The kingdom question

By Tyler Tankersley

I hope everyone else spent part of Tuesday doing their version of what I did: standing in line at my voting location (La Croix Church) and casting a ballot for candidates and issues that I care about. As I write this column, I have just finished this all-important civic duty.

My great-grandfather Henry McNeely and his father farmed together for many years. On Election Day the two men would work in the fields in the morning. After lunch they would each take a bath, put on their Sunday suits, and then drive their wagon for an hour into town. My great-grandpa was a die-hard Democrat and his father was ardently Republican. These two men would cancel out one another's vote, ride the hour back to the farm, and then resume their work. Based on our conversations around politics, my father and I have kept this family tradition each Election Day.

However, in these few hours of waiting before we see any final results, my prayer is not so much for the outcome of the election, but for the morning of Nov. 7. No doubt the results of this election will cause some people angst and some people optimism.

For people of faith, awaiting the results of an election should be something that we hold onto loosely. The policies, laws, and morality of our country should matter, but it should never be something that consumes us completely.

In his book "The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church," pastor Gregory A. Boyd argues that people of faith need to be reminded that we do not owe our allegiance solely to any political party, desired candidate, or national symbol. Our ultimate allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ and to the kingdom of God. Boyd writes, "The distinctly kingdom question is not, How should we vote? The distinctly kingdom question is, How should we live?" (143).

As we continue to process this election season, I hope that we remember that while voting is an important and essential part of our political discourse, the truth is that it doesn't require much of us. The harder thing is to live in such a way that is neighborly, compassionate, and promotes the common welfare.

Many of us continue to lament the divisiveness and vitriol that seems to have infected our communal spirit as a nation. But many of us also seem to think that the solution to combat that negativity should be in the hands of our leaders. I am more and more convinced, however, that our leaders are unfit for that task and that a grassroots approach to decency is what is required at this time. The questions we should be asking ourselves in the days following this tense election season is this: In what ways can I better understand my neighbor? In what ways can I be a source of unity, of compassion, and of grace? In what ways am I living out, rather than merely voting, my values and convictions?