Recorded Books Inc. - Faith in the voting booth: practical wisdom for voting well

This book is food for the mind and the soul. Anyone interested in faith, politics, and policy will benefit immensely from the insights shared by Leith and Galen.

TIM PAWLENTY, Governor of Minnesota (2003-11)

The apostle Paul reminds us to pray for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Leith Anderson and Galen Carey offer a practical reminder that as believers, we have the privilege of letting the timeless truths of Scripture guide our decisions as we select those leaders and vote on the issues.

JIM DALY, President, Focus on the Family

Biblically informed voting among followers of Jesus is far too rare today. Faith in the Voting Booth by Anderson and Carey provides a valuable resource for anyone who wants to cast their vote in a manner consistent with Scripture. Carefully consider its contents and then prayerfully cast your vote.

PAUL NYQUIST, Ph.D., President, Moody Bible Institute

As those who are charged to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, Christians have both a moral and spiritual imperative to vote. Part of influencing the flavor, feeling, look, and tone of our nation and indeed our world is accomplished through the prayerful and thoughtful casting of ballots at our local voting booths.

It is with this in mind that Leith Anderson and Galen Carey's book, Faith in the Voting Booth, is such a timely work. From the very practical matter of registering to vote to the provision of a biblical framework through which to analyze some of the hot button issues of our day, they offer a very helpful tool for any Christian who desires to honor his/her dual citizenship at the voting booth.

CLAUDE ALEXANDER, Pastor of The Park Church, Charlotte, NC

The right book for a pivotal moment. Leith Anderson and Galen Carey have done a great service with this thoughtful, articulate guide. Combining religion and politics can be explosive, but Anderson and Carey offer wisdom and leadership. They are an example of how Christian faith should engage political action.

RICHARD STEARNS, President, World Vision U.S., and author of The Hole in Our Gospel and Unfinished

The most comprehensive, thoughtful, and researched book ever written on living out our faith as we vote. This is NOT just some simplistic Voters Guide. This falls in the category of Discipleship as a witness for Christ. The reading is compelling and rich in both biblical and historical narratives that impact our thinking both domestically and globally now and in the future. The course of history could be changed. Take the challenge!

JO ANNE LYON, General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church

ZONDERVAN

Faith in the Voting Booth

Copyright 2016 by Leith Anderson and Galen Carey

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub Edition February 2016: ISBN 978-0-310-34610-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Anderson, Leith, 1944

Title: Faith in the voting booth / Leith Anderson and Galen Carey.

Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015039654 | ISBN 9780310346098 (softcover : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: VotingReligious aspectsChristianity. | Christianity and politicsUnited States. | ChristiansPolitical activityUnited States.

Classification: LCC BR516 .A54 2016 | DDC 261.70973dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015039654

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptures marked KJV are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The views and words of this book are those of Leith Anderson and Galen Carey and should not be construed or reported as the positions or policies of the National Association of Evangelicals or of any other organizations past and present with which Anderson or Carey has been affiliated.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover design: Faceout Studio / Jeff Miller

Cover photo: Blend Images / Hill Street Studios / Getty Images

Interior design: Kait Lamphere

First printing January 2016

CONTENTS

Never discuss religion or politics in polite company. This book discusses both.

Religion and politics are at the bedrock of human society. Sometimes they have accomplished breathtaking good, and sometimes they have perpetrated unspeakable evil. But keeping quiet wont make either one go away. Both are here to stay. The United States is a political democracy with lots of religious people.

In May 2015 the Pew Research Center released the results of a survey asking more than 36,000 American adults (ages eighteen and older) about their religious affiliation. Christians are the largest group with 70.6%; non-Christian faiths combine together into 5.9%; 22.8% say they are unaffiliated; and a tiny 0.6% claim they dont know or refused to answer. At the top of their analysis of these numbers the Pew researchers wrote, To be sure, the United States remains home to more Christians than any other country in the world, and a large majority of Americansroughly seven-in-tencontinue to identify with some branch of the Christian faith.

Compare religious affiliations to Americans political affiliations. When asked which major political party they belong to, 23% say they are Republicans, 32% identify as Democrats, and 39% claim to be independents. Deeper questioning shows that most of those independents clearly tilt toward one political party or the other even though they dont want to declare alignment with either.

However, political affiliations and leanings dont all turn into votes on election days. The United States may be the oldest continuous democracy in the world, but that doesnt mean that we all vote. Typically our nation reports a 40% turnout for midterm elections and a 60% turnout of eligible voters for presidential elections. That puts the United States far behind democracies like Australia, Belgium, and Chile with compulsory voting that reaches around 90% and also less than such voluntary voting nations as Austria, Sweden, and Italy that near 80%.

While we know that some self-identified Christians, Jews, and Muslims never show up at their church, synagogue, or mosque and that some self-identified Republicans and Democrats never register or vote, most do both. The big picture is that the United States is a nation of citizens who are religious and who vote. Since our faith and politics are deeply connected in our thoughts, relationships, and communities, they are important to think and talk about. We should want our faith to inform and influence our politics and ballots.