How do our spiritual convictions, our faith and values, affect the way we vote? Facing a provincial election, the congregation of Hillside Community Christian Reformed Church in Calgary, Alberta, spent a recent Sunday thinking about just that.
As Rev. Geoff Vandermolen, pastor of Hillside Community, explained, “The link, in my mind, seems to simply be the fact that we vote with our faith and values, regardless of whether we are a Christian or not.”
The church invited candidates representing all parties to join them for their Feb. 24 worship service and then to be available afterward to answer questions and meet church members.
“I think that for us as Christ followers, we try our best to have every decision in our lives reflect the fact that we are Jesus’ followers,” said Vandermolen. “Unfortunately, for a lot of Christians the formula gets a bit mixed up. We as Christians think we are doing our duty when we choose the candidate who we feel covers the most topics in the most Christian way. However, the linking of God’s agenda for this world with a particular party seems both dangerous and simplistic.”
Ultimately the worship service allowed for God’s agenda, the kingdom of God, to be brought forward in a clear way, which, as Vandermolen noted, “is far more compelling, powerful, and important than the agenda of any political party or candidate we will ever vote for.”
The day allowed for faith and belief in Christ to move from being a personal thing to a very public approach to policy setting. To listen to the day’s message, visit www.hillsidecommunitychurch.ca.
