Should Christians living in a democratic society vote? To answer in the positive presumes another positive answer to a prior question: Should Christians, as citizens, engage in politics at all? This latter question is loaded, as “politics” carries with it an understandably negative connotation. I'm reminded of the jokester who defined politics as the venue of “poly-ticks”: many blood-sucking insects.
Yet politics need not be so understood. Aristotle defined the root word for politics, the polis, as a community defined by its common understanding of and commitment to the good life. Augustine tells us that we can identify the character of a people by determining what they love. Surely Christians have a conception of the good life (Micah 6:8), and Scripture tells us our vision of the good life should be characterized by love for God and neighbor (Matt. 5:16, Matt. 22: 37-38, John 13:35).
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