As perhaps the most momentous presidential election in the history of the United States draws near, it behooves faithful Seventh-day Adventists to review key principles found in the inspired writings relative to involvement in the secular political process.
Whether we like it or not, citizens of free countries are the ultimate custodians of the state, ultimately responsible for what takes place at every level of civil government. We can thank God, of course, that Daniel 4:17 is still in the Bible—the divine assurance that “the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” But in a free society, free citizens are divinely granted the duty of selecting those who lead them. And this duty we must take with profound seriousness.
We have addressed these issues before on this website in previous U.S. election cycles, but it helps to be reminded of them, especially in the present divisive and pivotal moment.
Some will remember, during the 2018 U.S. midterm elections, the publication on this site of an article by the present writer, “Why It’s Foolish—Even Dangerous—To Hate Politics [1]. I urge our readers to peruse it once again in the present climate. This article addresses a number of Ellen White’s notable counsels regarding political involvement, including those statements often misunderstood so far as the Christian’s duties to the secular state are concerned.
But perhaps the following seven (7) principles can also be of assistance as American Seventh-day Adventists prepare to vote in the upcoming election (if they haven’t voted already):
1. Remember and respect the wall between church and state.
America is not Old Testament Israel. Jesus was very clear on this point in His statement to Pontius Pilate, when He declared, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). When it comes to religious faith and consensual choices, the preaching of the gospel—not the coercive arm of government—is to be the Christian’s response.
It is not correct to say, without qualification, that civil government cannot legislate morality. Indeed, laws against murder, rape, theft, racial injustice, and numerous other civil enactments are in fact moral in nature. But it is correct to say civil government in a non-theocratic state cannot legislate consensual morality. Such questions as intimate relationships between adults, who can marry whom, reproductive options, what entertainment we choose to view in private, and any number of other issues, belong solely between the individual conscience and God, with no room for politicians or jurists in between.
2. To give legal permission in a free society to a set of choices or practices is not the same as endorsing those choices or practices.
Some believe that if citizens are given the legal right to choose immoral practices, that society thereby endorses such practices. But God placed both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9), thus giving our first parents a free choice between righteousness and sin.
The final appeal to the human heart found in the Biblical message likewise offers men and women a free choice between right and wrong, good and evil:
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17).
This embrace of free will by the bride of Christ stands at odds with the method employed by the religious power depicted in Revelation as a harlot, who uses force to achieve her ends. The second angel’s message of Revelation 14 denounces spiritual Babylon “because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (verse 8). Chapter 17 states that this fornication is committed with “the kings of the earth” (verse 2), thus depicting the earthly blend of church and state which Jesus disavowed (John 18:36).
For a non-theocratic government to give legal permission to unscriptural marriage or other wrongful practices is no more an endorsement of these practices than is the state’s granting of freedom of religion to Roman Catholics, evangelicals, Seventh-day Adventists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or any other religious community an endorsement of one or more of the above faiths. Christians should therefore not fear that they are endorsing sin by supporting candidates or propositions that give citizens free choice relative to consensual issues.
3. Do not fall for the lie that every politician is dishonest.
This is one dangerous way in which goodhearted people can sideline themselves in the political process. Believing every politician to be a crook, they wrongly assume every political choice to be between “the lesser of two evils”—a phrase which, frankly, I have come to despise. But the admittedly fair assumption that every politician is flawed doesn’t make voting for such a one a choice for evil—whether greater or lesser. Qualifications for political office are not the same as qualifications for Biblical salvation.
Not since the Revolution have Americans been comfortable with political authority, and thus their political judgments are naturally tinged with an inherent suspicion of such authority. But the myth that all political figures are basically bad is especially perilous because it causes citizens to excuse corruption in their preferred political champions, because they reason, “What else is new?” So if the politician they support happens to be a bit more obviously corrupt than others, so long as that politician does what the voter wants, corrupt behavior is overlooked and accountability is lost.
