Whatever your views on using the “alternative vote” system to elect our members of parliament*, it won’t have taken you long on the 5th to have made your mark. The voting slip I was handed was a tiny piece of paper with just two sentences and two boxes. I don’t think I’ve ever been so quickly in and out of a voting booth. But it struck me afterwards that as Christians we’re all in favour of alternative voting. Not as a political statement, but what John Stott calls Christian counter-culture. We believe in something most people think is nonsense. In living for Christ, we have a way of life that runs counter to the culture around us. And we stand up and are counted as followers of a leader far less popular than Nick Clegg.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. (1 Corinthians 1 v 18-25).
There’s one other way in which a vote for Christ is “alternative”. Who we choose in a polling booth is confidential – but our allegiance to Christ must not be. We are all called to be witnesses to Him, and the grace we have received in His name. Some of you reading this are in full-time Christian work like me. I’ve often thought that’s a great advantage in battling our nervous tendencies to keep quiet about our faith when talking to friends and neighbours. After all, they already know we do some strange religious job – so we might as well take advantage of that to reach out with the gospel message whenever we can!
*Britain recently held a national referendum do decide on whether it should reform it's system from "first past the post" to an "alternative vote". The decision was not to change.
Alison Mitchell is a Senior Editor at The Good Book Company, where she has worked on a range of products including Bible-reading notes for children and families, and the Christianity Explored range of resources. She is the bestselling author of The Christmas Promise and the award-winning Jesus and the Lions' Den.
