I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state.  That is, I believe the government should neither promote nor prohibit any particular religion or religious practice.  But I still want a Christian president.  So much so, that to the extent that I have the choice, it will impact my vote.  I want to briefly share some of my reasons…

Here in the United States we enjoy the privilege of choosing our president via free elections.  We have, as Abraham Lincoln so eloquently stated, a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”  Unlike some other forms of government, this means that we are not simply “ruled” by the President. Rather we are in a partnership with the President.   He leads, we follow; this arrangement is our collective choice.  Back in the nineties, the Republican Party talked about a, “Contract with America.”  The language of, “contract,” is another expression of what I’m talking about.  In essence, when we elect our President every four years, we are entering a contract or partnership–which brings me to the Bible.

In 2 Corinthians 6:14, it says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…”    We most often hear this principle taught in the context of marriage.  However, I believe the principle applies in the context of our “government by the people, for the people.”  It is no stretch of the meaning to suggest that voluntarily electing a person to be our president for the next four years is “yoking” us to that person.  As a Christian, I cannot fathom voluntarily yoking myself in that manner to an unbeliever.  I believe doing so would be to ignore an important Biblical principle.

Perhaps you picked up from the previous paragraph that I don’t see the Bible the way I see any other book.  I believe that as a Christian, I ought to follow its teachings.  Its principles should shape my values, priorities, attitudes, and actions.  I believe that living according to Biblical principles is the best and right way to live.  It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why I would want a President who also believes this!  I want a Christian president because I want a president whose values, priorities, attitudes and actions are shaped by the same Biblical principles that shape mine.

I want to return again to some words of Abraham Lincoln.  During the trying days of his presidency he once said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”  That is more than just a sweet sentimentality.  The guidance and strength that God gives through the Holy Spirit to his followers in response to prayer cannot be underestimated.  As a Christian, I want a President that can and does rely on God for guidance and strength.

Now I have Christian friends who don’t see this the way I do.  They don’t think a person’s faith is relevant to their choice for a President.  Perhaps you are one of them.  Perhaps you won’t find the reasons I’ve shared to be persuasive.  I hope you at least find them to be something to cerebrate.