I may be going out on a limb here, but I truly believe the great majority of men and women who enter public service are basically honest people, regardless of their position on the partisan or ideological spectrum. I believe the great majority of these persons, according to their philosophical lights, genuinely seek to do the best for those they represent. Popular though it may be, the knee-jerk assumption of so many that “politics is a dirty business” and that people who enter politics inevitably become morally tainted once they acquire power, is not supported by the facts.
A fascinating feature of the Biblical narrative is that two individuals of whom no sin is recorded—Joseph and Daniel—served at the pinnacle of global power in their respective times. Some will respond to this fact by reminding us that these two were slaves, and thus presumably had no choice so far as occupying these positions was concerned. But this assumption is simply false. Joseph was, after all, a slave in the household of Potiphar, and when his master’s wife tempted him to do wrong, he replied: “How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God” (Gen. 39:9). If the possession of political power inevitably corrupts the one holding such power, we can be sure Joseph would have given a similar response to Pharaoh when the latter offered him the post of prime minister.
The same with Daniel. Those who believe political power at the highest earthly levels invariably brings corruption to the power-holder, had best remember the following inspired statement:
Stand like Daniel, that faithful statesman, a man whom no temptation could corrupt [2].
Moreover, if political involvement invariably brings spiritual compromise, why does the servant of the Lord make the following statement regarding the last days?
While many of our rulers are active agents of Satan, God also has His agents among the leading men of the nation. The enemy moves upon his servants to propose measures that would greatly impede the work of God; but statesmen who fear the Lord are influenced by holy angels to oppose such propositions with unanswerable arguments. . . . When the final warning shall be given, it will arrest the attention of these leading men through whom the Lord is now working, and some of them will accept it, and will stand with the people of God through the time of trouble [3].
4. The Seventh-day Adventist Christian is first and foremost a citizen of the world.
We are not an American church. We are a worldwide movement. The message God has committed to our charge is for “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Rev. 14:6). Our political decisions should therefore be focused, not only on what is good for the United States, but what is good for all humanity.
Nationalism is not on the agenda of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, irrespective of the nations where Seventh-day Adventists reside. National and racial reconciliation, by contrast, must characterize the witness of Seventh-day Adventists in every part of the world. This includes justice to the stranger (Ex. 22:21; Lev. 19:33-34; Deut. 1:16; 10:19; Psalm 94:1-6; Eze. 22:29)—those we today call immigrants. No room exists in this principle for confining people in cages or separating parents from children when they cross into the United States. The following statement from the prophet Malachi is particularly relevant in this regard, as it relates to God’s final judgment and the issues that judgment will consider:
And I will come near to you in judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, saith the Lord of hosts (Mal. 3:5).
Ellen White speaks of the contribution of immigrants to the United States when she writes:
The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth [4].
And let’s remember that many who have made America their home since this nation was founded did not come to these shores legally. As I say so often, the Pilgrims had no passports. And if you have any doubts that they came here without permission, ask the natives!
When Seventh-day Adventists choose political leaders at the ballot box, the above principles of racial harmony, reconciliation, and the promise of America for all who seek liberty and justice within our borders, must never be compromised or lost.
5. Anti-government agitation has no place in the witness of the great Advent movement.
Unrest of this sort in our ranks is becoming far too common in the context of the current pandemic. This “don’t tread on me” attitude relative to civil authority is injurious to ourselves, to those around us, and harmful to our witness as God’s remnant people. The following Ellen White admonition is noteworthy in this regard:
By some of our brethren many things have been spoken and written that are interpreted as expressing antagonism to government and law. It is a mistake thus to lay ourselves open to misunderstanding. It is not wise to find fault continually with what is done by the rulers of government. It is not our work to attack individuals or institutions. We should exercise great care lest we be understood as putting ourselves in opposition to the civil authorities. . . .
