A Redemptive Time: Does it really matter how we vote?

The most critical issue facing Christians has always been: what time is it?

‘Christians’, contends Graham Ward, ‘must constantly ask ‘what time is this in which we stand?’ For this question is inseparable from ‘what am I called to be and do?’ and ‘what is the will of God?’ [N]o time… is arbitrary… [A]ll time is time of and for redemption, all time is grace.’[1]

All time is grace? All time is of and for redemption? Could the General Elections of 26 November 2011 be of and for the redemptive transformation of our nation?

Does it really matter how we vote?

The Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit (SPPU) has prepared this Election Resource to help spark conversations on how we might use our vote to continue the redemption of our times.

Read: 1 Kings 12:1-24 …

The Solomonic empire had divided the nation of Israel. A long cycle of excessive, self-serving taxes and oppressive social policies had created a gaping gap in between the haves and the have-nots. Communities were marked by fear, inequality and injustice.

At the death of Solomon, Israel went to the new King, Rehoboam—a son of Solomon—and pleaded for a ‘new’ kind of leadership, a leadership that would tell a different national story:

‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labour and the     heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.’ (1 Kings 12:4)

Questions to think about before you vote:

1. How could the 2011 General Election in New Zealand be something of a turning point for our nation? What ‘new’ national story will you be hoping to set in motion with your vote?
2. ‘The King did not listen to the people’ (1 Kings 12:15). What would you like our national leaders to hear and see? What do you think is at stake in this election?
3. What do you make of the six critical election issues identified by The Salvation Army: (economic justice; social hazards; crime and punishment; housing; youth; and welfare reform)? Will these issues influence how you vote?
4. What share do we have in David?’ (1 Kings 12:16). Sometimes elections have been too narrowly defined by what is in ‘our’ self-interest. How could your vote speak of and for others? How could your vote secure a better future for the 200,000 children who currently live in poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand?
5. The Scriptures clearly say that our engagement with politics should not only be a matter of electing leaders (see Romans 13); it is a spiritual exercise too. Spend some time now praying for the upcoming election and for those who are hoping to be elected.

Resources for further thinking

The Centre for Theology and Public Issues has prepared some excellent resources to help churches and individuals think through some of the issues we’re being asked to vote on. Go to www.otago.ac.nz/ctpi

Printable PDF version

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