I don’t know who you’re voting for this year. But I’m pledging my allegiance to Jesus.

And I’m convinced that when we pledge allegiance to the Lamb, we’ll have nothing much left over for the Elephant or the Donkey (or whatever flavor of political party you have where you live).

Church signs: the religious version of a sassy tweet

I pledge allegiance only to Jesus.

And the politics of Jesus are the politics of Shalom.

So I’m voting for a world that looks more like the Shalom vision of Jesus.

Here’s what I mean…

The word “Shalom” is not just a Jewish greeting, and it goes much deeper and further than having a few extra bucks in your pocket. No matter what Joel Osteen says, Shalom is not just economic prosperity, nor even just the absence of war.

Shalom is a BIG, beautiful vision embodying all that God desires for His creation. God wants to restore ALL things. Shalom is God’s answer to the question, what should the world be like? What should we vote for?

So this year, I’m casting my ballot for Shalom.

Shalom is simply the Hebrew way of describing God’s kingdom on earth. But we tend to get a bit confused.

Most of us are familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord….”

But Jeremiah 29:11 is probably one of the most misused and misapplied verses in all of Scripture.

Heaps of people wrongly translate the original Hebrew word “shalom” in this verse as “prosper” (ie. “plans to prosper you…”), as if this were a personal promise to fold up and pop in our back pocket. Something cute to pull out whenever we need a little boost from our vending-machine God.

But instead, this verse makes a radical, earth-shattering promise to an entire nation in turmoil — a promise of God’s deep longing for his people to discover how He sees the world.

“For I know the plans I have for you all, says the Lord, plans for Shalom and not for harm…”

The passage hinges on God’s command to pursue the wellbeing of the WHOLE community:

"Seek the SHALOM of the city to which I have carried you into exile" (Jer 29:7).

In describing this “Shalom,” God envisions a wide-ranging political and spiritual vision, including sustainable building (29:5), planting and caring for God’s creation (v. 5) so that everyone will have good nutrition and good relationships with family and others (v. 6), while they’re doing business in a just way, ignoring false spiritual teachings, and even popping out babies! - Read the whole chapter :)

Christians claim to have a vision for society, but in reality, we too often only have a vision for our rulebook. Sadly, we’ve gained a nasty reputation for the extreme narrowness of our political agenda.

If you ask the average non-Christian in the West today what Christians stand for, they will likely say, “Not for, but against!” Christians stand AGAINST gay marriage and abortion—two issues that Jesus never directly addressed.

We are not known for seeking the Shalom—or wellbeing—of our entire community. Folks, we’ve missed the boat. Big time. This is important, so I’m gonna put it in bold:

We earn the right to be heard by clearly demonstrating over a sustained period of time that we are not just seeking our own good (and pushing our pet issues), but by seeking the good of the WHOLE community. Yes, even for those groups with whom we might disagree, because they are our neighbors, whom Jesus calls us to love and serve.

For example, while Christians will spill out on the streets with protest signs and Chick-fil-A take-out bags if any government limitations are placed on our freedom to worship, how do we respond when other religious groups experience persecution? Are we as quick to come to their defense?

When Buddhists, or Muslims or Jedi Knights are not allowed to build a place of worship or gather together, do we speak out in their defense? Do we “do unto others as we would have them do unto us?”

When members of the gay and transgender communities are denied access to housing, bathrooms or other basic services, do we wish homelessness, hunger or soiled pants on them?

Or do we sign petitions and march in the defense of our fellow human beings so that they will be allowed to meet their basic human needs? Do we love them as our brothers and sisters? After all, we’re literally called by Jesus to love everyone—from our neighbors, to our enemies, to each and every person in between.

One final example. When refugees are denied assistance, caged, or refused safe harbor, do we speak out and protest in their defense as if they were our own children banging on the locked door of a safe house? Or do we prioritize the people of our own nation and tribe over the children of our neighbors?

Would Jesus describe a mother and child who walk a thousand miles to flee violence as "illegals"? Would he refer to those who cross wild oceans to bring their children to safety as "aliens"? Or would he honor these parents as heroes? As followers of Jesus and the God of the Bible, we are called to recognize that every single human being is made the image of God.

While travel is restricted, perhaps it’s worth reflecting on these questions before we travel back overseas. If we can’t figure out how to love and respect people of other religions in our passport country, where they are a powerless minority, how can we go and love them in other countries?

If we aren’t prepared to love across all divides, we will pack our suitcases full of toxic antagonism before we ever board the plane.

If this is making you uncomfortable, please keep reading.

While some say, "Love your nation," Jesus says, "Love your neighbor." Love for a nation is limited by borders and tribes, but Shalom love for our neighbors transcends borders and tribes—and transforms the world.

When we say we want to follow Jesus, we pledge our allegiance to Jesus and His vision for Shalom alone. This means we pledge to a life of selfLESSness rather than selfishness.

Jesus preached the principle of Shalom from the mountainside: Love your neighbor as yourself. And love your enemies. If we actually grabbed hold of this vision, it would truly revolutionize our politics, our faith and our nations — indeed, every nation of the world!

But until we have gained a golden track record for speaking out for EVERYBODY, we have not earned the right to be heard when we speak for ourselves. If we don’t speak out, vote, and advocate for others, we won't have goodwill, reputation, or influence in our nations. And frankly, we’ll be seen as just another lobby group.

This means we need to give up our tunnel vision and abandon our single-issue voting agenda. We can no longer say, “I'm anti-abortion, so no matter what this politician does to other groups or what he/she stands for, I'm going to vote for/against him or her.”

We can no longer say that our concerns trump the concerns of other people. We have to take a wiser, more nuanced approach to voting and political engagement. This isn’t about voting left or right. Left and right are just wings on the same dumb old partisan bird.

This is about devoting ourselves—how we vote, how we talk, how we live, how we love—to the Shalom priorities of Jesus.

This commitment to Shalom is an invitation to work consistently to preserve life — ALL life. This includes unborn children, and it also includes caring for all children after they are born — especially those who are born into poverty.

This commitment to Shalom is an invitation to look beyond our own national borders and includes seeking Shalom for the lives of our nation’s enemies and their children. How can we bomb another country, such as Cambodia (where I live), and say that we are seeking their Shalom or promoting their wellbeing?

When I speak out against the military, the left applauds. When I speak out against abortion, the right applauds. When I call for Christians to work CONSISTENTLY to preserve all life, everyone just feels uncomfortable. Or irritated.

But once we know Jesus and catch his Shalom vision, how can we put on a military uniform or take up arms against another human being ever again?

The litmus test for our love of God is whether we love our neighbor.

And the litmus test for whether we love our neighbor is whether we love our enemy.

Shalom looks like this.

And that’s why this year, I’m voting for Shalom.

Here's the ONE essential Biblical idea to guide your voting