The time will come when unguarded expressions of a denunciatory character, that have been carelessly spoken or written by our brethren, will be used by our enemies to condemn us. These will not be used merely to condemn those who made the statements, but will be charged upon the whole body of Adventists. Our accusers will say that upon such and such a day one of our responsible men said thus and so against the administration of the laws of this government. Many will be astonished to see how many things have been cherished and remembered that will give point to the arguments of our adversaries. Many will be surprised to hear their own words strained into a meaning that they did not intend them to have. Then let our workers be careful to speak guardedly at all times and under all circumstances. Let all beware lest by reckless expressions they bring on a time of trouble before the great crisis which is to try men’s souls [5].
6. Remember that Seventh-day Adventists have not always been wise stewards of political liberty.
The experience of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nazi Germany forms one of the darkest chapters in our denominational history. Conservative German Christians, whether Protestant or Catholic, supported Hitler’s rise to power for many of the same reasons conservative Christians are pursuing the political course we find them pursuing in present-day America. Opposition to such practices as homosexuality and abortion formed a notable part of the Nazi agenda during Hitler’s rule [6]. For this and other reasons it was easy for many German Adventists to follow their fellow cultural conservatives off the cliff into compromise with tyranny.
Ian Kershaw, in his monumental biography of Adolf Hitler, writes of how “small Christian sects which bent over backwards to accommodate National Socialism (Nazism) (such as the Mormons, or the Seventh Day Adventists” [7]. Tragically, one of our German church leaders wrote as follows during this time: “In quiet adulation we thank God who in His wise providence has given us the Fuhrer” [8].
We can thank the Lord that not too long ago, Adventist leaders in central Europe issued a formal apology for the church’s collaboration with the Nazis during this period [9]. But what happened to so many Adventists in Germany represents the kind of spiritual collapse that can occur when culture drives the church’s actions, irrespective of what label that culture wears. Sadly, as I read the content on certain websites, I’m not sure if we’ve learned our lesson.
Listening to the rhetoric coming from certain folks, I fear there are some Adventists who would rather live under a dictatorship which banned same-sex marriage, abortion, pornography, and similar practices, than to live in a free country which gives its citizens free choice regarding the above issues. But the fact remains that the sundering of America’s political institutions would be nothing short of a calamity for the Seventh-day Adventist movement. The day will come, to be sure, when these institutions will in fact be compromised. But under no circumstances should Seventh-day Adventists lend their hands to such efforts.
Every American is a steward of this Republic. Seventh-day Adventist Christians, because of our knowledge of inspired prophecy, possess an even greater obligation as custodians of this free state. And one thing is certain: No leader who refuses to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power if he loses an election, or who seeks persistently to repress the right of free citizens to freely exercise their civic voice through voting, deserves the slightest support from anyone who claims to be a Christian, let alone a Seventh-day Adventist.
The fall of spiritual Babylon through the blending of churchcraft and statecraft has become increasingly evident during the past few years. We have come to the point in this country where professed Christians will forge political alliances with anyone, regardless of how corrupt in character, if such persons will execute the “Christian” political agenda. Some will remember that it wasn’t so long ago when Christians were demanding the removal of a U.S. president from office because of his having lied about an extramarital affair. But it seems now that such moral standards are applicable only to those political leaders who differ with the political objectives of the Religious Right. If, however, a political figure agrees with these objectives, he or she can live a flagrantly corrupt and immoral life, and so-called “Christians” will maintain their support.
Finally:
7. We must strive, first and foremost, to “make our calling and election sure” (II Peter 1:10) in God’s scheme of things.
The apostle Peter tells us how this is done:
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:2).
This means that the election of which God speaks here is accomplished by the free choice of the individual believer to experience the sanctification of God’s Spirit. It was not, as some mistakenly believe, accomplished by Jesus for the whole world at Calvary, irrespective of the faith and lifestyle decisions made by men and women. Ellen White agrees:
God has set forth in His word the conditions upon which every soul will be elected to eternal life—obedience to His commandments, through faith in Christ. God has elected a character in harmony with His law, and everyone who shall reach the standard of His requirement, will have an entrance into the kingdom of glory. . . .
