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Jim Wallace: how should christians vote?

1:00am Thursday, 5th August 2010

With a Federal election fast approaching, campaigning is in full swing. Almost every day we are learn of a new policy being announced or a new campaign-tactic being tried.
But what does this mean for Christians? How much impact will the Christian vote have at the Federal election and why should we get involved?
Christian engagement with the political sphere makes a vital difference to our nation. In a representative democracy, such as Australia, politicians are sensitive to the views of the electorate, particularly their own constituents. This means there is an opportunity for Christians to influence the way we are governed, through both an individual and combined voice. It means we can play a role in helping to shape our society to be more moral, compassionate and just.
In terms of the combined Christian voice, there are clear signs that we have had a growing impact on the political environment in recent years. The 2004 federal election was perhaps the first in more recent times in which commentators acknowledged the impact of religion in Australian politics and this was built on in the 2007 election, with politicians on both sides of the political divide openly talking about their faith, and researchers finding the Christian vote played a significant role in the election of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister.
The media have certainly taken an interest in the interaction between religion and politics since Julia Gillard was sworn in as Australia’s first female Prime Minister, and particularly with her stating that she does not believe in God. My office has fielded many media calls from journalists wanting to know what we think about this and our response to her living in a de facto relationship.
We have been upfront in saying that for people of faith who value marriage these things will be a factor in the way they vote, but that Christians will clearly also be looking at the policies as well as the character and lifestyles of the leaders.
How much influence Kevin Rudd’s Christian commitment had on securing Labor a greater amount of support from Christians at the 2007 election is also likely to continue to be a source of conjecture throughout the campaign period, with online polling showing that Christian votes are trending away from Labor compared with the last election.
Of course it is a generalisation to talk about a Christian vote, when in reality Christians don’t vote as a homogenous block. Research has shown, however, that Christians do tend to care about a wider range of issues than the general public, and to care more about moral and compassionate issues.
Unfortunately a number of the key issues which are of most concern to Christians tend to fall below the radar of the general election coverage, but it is vitally important that Christians make an informed vote.
With this in mind the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has put 24 questions on a wide range of Christian concerns to all the political parties contesting the election and have posted their responses on a special election website at http://www.australiavotes.org.au. We are also distributing around one million booklets and flyers to churches to enhance access to this material.
Please remember that the Christian vote won’t have a strong effect unless we all get involved and play a part. It is important that we pray for our political leaders, raise issues we are concerned about, and ensure we make a wise and informed vote on election day.
ACL is a non-denominational, non-party partisan lobby group representing a broad constituency of Christian supporters. ACL’s vision is to see Christian principles and ethics accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business, and relate as a community.