Voting Faithfully
Salvation is the reign of God. It is a political alternative to the way the world is constituted. (Theologian Stanley Hauerwas)
One of the reasons why I take such a strong position in favor of the traditional separation between Church and State is that I get very suspicious when religious leaders, liberal or conservative, try to convince their parishioners to vote a particular way. That convincing can take an obvious form, like clergy praying with a politician or endorsing from the pulpit, or more subtle ones, like sharing political content constantly on social media. We sometimes forget, when we spend much of our time in ideological bubbles, that most denominations and congregations are politically diverse.
Thank goodness for sociologists like Ryan Burge who show us actual data. For example, many of us tend to think of the Episcopal Church as being politically liberal, and it is, compared to many other denominations, but 35% of Episcopalians voted for Donald Trump in 2024 (more than in 2020). Another bubble is the clergy/laity divide. Episcopalians in the pews are over four times more likely to consider themselves Republican than their clergy. I spend a lot of time around our diocese, and one thing I have learned is not to assume that people think a certain way about anything! Our diversity of opinion is one of the things I treasure most about our diocese.
Another reason why I oppose mixing Church and State is that, as Hauerwas and so many other theologians have pointed out, faith and politics never align perfectly, in any party, because God's kingdom is often (though not always) at an angle to political platforms and power. Partisan politics easily becomes an idol, a kind of false religion. This Sunday our gospel reading is the Beatitudes. Lining up this core teaching of Jesus with contemporary politics is like mixing up several puzzles on the same table: some parts fit, and others don't. For many of us, less time obsessed with partisan politics on social media, MSNOW or Fox News, and more time focused on our faith, family, and friends would make us healthier and happier.
Even if we agree on some core Christian principles, like our call to respect the dignity of every person, it is at times difficult to draw a straight line to specific policies. Faithful Christians disagree. I will never, as your Bishop, endorse a political candidate or party. What I will continue to do is speak out on issues (such as the treatment of immigrants, or the death penalty) on which our Christian faith in the Episcopal tradition has a valuable perspective, especially in Oklahoma.
None of this means that there isn't a role for Christian belief in considering our political choices in elections. I hope that all of us, when preparing to vote, will thoughtfully and, yes, prayerfully assess the candidates and ballot initiatives. How do I try to vote faithfully? When I vote for a candidate for any office, more than their political party, I consider the three "C's": character, compassion, and competence. Are they, as far as I can tell, a decent person, not greedy or cruel or a liar? Do they seem to care for the vulnerable, or just the wealthy and powerful? And would they lead effectively in the many challenges we face as a state and a country? As to ballot initiatives, I usually default to the compassion criterion: how will this decision affect the poor and the least fortunate in our communities?
I will be voting on Tuesday, and I hope you will too. Vote with your faith, vote with your conscience, and remember that there is only one who saves, and he’s not on the ballot.
Bishop Poulson
