HERE ARE SOME resources to help you out – from a Christian perspective!
START IN PRAYER
IF YOU DON’T know where to start Kaitlyn Schiess, author of The Liturgy of Politics, has provided a PDF of prayers for election season. Pages 1 and 2 have prayers for the election season.
Lord, be with me in this day, a day with great significance and possibility, a day with ordinary struggles and delights, a day that is one precious opportunity to serve my neighbor among many others.
A prayer from The Liturgy of Politics, Kaitlyn Schiess
BE INTENTIONAL WITH SOCIAL MEDIA
READ PAGES 4 and 5 from the Practices for Election Season PDF provided by Scheiss. It provides practical suggestions on how one should engage with social media.
BONUS: Here is an intriguing website where you can play around with how the news is curated towards different social media bubbles. Hint, you are in one and it takes work to get out.
BE DISTINCT
DO NOT GET caught up in the hype – as a Christian we should be distinct and different in our interactions online and in person and the media we choose to consume.
Read chapter 5 (Messaging and Rhetoric) and chapter 8 (Civility and Political Culture) from Compassion (&) Conviction for a reminder on how our leaders, and us, should be engaging with each other and the public.
VOTING GUIDES
WE HAVE CURATED many articles to help guide you while voting. If you don’t have time to read a book, pursue these articles
- ARTICLE: CCPL Guide to Voting
The “Center for Christianity and Public Life Guide to Voting” is a non-manipulative voting guide for Christians, encouraging thoughtful civic engagement by prioritizing love for neighbor and communal flourishing. It presents five key questions to consider when voting.
- ARTICLE: Election Season and Your Soul
Pastor Brian Zahnd of Word of Life (Saint Joseph, Missouri) offers a ten-point guide encouraging Christians to approach politics with humility, love, and civility. Zahnd stresses that while political engagement is important, it should not overshadow the core Christian values of love and unity. - SERIES: Holy Post Voter Guide Series
Beginning in March of 2024 the Holy Post started a weekly voter guide complete with a short, sub-3-minute video discussing a pertinent topic related to politics, useful resources about the topic, a weekly prayer, and a moment of joy. The guides have touched on consuming media, not having the last word, being curious, local politics, and anger. The hosts don’t tell you who to vote for or what to think but offer a uniquely Christian posture on how to approach politics. Highly recommended.
DIG DEEPER
FROM SERMONS TO podcasts and everything in between we have spent hundreds of hours curating a variety of media on how to approach politics Christianly. If you are looking for a framework to base your voting on we recommend reading about the Image of God and the Consistent Life Ethic.
- GUIDED LEARNING PATHS: Politics
- Essentials – resources that are the best of the best and are not to be missed
- Media preference – Recommendations geared towards a reader, a listener or a watcher.
- Pairings – Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 – Resources that complement each other and help one dig into a specific aspect of a topic.
- Time – For the person who has a specific amount of time and wants to fit in some education.
CHOOSE YOUR RESOURCES WISELY
HERE ARE SEVERAL resources that we have found useful.
- Wear We Are – Hosted by Michael and Melissa Wear on Substack.com the Wears provide commentary, context, and information on the latest political news. During election day he will host political scientists and strategists as they break down the news – the newsletter also has a useful graphic showing when states will begin counting mail-in ballots.
Wear is one of the top Christian leaders engaged with politics and provides a safe, respectful place to exchange ideas and ask questions. His newsletter costs $5 a month or $50 a year, but it is well worth the cost. - The Dispatch – Commentary, news, podcasts, and much more — we highly recommend subscribing to their free Monday-Friday The Morning Dispatch newsletter.
- The Pour Over – In a world of 24-hour news coverage, it is easy to get lost in the sheer volume of information. Fortunately, the fine people at The Pour Over Podcast are producing three (M, Tu., Fri.) sub-eight-minute podcasts each week that highlight top news while keeping the focus on Christ.
PODCASTS
Iran Deal Edits, Judge’s Kennedy Center Ruling, NBA Finals Set, & More – The Pour Over: Politically Neutral, Christ-First News
NAACP vs. SEC Football – The Church Politics Podcast
More curated media on politics:
ARTICLE: Christians, Let’s Honor the President
While this was penned in 2012 after President Obama was re-elected, just cross out Obama and put Trump or Biden or whoever our next president is and the truth still rings out. Yes, we are commanded in the Bible to honor our leaders. Yes, we should pray for them. And yes, we should continue to…
Read more
POLITICS: Post Election Discussion and Prayer
A collection of online discussions and prayer calls following the 2024 election.
Read more
ARTICLE: Election Season and Your Soul
Pastor Brian Zahnd of Word of Life (Saint Joseph, Missouri) offers a ten-point guide encouraging Christians to approach politics with humility, love, and civility. Zahnd stresses that while political engagement is important, it should not overshadow the core Christian values of love and unity.
Read more
Sunday to Saturday 