None of the Above

It's the week of the first presidential debate and I confess complete ambivalence about this election. In fact I even confess contemplating not voting, which would be first for me in a presidential election year. This year will be the fifth opportunity I've had to cast my lot for one person or another and I am distressed that I have no sense one way or another which way I ought to go. What's even more distressing is that I have friends and people I respect on both sides of the poliltical lines who will be distressed by my ambivalence. I wish I could feel as sure one way or the other. It's just that to throw in my proverbial lot with one side or the other means to marginalize half of my conscious, which I am loathe to do.

It seems like I am not alone. Among many of the magazines I subscribe to is Christian Century, generally viewed as a liberal mainline magazine that keeps abreast of cultural and political and denominational current events. I perceive it to be the same kind of magazine for liberal mainline churches and Christians as Christianity Today is for evangelical/fundamental Christians (and to which I also subscribe). In last week's issue of Christian Century they featured an article by Mark Noll titled, "None of the Above: Why I Won't Be Voting for President." The fact that Christian Century has featured an article by an evangelical historian of Noll's stature tells me something. The fact that Noll writes this article and allows it to be published in Christian Century also tells me something. What it is telling me I haven't quite figured out yet.

On their web-site, Christian Century has posted last week's article by Noll (who, by the way, has another great article in the October issue of First Things, a Catholic neo-conservative magazine to which I subscribe, called "The Evangelical Mind Today" - a revisiting of the thesis that animated his challenging book, "The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind," the challenge being that there isn't one, an evangelical mind, that is). Please take time to read Noll's article. I'm not certain that I will come to his conclusion of non-participation but he describes well the tension I face this year as a follower of Christ who wants his vote to mean something. Towards that end I might follow the spirit of Johann Christoph Arnold.

This should be the rallying cry of every church, synagogue, and mosque in America: God have mercy on us and our nation and help us out of our need! But he will do this only if we become active. Even if we vote for the wrong party, may every vote this November be seen as a prayer to God for his intervention and his will to be done. If we see our vote in this way, then we will be united as a nation as never before. Then Psalm 141 will take on fresh meaning: �May my prayer be counted as incense before thee�My prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers.� Cannot our vote become part of this prayer against the evil deeds in high places?