It is not for us to say who or what anyone should vote for. That is 100% each voter’s own call. We can say, though, that it is really important to vote, and that in a democracy voting is both our right and our responsibility.
No doubt all political candidates and parties want to serve society and to help make New Zealand a better place. But the challenge for us as voters is that politicians greatly vary in their beliefs, ideologies, values, priorities, and policies (and also their obsessions and blind spots). We need to be as discerning as we possibly can about what politicians and parties really stand for, and what they may go along with.
Three crucial areas to consider – in no particular order – are ethics, the economy, and the environment. These categories don’t cover everything, but they should all be important for Christian voters…
- Ethics: this applies to a very wide range of issues including laws and policies in relation to marriage, sexuality, gender, sex education, abortion, euthanasia, drugs, freedoms of belief and expression, fair wages, a just tax system, and inter-cultural respect and harmony.
- The economy: sound economic management is always helpful, especially if it enables good public services (e.g. in health and education), lowers the cost of living, facilitates affordable housing for all, and helps everyone in society on an equitable basis.
- The environment: taking better care of God’s creation is God-honouring, and the deepening climate change makes it increasingly urgent.
The problem for voters is that no political party ticks all these boxes. All parties have strengths in some areas, but deficiencies in others.
In recent years, with the support of a majority of MPs from across both left and right, Parliament has passed a flood of radical social legislation, some of it deeply wrong and abhorrent. At the same time, little has been done to address the widening socio-economic disparities in New Zealand, or the worsening climate crisis – and in neither area is it clear how much real action is now on offer.
We urge Christian people to vote both carefully and prayerfully, seeking to discern what policies align best with biblical truth and righteousness, and which politicians and parties may best serve this country’s overall wellbeing.
Readers may find the following resources helpful…
Rasik Ranchord:
Family First:
Dave Mann:
Finally, do be in prayer that God may bring about some good outcomes in this election, and that among those gaining a place in the next Parliament may be many faithful and capable Christians.
Author: Dr Stuart Lange
Dr Stuart Lange is the National Director of the NZCN and is a Senior Research Fellow at Laidlaw College, where he was formerly Vice Principal. Stuart wrote and presented the historical DVD documentary Te Rongopai: 200 years of the Gospel in New Zealand, 1814-2014.
0 Comments