Faith without votes is dead

By Bernie Lake | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

Christians should engage in the public square. Unfortunately many are unengaged, likely because there’s been a perceived disconnect between the secular and the sacred. But, there is not. Not only is voting in our elections a civic duty, it should be an act shaped by our Christian values.

Engaging in the political process to elect our leaders, who make our laws, allows Christians to advocate for the issues that matter most to our families, our communities and should uphold biblical principles in governance. 

Often churches and pastors do not know where to start or how to shepherd their congregation in the public square. Truth and Liberty voter guides are a great place to start. They are non-partisan, and the result of biblically-based questions sent to all candidates. They are designed to inform the Christian voter where the candidate stands on these cultural issues from a Christian perspective. 

For churches that want to go a step further, there are ample and free resources on the Truth & Liberty’s website that can help these churches set up a civic action team, pastor tool kits, legal resources to allow them to know their rights, as well as Spanish-speaking material to engage our Hispanic communities. 

According to the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, led by Dr. George Barna, “32 million churchgoing Christians did not vote in the 2024 election.” We see the results in many of the officials and policies that govern us. The majority reason was lack of interest in politics and elections, followed by the dislike of the major candidates. And lastly, Christian voters felt their vote would not matter. 

Colorado has experienced very close margins in our elections. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert won her 2nd election by 546 votes in 2022 and in the House District 16 race, Rebecca Keltie won by 6 votes in 2024. If more Christians were encouraged to vote, not only would these races not be as close, we would have won other races and garnered more influence in our school boards, local, state and national elections. 

Many of these Christian non-voters said that they would probably vote if their church taught them that voting was a biblical responsibility. Voting allows Christians to participate in the governance of their communities and pursue justice. It is also an act of stewardship where Christians can influence laws and policies that align with their values and care for the vulnerable in society. 

Our local school board elections this November are critical, as our school boards are locally controlled here in Colorado. Not only do they decide curriculum and resource allocation, but these school boards can influence the school environment and policies that may or may not agree with our Christian values. 

Our schools nurture the young and vulnerable in our communities and your vote on November 4th can decide what that looks like. 

Truth & Liberty’s heart is to mobilize the Church to engage with biblical truth and provide the resources to help guide them. When Christians vote, they can significantly influence political outcomes and advocate for our biblical values. 

This collective action in local, state and national elections can lead to greater representation of Christian principles in our government. Engaging in the electoral process is a responsibility for Christians to ensure our beliefs are represented in public policy. 

We encourage all Christians, pastors and churches to exercise their God-given rights to vote in their school board elections by returning their ballot by Tuesday, November 4th.

If we want to see the change we pray for, it starts in the voting booth for every Christian. We encourage the church to mobilize — not only to exercise the right to vote, but to engage in the public square with biblical truth.

Together, as Christians we can help right this ship, when we all vote our biblical values. 

Bernadette “Bernie” Lake is an Army veteran, a former Wall Street banker, and a Christian missionary who spent 12 years in Bombay, India, where she ran an orphanage and worked against human trafficking. She also worked on two congressional races in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District and resides in Durango, CO, where she enjoys hiking and skiing in the San Juan Mountains. She is currently a field representative for Truth & Liberty in Western Colorado. You can find Bernie on X at @ColoradoGirl73.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.