Brad Littlejohn: A remedy for election anxiety

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Wednesday, January 24th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Up next: presidential politics. WORLD Opinions commentator Brad Littlejohn says many Christians today may be concerned about the state of our country, but we don’t have to be afraid.

BRAD LITTLEJOHN: This election year, Americans of all political persuasions are liable to find themselves in a state of nervous agitation. Election years are always times of heightened tension, but it would be hard to think of one in living memory that has provoked such fear and uncertainty. Republicans face the drama of whether their frontrunner will even be allowed on the ballot in some states or possibly be in prison. For Democrats, Biden’s frailty, age, and unpopularity have led some to speculate about a surprise convention-day switch.

How should Christians respond?

Above all, with fearless unflappability. In an age of epidemic anxiety, there is no stronger witness that Christians can offer the watching world than a refusal to let our confidence be shaken or our happiness be dimmed by political outcomes.

One need not be a Christian to see the wisdom in refusing to get caught up in election-year hysteria. In 2020, many conservatives worried that a Biden victory would result in the abolition of the Electoral College, Puerto Rican and D.C. statehood, the packing of the Supreme Court, and other profound constitutional changes. As bad as many policies of the last three years have been, none of these conservative nightmares have come close to fruition. Nor have we witnessed a return to 1960s-era violence as some expected after the riots of 2020 and the chaos of Jan. 6.

All of this could change, of course, and there is no question that American society is in the midst of profound disruptions. But most of the key trends have been unfolding for decades, often largely unaffected by who inhabits the White House or which party controls Congress. Such things matter and we should vote wisely, but we should also keep our eye on the bigger picture. For Christians, the biggest picture of all is the perspective of eternity, and the confidence it affords that God will work His purposes out for our good.

Given these considerations, one of the most practical things we can do is exercise charity and forbearance toward fellow Christians. To be sure, we should not fall into moral relativism or false equivalence. Both political parties may be cynical, dishonest, and power-hungry—but only one has openly committed itself to a vision destructive of human life and human nature. Still, voting for a candidate does not imply endorsing all their personal or party platforms. This is especially the case when we consider the decision not to vote, or to vote for a third party, a decision many are considering this year.

A third-party candidate may have no real shot at winning, but then, neither does Trump in California, or Biden in Alabama. The person who votes third-party or abstains may be trying to send an important signal about the direction our politics needs to go in the future—a signal that may not affect this election, but that will help shape the next one.

Whatever happens in November, it is unlikely to cause a national revival. However, the way that we approach November, the witness of faith and charity we offer an anxious world, could plant the seeds of the revival we so desperately need.

I’m Brad Littlejohn.

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