Functional Faith

I recently came across a term in the book “Tranquility” by David W. Henderson. The term is “functional atheism,” which Henderson defines as, “professing faith in the risen Lord but living as though God were altogether absent and uninvolved.”

We all make mistakes. We all stumble in our Christian walk. A huge part of our faith is trusting in the grace of God, which we all need, because “all we like sheep have gone astray,” Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV). But overall, we should be trending in the direction of becoming more Christ-like. We should be following his directions on how to live our lives, and on how to interact with the people around us. It’s a problem if we say we follow Jesus, but the choices we make take us farther and farther from our shepherd’s intentions.

I’m writing about this now because my province is less than a week away from an election. Every election the same thing happens: People start saying, “If you’re a Christian, you have to vote for (insert political party here).” No, that wasn’t an editing mistake. I’ve heard that argument made about more than one party. It’s a hurtful and divisive comment, especially since Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” John 18:36 (NIV).

Who should Christians vote for in an election? I think we should vote for a leader, or party, who endorses Biblical values in the way we build our communities.

Which values am I talking about? Well, the Bible gives us many instructions on how to live with each other in a community. For example, in Matthew 25 we read that Jesus will accept those who helped those who were hungry and thirsty, who showed hospitality to strangers, who clothed those without clothing, who looked after the sick, and who visited those in prison.

In Leviticus 23 we read that when God gave rules to the new nation of Israel, he told them to respect their parents, to intentionally leave some of their harvest for the poor and the foreigner, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t do things to hurt or insult the blind or deaf, make sure judges treat the poor and the rich the same, don’t slander each other, and don’t endanger the life of your neighbour.

In Acts 4 we read that no one in the group of believers thought of their possessions as their own, instead giving generously to each other. And similarly in Hebrews 13 we read that we should not forget to do good things, and share with others. God is pleased with that kind of sacrifice.

So what do we look for in a leader? Well, if we’re going to claim to be Christ-followers, we need to vote for leaders who endorse godly values, like those above. If we want to live what we believe instead of saying one thing and doing another, we need to vote for leaders who care about justice, the poor, the foreigners, the truth, the disabled, the older generations, and protecting others from harm. We need leaders who say the right things, and then follow through on them.

I started this post with the idea of “functional atheism.” How does that connect to voting choices? It connects because if we say we follow God, we need to vote like he’s real and watching. If we say we’re godly people, but vote for someone who doesn’t care about the elderly, the disabled and the poor, are we sure our hearts are in the right place? If we say we follow God, but vote for the tax policy that nets us the most monetary gain, instead of voting for policies that gain everyone a healthier and safer society, can we really say we acted like Christians?

People have to consider a lot things while voting. Every party has a platform with many promises and stated core values. No party is perfectly godly. No party is the party of Jesus Christ our lord. Remember, he didn’t come to set up an earthly kingdom. He came to seek the lost, heal the sick, forgive sins, and reconcile a fallen people to a righteous God. He didn’t come to win elections. He didn’t come to make us rich, or comfortable, or influential.

If the party you’re planning to vote for gives you earthly benefits, but ignores the things we are called to care about, it’s time to revisit your political alliances. Again, no party is perfect. Every party has values that we agree with, and other values that make us cringe. But as long as we vote our conscience, and our conscience is aligned with God’s values, then we can say we’re voting like functional Christians – people who believe in a God who is personally interested and involved in our lives.