Thank God We Live in a Democracy

Dear Pastors

Thank God We Live in a Democracy

I count it a wonderful privilege to live and work in New Zealand. According to the Freedom House Findings, New Zealand is a stable liberal democracy featuring a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary system, and a strong record of free and fair elections. It consistently ranks near the top globally in international democracy and freedom indices.

As a Christian I regard voting as a precious and vitally important task. That said, I appreciate that these days there is a lot in the political zeitgeist to try and ‘get our heads around’. It certainly needs a bit of reading, watching and listening time………quite a bit.

There are now seven political parties in NZ who consistently are polling over the 5% needed to enter parliament. All seven desperately want to be part of the Government for the next three years. Each believe that their policies are going to fix what is broken and each offers us, the voter, a suite of policies that they believe will contribute significantly to human flourishing. And human flourishing is what we all want. How we get there is a whole different matter. Even Christians don’t agree on that.

This election is my eighteenth time to vote. I’ve already made my decision as to who will get my two ticks. My voting has changed from earlier days. In talking to my friends I note that many of my friends are similar. There certainly is no consensus as to who Christians are voting for. That in and of itself is a fascinating thing but a discussion for another day.

In the meantime my friend David Hammond has written a very helpful reflection (below) on the Christian Vote. David and his wife Jacqui have been members of Elim Christian Centre, Botany Campus, for 7 years. In ministry he is the Board Chair of FEBC-New Zealand which is a media missionary agency broadcasting the gospel to 1.5 billion people daily across the world. He and Jacqui are former missionaries to Saudi Muslims with WEC International; they have church planted in the Baptist Church, and he is Ministry Lead of ‘Faith in the Marketplace’ broadcast regularly on Rhema media. David writes frequently on godly leadership and what leaving a godly legacy means in our families and communities. In his day-job, David is a strategic advisor to boards and chief executives on leadership, structure and strategy.

I would also highly recommend the Catholic Bishops statement titled –Bishops hope ‘Gospel lens’ will guide people’s votes. It’s a 4 minute read.

And now David writes:-

More than a vote

“Election day is Saturday 7 November, and advance voting opens on 26 October. Most of us have probably heard more political opinions in the last few weeks than we ever wanted. Though voting is vitally important, our Christian responsibility for New Zealand is much bigger than the vote we cast.

Look along your row

On a Sunday, look at the people sitting in your row. They worship the same Lord as you, but they will not all vote for the same party. One person cares most about housing and poverty. Another cares most about family, freedom of conscience or the economy. These are sincere differences. We should take our convictions seriously, but we should not turn a political choice into a test of whether someone follows Jesus. We can disagree about who should lead New Zealand without forgetting who leads the Church.

Don’t give Christ’s job to a party

Recently a political party posted that “Christianity needs to have a backbone”, and then named itself as that backbone. Our backbone of course is Jesus Christ. Governments matter. They can protect freedoms, and they can help or hurt families. But no party can turn a heart towards Jesus. If your party loses, your hope has not lost. If it wins, that is not a win for the Gospel.

Our spiritual roots

On Christmas Day 1814, Samuel Marsden preached at Oihi in the Bay of Islands. It is often called the first Christian sermon in New Zealand. But Marsden did not do it alone. Ruatara, a Ngāpuhi rangatira, invited him, hosted the gathering and explained the message to his people. From the very start, the Gospel in this land was carried by Māori and Pākehā together.

Marsden later wrote that he prayed the glory of the Gospel would never leave the people of this land, until the end of time. More than 200 years on, we are the people that prayer was prayed over. We are the faith descendants of that first Christmas service. We did not start this story, and it is not ours to let it fade. Our task is not to rebuild an earlier New Zealand or wish for the old days. It is to carry faithfully what was handed to us, and to pass it on in a form the next generation can see and believe.

In the 2023 Census, about one in three New Zealanders said they were Christian. A 2018 McCrindle study found that only about 9 percent were active in their faith. These are different measures, but the gap should make us think. Most people will not meet Jesus through a sermon or an election promise. They will meet him through someone who treats them with grace.

So the real question is bigger than who wins on 7 November. What will we do with the faith God has given to our generation? And what will the people after us see when they look back at us?

Seek the good of the city

In Jeremiah 29, God told his people in exile to build homes, seek the good of Babylon and pray for it. Keep in mind ancient Babylon had an absolute monarchy centered around a hereditary king who held supreme religious, legal, and military authority. It wasn’t even close to a democracy as we know today. The citizens had no vote and no say. We have a vote, a voice and the freedom to speak. Those privileges carry responsibilities. Three things you might like to consider to do this month:

• Pray. Pray for the people who govern us, especially the ones you did not vote for.
• Speak. Choose one issue, learn about it, and speak clearly without speaking harshly or rudely.
• Serve. Find one way to make the Gospel visible where you live.

Marsden’s prayer still stands, and it still challenges us. On election day, we decide who will lead our country. Every other day, we decide what kind of witness we will be. Our responsibility for New Zealand does not end at the polling booth. That is where it begins”.

Blessings
Alan