The fact of the matter is that our worldview certainly plays an enormous role in determining who we can vote for with a good conscience. While there are clear ethical standards by which we decide who we can vote for with good conscience (e.g., abortion, transgender surgeries, freedom to practice religion, etc.), we need to be careful not to fall into the trap of embracing something akin to the Burgher oath. Christians in America have the right to vote for leaders who will advance ethical policies that accord with biblical standards. However, we must guard against being consumed by our political zeal. The faithful ministry of the word of God and the proclamation of the gospel are never dependent on the implementation of any form of “Christian nationalism.” It is dependent on the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of faithful men and women who are citizens of a heavenly kingdom.
Pre-Constantinian and post-Constantinian Christians have lived under a variety of governments who were either extremely hostile to or intolerant of Christianity. Nevertheless, Christ enabled them to faithfully endure to the end. The call to give the better part of our time and energy to advance some form of “Christian nationalism” is always overshadowed by the call to give priority to the proclaim of gospel and the word of God. The commitment of believers to see the propagation of the gospel spread to every corner of the earth is far more important than the quest for some particular manifestation of the implementation of biblical law into the government. The two may not necessarily be considered mutually exclusive; however, the former commitment must always have precedent over the latter.
The apostolic example in the book of Acts and throughout the pages of the New Testament bears witness to this truth. We never see the Apostles involving themselves in political reform movements. They never instruct us to labor for any form of Christian nationalism. This is no small observation. The better part of “Christian nationalists” seek to bind the consciences of other believers to something the Scriptures have not bound them. Granted, in some sense we are all bound by our context. Accordingly, we have the privilege of voting in accord with our consciences. Yet, we must ever remember that this is not our home. Our ultimate hope can never be in a Christianized America. Our ultimate hope lies in the fact that we confess that “here we have no lasting city” (Heb. 13:14) but are “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10).
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