Less than two weeks to election day, and then the real insanity begins (of the contesting of the results)! So it really is getting time for me to decide who to vote for. Yes, there really are undecided, and I’m one of them. It’s not that there is a possibility of me voting for Mr. Biden; the Democratic Platform and Mr. Biden specifically is hostile to what I believe a biblical agenda should look like (e.g., abortion, transgenderism). I hope in God’s mercy He spares us from those that have that agenda increasing their power. If you believe that you must vote for one of the two parties, which I don’t (my 2016 logic hasn’t changed), then the choice seems clear to me, vote for Mr. Trump. But if you fully understand that your vote will never be determinative of the outcome, then your vote really matters as an expression of your preferences. What is my preference this year? I’m still in limbo–not going to reveal today.

I had planned on doing a “reasons for Trump” and “reasons against Trump” before making a selection, but the National Review did such a good job this past week on outlining for and against, my natural laziness has kicked in and I’ll just endorse those as setting the stage. NR also did a great job with the “maybe” that describes some of us (at least the tensions of voting for Trump). So what to think? It comes down to your stewardship of the vote. Your vote is part of your responsibility to honor God with the limited power you have in this election, and you should use it in whatever way you think brings the most glory to God–not because you think God is depending on you to put whoever He wants in place.

But your vote is arguably the least important part of glorifying God in this election cycle and this political world we’re in. Our language, and our behavior on social media, are far more important. How you vote will not change the election one iota, but how you and I behave toward our families, our friends, and yes, our political enemies, will have lasting effects. In that regard, let me address two ditches that the middle ground goes through. I have heard Christians I love and care for suggest that the cause of the gospel is hindered by Christian support of Mr. Trump. I think we need to nuance this point very carefully.

First, and most importantly, let’s be clear that no misbehavior on a Christian’s part or failure to speak kindly, will ever be able to thwart God’s saving purposes. He will call those He has intended to call, and they will be born again. God chose those whom He is going to save before the foundation of the world, and they will be saved–not because of the winsomeness of your presentation of the gospel, and not despite the offensiveness of your presentation. God has a redemptive plan for this world, and it cannot be stopped.

Second, that doesn’t mean our words and tone don’t matter. Clearly many millennials, for example, are turned off by Christianity because of political activity–many poll results I’ve seen over the years suggest this. And as Romans 2 tells us, “the name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you,” when our words don’t match our actions. And when we praise Mr. Trump unconditionally, when he has manifest personal failures that are ongoing, it’s not unreasonable for unbelievers to begin to equate Christianity with politics. We should be “more concerned with witness than winning.”*

Finally for those that argue that the stakes are so high that we have to vote for Mr. Trump, I want to encourage you not to vote for Mr. Trump out of fear of a Biden future–but to trust God in this regard. You may indeed decide to vote for Mr. Trump as a reflection of stewardship of what God has given you, but do not do so out of fear. I leave you with this quote from Ed Welch’s When People are Big and God is Small:

Whenever we fear anything–a god, a person, or anything in the subhuman creation–other than God, Satan is basking in the darkness we have created.

* quoted from a recent The Gospel Coalition article which I can’t recall.