Why Should I Care?
While many Americans try to stay informed of the candidates and the electoral process, over one-third of adult American citizens did not cast a vote for president in 2020 (Read more HERE.). Reasons include apathy, preoccupation with “more important things,” lack of enthusiasm for either candidate, and distrust of government. According to the Pew Research Center, public trust in government has fallen from 77% in 1964 to 22% in 2024! So why should Americans care and participate in our democratic process?
Proverbs 24: 10-12 challenges us as follows:
If you are slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.
Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter,
Oh hold them back.
If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?
And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
And will He not render to man according to his work?
After the city of Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, the Prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the Jewish captives living in the city of Babylon. He challenged them to build homes, have families, and pray for the welfare of the pagan government ruling over them. The following excerpt from the prophet’s letter should convince us why we too cannot afford to be apathetic and uninvolved as citizens of our representative government:
… work for the peace and well-being of the city
where I sent you into exile.
Pray to the LORD for it,
for its well-being will determine your well-being.
- Jeremiah 29: 7
If you are not convinced of the importance of your biblical responsibility, we respect your opinion. We struggle with toxicity of our current political world, too. Maybe we can all take heart from a biblical viewpoint presented by Andrew T. Walker [See HERE, and LEFT sidebar.] We might even wish someone like our pastor or priest could be cloned and put into public office.
Why Not Elect a Pastor?
Understandably, there are many people of religious persuasion that love their pastors, elders, or priests. These spiritual leaders are called to live and lead by adherence to strict biblical standards of moral and ethical purity. Not surprisingly, many voters are inclined to hold presidential candidates to the same standards of spiritual excellence as they apply when choosing a pastor. Some will refuse to support a candidate whom they would deem unfit to serve as a spiritual leader.
The Scriptures in 1 Timothy 3: 2-7, Titus 1: 6-8, and 1 Peter 5: 2-3 describe the character qualities of an honest and loving shepherd-leader of a local church. But must the chief executive of the federal government of the United States as established under our Constitution also meet these standards? We suggest that the answer is “Yes,” and “No.”
The church and the federal government represent two different spheres of authority. The president “implements and enforces the laws, appoints the Cabinet and other federal officials, and conducts diplomacy and foreign affairs (whitehouse.gov).” In contrast, pastoral leadership focuses more on matters of the spirit, soul, and body within the church, the spiritual body of Christ. A pastor’s responsibility is to promote spiritual transformation and growth in individuals, families, and the local community. Bottom line, even if a godly pastor or elder was elected President of the U.S., he or she would face a tremendous learning curve in order to accomplish the duties of the Office.
Historically, most successful candidates have entered the presidency equipped with prior experience as lawyers, military leaders, business entrepreneurs, farmers, or teachers. James A. Garfield was our only president who had served as a pastor of a church. But he also was a military general and served 9 terms in the U.S. House. Like Garfield, most candidates entered the presidency through successfully serving in local and state offices, and in the U.S. House or Senate.
Qualification Check-List
We have grouped biblical qualifications of a pastor into seven categories. We present them below in a format suitable for readers to evaluate the fitness of this year’s presidential candidates for the office of President of the United States.
Question: Based on what you have read and learned about the candidates for 2024, which has demonstrated the greatest testimony of personal honesty, humility, and moral integrity under the tests of public scrutiny?
2. Devoted Leader, Country Above Self
The Office of President has been called “the highest office in the land.” Yet, like
all who are elected to public office, the President is a “public servant.” Therefore, neither a pastor nor a president without
personal integrity can be a “servant of the people.” First Timothy 3: 3, Titus 1: 7, and 1 Peter
5: 2 each caution pastors against being motivated by the “love of money.”
Question: Do you think it is possible to distinguish a candidate who seeks public office out of devotion to country and not for personal gain? What evidence do you see in each candidate that they really care about the well-being of Americans and our country?
Any time a position needs to be filled in any organization, applicants are interviewed and their prior experience becomes a major consideration. Their resume and recommendations are primary indicators of whether they are prepared to be successful if appointed or elected.
According to 1 Timothy 3: 6, the candidate selected should not be a novice.
Question: Which presidential candidate has the most proven leadership experience in domestic and foreign affairs?
Both 1 Timothy 3: 3 and Titus 1: 7 state that a pastor must exercise self-control as evidenced in gentleness and patience in dealing with those whom they serve. Although the situations in a local church are quite different from those faced by a U.S. President, self-control is an important leadership trait in any context. Both churches and nations have fallen because of leaders who have been self-willed, quick-tempered, and even violent. This trait along with prior experience (above) is especially important when our presidents deal with Congress or confront foreign leaders in tense situations.
Question: Which candidate has demonstrated the most consistent self-control during tense or frustrating situations? Has either candidate completed challenging negotiations with foreign leaders resulting in favorable outcomes?
5. Earns Respect
According to 1 Timothy 3: 7, a pastor must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Both churches and nations ought to value their reputations to outsiders. Both pastors and presidents represent a “face“ of the people they serve; and therefore, must uphold the reputation of the institutions they are leading, whether church or nation.
Question: Which presidential candidate has most consistently earned your respect? The respect of foreign leaders?
6. Testimony of the Family
When churches and nations elect a leader, they often gain an affection toward the leader’s family. Both pastors and presidents who demonstrate a loving relationship with their spouse and children have a great asset. First Timothy 3 addresses the testimony of the pastor as a husband (v. 3) and as a leader in his home (v. 4-5): He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?
Question: As you observe the marriage and family relationships of the presidential candidates, which gives the most clear evidence of good management of their households?
7. A Shepherding President
Perhaps there is no more endearing metaphor for God, or Jesus Christ, or pastors of churches than the term “shepherd.” The word “pastor” is derived from the Latin noun, pastor. The Latin verb pascere means, "to lead to pasture, set to grazing." Jesus said, I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep (John 10: 11). God’s plan for the “church age” is that each local body of Christ-followers would be under the leadership of one or more pastor-shepherds who serve in the Spirit-filled power and example of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul challenged the pastors at Ephesus, Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20: 28).
Question: How important is it to you that your president provide strong, assuring, and caring leadership when our nation faces trouble? Which presidential candidate seems best equipped to “shepherd” America when she faces stormy waters?
Now It’s Up to You
In this blog, we have focused on leadership qualities without mentioning candidate names or their positions on important issues facing our nation. However, in a later blog entitled, "What If You Could Interview the Candidates?" we contrast the positions of the two leading presidential candidates on ten (10) important social and political issues.
[Click HERE to read.]
The stakes of our upcoming presidential election are too high for any of us to fall into apathy. We should be sure to become informed and participate in the electoral process by voting for both president and for down-ballot candidates. We also noted that the biblical qualifications for pastor are worth considering for any position of leadership; and therefore, can serve as an aid to deciding who is most deserving of the Office of the President, or of other political offices.
We invite you to respond with your questions and Comments using the comment link below. Please don’t think we have all the answers. That is why your comments are valuable. Meanwhile, we need to pray for a spiritual awakening (2 Chronicles 7: 14) in our hearts and in the hearts of Americans, for God’s protection and provision of the well-being of our country, and for God’s Spirit to work in the candidates of our upcoming election.
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