Every soul is elected who will work out his own salvation with fear and trembling. He is elected who will put on the armor, and fight the good fight of faith. He is elected who will watch unto prayer, who will search the Scriptures, and flee from temptation. He is elected who will have faith continually, and who will be obedient to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God [10].
Elsewhere she writes
The predestination, or election, of which God speaks, includes all who will accept Christ as a personal Saviour, who will return to their loyalty, to perfect obedience to all God’s commandments [11].
Many seem not to realize just how ruinous the evangelical doctrine of forgiveness-only salvation has truly become, both inside and outside the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is on the basis of this heresy that so many evangelical Christians are able to excuse outrageous sins in their chosen political champions. As we noted in a recent article on this site [12], Jerry Falwell Jr. used this perverse reasoning when trying to excuse the moral failings of the current U.S. president:
Our whole faith is based upon the theology of forgiveness, on the fact that we believe that Jesus taught us that all of us are sinners and we all sin every day [13].
While the Bible is clear, of course, that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), neither Jesus nor any other Bible writer teaches that “we all sin every day.” If this were true, Jesus wouldn’t have admonished the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more” (John 8:11). Neither would the apostle Paul have declared to the early Christians:
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (II Cor. 7:1).
We can now better understand how, due to his rationalizing of the sins of his political heroes, how Mr. Falwell was able to rationalize his own despicable transgressions until he could conceal them no longer. No doubt about it: evangelical theology and evangelical politics go hand in hand. And Seventh-day Adventists should steer clear of them both.
Conclusion
Once again, if you haven’t voted already, I urge every registered Seventh-day Adventist voter in the United States to exercise his or her civic duty, and to do so in harmony with the Bible/Spirit of Prophecy principles outlined in this article. Again, as in previous articles on the same subject, I recall in closing the words of the late Kenneth H. Wood, once editor of the Review and Herald (later the Adventist Review), penned on the eve of yet another very consequential U.S. election:
The right to a free ballot has been purchased by the blood of patriots. The Christian will not regard it lightly, nor permit it to be lost through apathy or disuse [14].
REFERENCES
1. Kevin Paulson, “Why It’s Foolish—Even Dangerous—To Hate Politics,” ADvindicate, Nov. 1, 2018 http://advindicate.com/articles/2018/11/1/why-its-foolish-even-dangerous-to-hate-politics
2. Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 332.
3. ----The Great Controversy, pp. 610-611.
4. Ibid, p. 442.
5. ----Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 394-395.
6. “Reich Central Office for the Combating of Homosexuality and Abortion,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich_Central_Office_for_the_Combating_of_Homosexuality_and_Abortion
7. Ian Kershaw, Hitler: 1889-1936 Hubris (New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 1999), p. 541.
8. Otto Brozio, Taugkeitshericht, 1939/1940.
9. Mark A. Kellner, “Europe: German, Austrian Churches Apologize for Holocaust Actions,” Adventist News Network, Aug. 15, 2005 https://adventist.news/en/news/europe-german-austrian-churches-apologize-for-holocaust-actions
10. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 207-208.
11. ----Gospel Herald, June 11, 1902.
12. Paulson, “Whited Sepulchers,” ADvindicate, Aug. 28, 2020 http://advindicate.com/articles/2019/9/20/paulson-draft-1-s88fl-6mlnf-49y4n-dkr69-dcwee-sxa65-f8e9m
13. Kyra Phillips, Evan Pereira, and Jon Haworth, “Jerry Falwell Jr. officially resigns from Liberty University,” ABC News, Aug. 24, 2020 https://abcnews.go.com/US/jerry-falwell-jr-officially-resigns-liberty-university/story?id=72587982&cid=clicksource_4380645_3_heads_hero_live_headlines_hed
14. Kenneth H. Wood, “The Christian and the Ballot,” Review and Herald, Oct. 19, 1972, p. 2 (republished on ADvindicate, Nov. 7, 2016 http://advindicate.com/articles/2016/11/7/the-christian-and-the-ballot).
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan