pain.

Some modern-day Christians commit idolatry by worshipping the party they love to an extent which blinds them to any missteps or poor judgments. A rubber stamp vote goes on whatever comes from the party of choice.

Do we support our party blindly or fear whatever comes from the other one?

Many others commit idolatry by worshipping the party they fear. They bring sacrifices of hatred and sarcasm to social media outlets.

Idolatry comes in the form of both love and fear. 

The Bible is full of rulers who make any modern-day candidate look like a Sunday School teachers. History, and the church, survived the likes of  Nebuchadnezzar and Nero. My voter’s guide clearly showed me no candidates intend to burn Christians as garden torches or throw folks into incinerators.

Yes it is important to vote for the best candidate.

Yes it is our God-given right to engage in government and politics.

But, it is equally true that no one man can derail the plans of God.

This is possible because our God is one who “removes kings and sets up kings…” (Daniel 2:21)

We worship God, not a party or a candidate.

I would love to see some social media directed towards praying for our leaders as Scriptures commands. But, that would not be nearly as much fun as complaining.

I may just proclaim a social media fast around the election. Or perhaps we should rally people to fast sarcasm, criticism, and judgment and engage in prayer and trust of an Almighty God.

No matter what happens in America on November 6th, the sun will rise again on the 7th should the Lord will it.

——–

For some other wonderful posts on this topic, please take a look at:

Jen Hatmaker’s “Thoughts of a Christian Independent.”

Eugene Cho weighs in with 10 Commandments of the Presidential Election.