When Christian parents consider discussing challenging faith subjects with their kids, they usually aren’t thinking about politics. The problem of evil and suffering? Yes. What the Bible says about gender and sexuality? Yes. How Christians should think about seemingly unanswered prayer? Yes. And yet, the relationship between faith and politics is one of the most widely misunderstood aspects of the Christian life today—often to the detriment of the church’s collective impact on our society.
With Election Day approaching, it’s a great time to get your kids thinking about how Christians should view government and the believer’s role within society. To get the conversation started, ask for their thoughts on a couple of basic questions:
- Election Day is coming up. Do you think it’s important for Christians to vote? Why or why not?
- Do you think Christians are too involved in politics, are not involved enough, or are involved in just the right way? Why?
As with any subject, the best starting point for further discussion is to look at what the Bible teaches. Here is a brief primer on key points kids (and adults!) should know. For a book-length treatment on the subject, see my book When Culture Hates You: Persevering for the Common Good as Christians in a Hostile Public Square (Harvest House, 2025).
What the Bible Says about Government
We can learn several foundational truths about the nature of civil government from both the Old and New Testaments.
In the Old Testament, the first mention of what could be considered civil government is in Genesis 9:5-6, when Noah and his family exit the ark after the flood. God says He will require a reckoning for murder to be carried out by human beings: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
The basic principle that mankind is responsible for executing punishment for certain actions is assumed throughout the rest of the Bible. For example, in the Old Testament, when God calls out nations for not practicing righteousness and justice, that assumes an expectation that civil leaders are responsible for promoting what is good and restraining what is evil (see Proverbs 31:8-9; Daniel 4:27; Amos 1–2; Obadiah).
In the New Testament, this expectation is most explicitly stated in Romans 13:1-4 (see also 1 Peter 2:13-17). From this passage, we can derive three important truths:
- First, civil rulers receive their authority from God himself, and as such are his servants. This means that the institution of civil government is a good thing! Of course, that doesn’t mean everything civil government does is good or that Christians should be in limitless obedience to government; the Bible has many examples of rulers doing evil in spite of their God-given role. The role is good, but the execution of the role by sinful humans won’t always be.
- Second, civil rulers should be God’s servant for promoting the good. Whereas Genesis 9:5-6 explicitly affirms only civil punishment, Romans 13:1-4 also explicitly affirms the civil role of promoting the good. That said, specifics aren’t given on the various forms of the good that God’s servants should promote, so even among Christians there will always be disagreements on how to prioritize individual goods that the government might pursue.
- Third, civil rulers have the authority to bear the sword as an avenger on God’s behalf. Here again we see that God has given humans—through civil government—the authority to punish evil. God will, of course, vanquish all evil at the end of time, but civil government has the role of restraining evil now.
With these points established, it’s important to acknowledge that the Bible does not address the specifics of how Christians should advocate for the promotion of good and the restraint of evil under various forms of government (for example, under a monarchy versus a democracy). Christians in any given time and place must consider how they can best be salt and light in their society given the governing structure under which they live.
In America, we live in a constitutional republic, which means citizens elect representatives to make laws, and the government’s power is limited by a constitution that protects individual rights. That means every citizen—including Christians—has the right to participate in the political process, bringing their views into the public square and voting accordingly. Compared to other nations and time periods, Christians in America have an especially significant opportunity to advocate for the righteous functioning of society according to God’s standards—something we should never take for granted!
On Election Day, we should enthusiastically participate in the political process while thoughtfully considering how our votes reflect support for promoting good and restraining evil. Of course, no candidate or policy will be perfect, because humans aren’t perfect. Christians will always have to evaluate tradeoffs when considering how to vote. But when we understand what the Bible teaches about the purpose of government, we’re in a much better position to evaluate alternatives.
Quick Responses to Two Common Challenges Your Kids May Hear
With teens, it can be helpful to additionally address common objections they’ll hear to Christians getting involved in politics. Following are two of the most common objections heard today with brief responses.
- Objection 1: Christians shouldn’t impose their views on others.
To address this objection, ask your child: Do you think Christians should seek to implement laws based on our views even though nonbelievers have different views? Why or why not?
In every matter of policy, someone is imposing their view on someone else. For example, if we pass laws against speeding, we’re imposing the view that speeding is harmful on those who don’t think it is. It’s no more problematic for Christians to advocate for a policy rooted in our views than it is for someone with an opposing position to advocate for a policy rooted in theirs.
- Objection 2: Christians shouldn’t seek power.
To address this objection, ask your child: Do you think it’s good or bad for Christians to seek power through government? Why or why not?
The popularity of cultural Marxism has led to many people today thinking that power is inherently bad—and if it’s bad, then Christians shouldn’t seek it. But power is just the authority and ability to execute a governing role. It can be used well or it can be used poorly. If power were inherently a problem, we would need to get rid of government entirely, because government, by definition, is the body to which we give the power to make, enforce, and judge the laws of this country. As long as we have a government, someone will be in power, and Christians should desire to give power to those who will steward it well (recall Romans 13).
God Is Still on His Throne
With any conversation on this topic, it’s helpful to remind kids of this: Regardless of political outcomes, God is still on his throne. Our job is to be obedient in advocating for righteousness in society while leaving the results to him. That doesn’t make our role any less important, but it’s an emphasis that puts our work in its proper eternal perspective.
