WHAT ARE CHRISTIAN VALUES?

   During a recent discussion I had concerning the Christians’ responsibility of voting in the U.S. Presidential election, it was mentioned that ones’ ‘Christian values’ should be considered when deciding upon which candidate to vote for.

   At the outset, it would be beneficial to have a definition of ‘values’. According to The American Heritage College Dictionary values are “a principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable.”[1]

   So exactly what are Christian values? What are the principles and standards of the Christian faith? Where do you find them? And are they the same for everyone?

   Wikipedia has summed it up in this manner:

Christian values historically refers to the values derived from the teachings of Jesus Christ and taught by Christians throughout the history of the religion. The term has various applications and meanings, and specific definitions can vary widely between denominations, geographical locations and different schools of thought.[2]

   The sad part of this is the phrase: specific definitions can vary widely between denominations, geographical locations and different schools of thought.

   This means that there are widely variant Christian values. Wikipedia gives clear examples of these from the political stances held by those they describe as being conservative or liberal.

   They contend what conservatives or those who are on the Christian right believe their Christian values are:

•  Censorship of sexual content, especially in movies and on television.
• The desirability of laws against induced abortion.
•  Sexual abstinence outside marriage and abstinence-only sex education.
• The promotion of intelligent design to be taught in public schools and colleges as an         alternative to evolution.
• The desirability of laws against same-sex marriage.
• Support for laws against the acceptance of homosexuality into mainstream society.
• The desirability of organized school prayer in public schools.

   And the liberal or social democratic political groups, the values they supposedly identify with:

• Support for a culture of empathy and compassion, seen as central to Christianity among a diverse range of religions and worldviews; favoring individuals, families (of all compositions) and small communities' interests over the interests of large corporations and the powerful.
•  Protection of the environment as the product of a deep reverence for God's creation.
• The undesirability of war other than as a last resort and a respect for diplomacy.
• Embrace inclusion and acceptance of immigrants and refugees.
• A living wage for all and the right of workers to form trade unions as keeping with the solidaristic nature of man.
• A high, progressive income tax to promote greater income equality in keeping with Jesus' words in support of the poor and against excessive riches.
• Promoting "Render unto Caesar" as an endorsement of secular governance separation of church and state (secular laws do not affect or no relations with religious freedom, such as same-sex marriage; churches can reject holding weddings for same-sex couples) and religious tolerance, consistent with the concept of Christ's kingdom not being "of this world" and warnings against the hunger for potentially corrupting temporal power throughout the Bible.

   Reading through both of these lists, you might agree that some of these offerings are certainly commendable. It is not necessary to analyze the pros and cons of each item on these lists, but it is beneficial to point out that they demonstrate the dilemma in which we find ourselves as Christians today. There is very little consensus between the various denominations which generates an inconsistent witness of Christ within our culture. It’s obvious that the Apostle Paul’s appeal to believers for unity seems to have gone unheeded:

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1–6)

   To emphasis: Paul states there is ONE body, ONE Spirit, ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God.

•  ONE GOD – The fact that he mentions the Godhead (God the Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit) should give us a clue that there is only ONE God Who created us and the universe and Whose plan of salvation we benefit from in time and eternity. Since this is a Biblical truth the other unifying factors are of equal importance to our walk of faith.
• ONE BODY – one company comprised ideally of like-minded redeemed people.
• ONE BAPTISM – (not water) but a Spirit baptism that identifies us as His, saved from the slave market of sin, Ephesians 1:13.
• ONE FAITH – a single corpus of doctrine (Scripture/God’s Word) containing everything believers need to live this life righteously.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

   And so what is missing from these lists sited from Wikipedia and the many other lists of ‘Christian values’ that can be found on any internet search engine is that it is essential that Christian values have a foundation based upon Scripture → absolute truth.

   Does this mean that Christian values are arbitrary? As the apostle Paul would have answered: God Forbid, No!

   Christian values as they pertain to the believer’s walk of faith are contained in Scripture and they are vast and many. They comprise various doctrines which believer’s should understand and maintain. They are all based on sound interpretation of Scripture, and never based upon an emotional or personal preference (2 Peter 1:20-21). And they should be maintained by all believers, without variations.

   So when it comes to voting according to our Christian values, it becomes very perplexing. For by nature, politicians seeking to appeal to the as many citizens as possible do not maintain Christian values in their entirety. That means we have two choices: either not to vote at all, or to discern which candidate will fulfill the needs of the community, state or country without a comprehensive violation of Biblical standards.

   Therefore it becomes imperative that we understand the truths (absolute truths) of God’s Word. We need to pay attention to the political issues that violate God’s standards as well as those that support God’s Word and to analyze them and determine if they align with His Word, and taking care that we are not letting our emotions or personal preferences dictate our values.

   For it is good if we remember Proverbs12:15:

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

   And by applying this verse to our lives, our counsel should be God’s inspired Word of absolute truth.

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[1] The American Heritage College Dictionary (2007) Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, p.1514

[2] Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_values [as found 10 March 2020]