Theologian John Piper said in a sermon that Christians are free to choose not to vote, because their first allegiance is to God.
"The children are free, free from human institutions," he said in a message.
"As citizens of heaven, we are not bound in every situation to participate in the processes of human government. We are not bound! This is not our homeland! We vote — if we vote — because the Lord of our homeland commissions us to vote, and he does not absolutize this act above all other considerations of Christian witness," Piper added.
While polls show that many evangelical voters support Republican candidate Donald Trump, many remain reluctant.
Opinions vary among evangelicals about voting.
Southern Evangelical Seminary President Dr. Richard Land disagrees with Piper in the Christian Post, where he writes, "Supporting the civil magistrate 'for conscience's sake' includes not only obeying the law and paying your taxes, but voting your values, your beliefs, and your convictions. Your ultimate loyalty must be to Jesus, not any political philosophy or party. Choosing not to vote is disobedient to our Lord's command to be salt and light."
Land wrote about his personal preference saying, "I believe I have a moral obligation to vote for the lesser evil. Otherwise, I become morally culpable for the greater evil prevailing. ... I feel that if I didn't vote for Donald Trump in order to defeat Hillary Clinton, I would have to apologize to Jesus."
Saint Louis University theological studies professor Luke Davis Townsend agreed with Piper. "Abstention can be a witness to the truth."
Responding to Piper's message, Caffeinated Thoughts editor Shane Vander Hart said he would not vote for either candidate "unless a supernatural intervention of cataclysmic proportions happens in the next seven days."
Jennifer Sarver, a conservative Christian, wrote in the Dallas News, that she can be a pro-life Christian and still support Clinton. "I think that if more Christians lived their lives trying to walk in Jesus' footprints and not trying to tell people how to vote, we'd have a better society."
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