2010 Letter No 05

Each month Bill writes a pastor's letter for our monthly church magazine called 'The Messenger'. Here is the letter for May 2010:

On Thursday 6^thMay, we have the opportunity to vote for the person we want to represent us in parliament.

How we vote is an aspect of our Christian discipleship, because there is no part of life which is unaffected by the call to be a follower of Christ. However, knowing how to vote is not an easy and straightforward matter. I know of Christian MPs in all the main parties and of Christians who are members of many of the smaller ones, as well.

However, let me outline just two principles to guide us as we decide how to cast our votes.

1. Consider those things in our society which grieve the heart of God and those things that please him. What do the different candidates and parties have to say about such matters? No candidate or party will perfectly reflect the will of God, but who has a heart which most closely reflects the heart of God? 

2. We must vote for the person and/or party we believe will best nurture the long-term well-being of our locality, our nation and our world. We must not just vote for the candidate whose policies are best for us personally in the short term And like Jesus we should have a particular concern for those on the margins of society. In other words – Don’t be selfish with your vote, but think of the wider community, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. (See Jeremiah 29:4-7 and Luke 4:18-19.)

Choosing who to vote for involves looking both at the candidates and at the parties. What indicators are there that the candidates are people of integrity and good character?

Finally, I strongly encourage you to use your votes, both for parliament and for the local council elections. Our democratic rights have been hard won by previous generations and, since we have a voice in the government of our nation and of our borough, it seems to me to be irresponsible not to use it.

So think about those things in our nation and in our world that grieve the heart of God, think of those things that please him, explore the stances of the different candidates and parties, and on 6^thMay go out to use your vote in ways which build up the common good and honour the Lord we seek to follow.