Elections and God’s Will

This is a slightly edited transcript of a video recorded for Wes Fryer’s “Wisdom with Wes” series. Following the contentious election in the United States earlier this week, these thoughts seem appropriate to share as part of the “Heal Our Culture” project. The full video description is:

In this episode of ‘Wisdom with Wes,’ Wes Fryer shares his reflections on the 2024 U.S. election results from Charlotte, North Carolina. Wes, a middle school media literacy and STEM teacher, discusses the frequent invocation of God’s will in political contexts and cautions against assuming divine endorsement of specific outcomes. Through the lens of Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address and historical examples, Wes emphasizes the importance of love, humility, and discernment. He concludes by urging viewers to foster community and embody the fruits of the spirit.

Good morning! Today is November 8, 2024. I’m Wes Fryer in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I’d like to talk about elections and God’s will. This is part of my series, Wisdom with Wes, which I started earlier this year. I’m a middle school teacher here in Charlotte, teaching media literacy and STEM.

This is a non-partisan message. We had a significant election in the United States this week on Tuesday. I’ve got my flag, my golden retriever tie, and my Air Force Academy lanyard for my school badge. All these things signal aspects of my identity. But today, I’m not here to share how I voted. I want to talk about the ways people sometimes invoke God’s will to suggest they know what God wants.

To start, I’d like to share an excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1865—just 41 days before he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. His words here are prescient and relevant to our current political moment, especially in acknowledging how, during the Civil War, both sides claimed to have God on their side.

Lincoln said: “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged.” He continues, noting that the prayers of both sides couldn’t be fully answered and that “the Almighty has His own purposes.” If God had chosen to use the Civil War as a means to end slavery, Lincoln suggested, then the suffering endured by both sides may be the consequence of those who allowed that evil to persist.

In this election’s aftermath, there are understandably big emotions, and people are processing what happened, not just for the next four years but for what it means in the long term. I was listening to a podcast today comparing the potential impact of President Trump’s leadership to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, who led the country for 12 years and ushered in profound political changes.

As of Friday, the election results are still coming in, but it’s clear President Trump has won both the electoral college and the popular vote by a significant margin. No matter how you voted or which political identity you hold, many people in the U.S. are surprised by this outcome. Predictions were that the result would be contentious or close, potentially taking days or weeks to settle. Yet Kamala Harris conceded, and President Biden has spoken about a peaceful transition.

So here’s what I want to say about God’s will: We must be cautious about claiming to know it. The reason I began with Lincoln’s address is that, as President, he understood the complexity of invoking God’s will during divisive times. For centuries, the Bible was used to justify slavery, and in the Civil War, people on both sides professed that God was with them. Now, some are saying that the result of this election is “God’s will.”

Let’s consider another example. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler was democratically elected in Germany, leading to the Holocaust and World War II. In Germany then, Christian nationalism—the intertwining of politics and faith—was strong. Like in the U.S. Civil War, people invoked God to claim moral authority, with catastrophic results. I share this as a follower of Jesus, as an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA, then ECO, now back to PCUSA in Charlotte).

In the Old Testament, those who falsely claimed to speak for God were punished severely. I’m not suggesting we should follow that now, but it illustrates the gravity of professing to know God’s will. We’re in a moment of intense feelings in the U.S., and beyond. This matters: if we are quick to invoke God’s will for political purposes, we risk misunderstanding and harming others.

Imagine a parent who’s lost a child, reeling from that grief. Telling them it was “God’s will” can cause deep emotional pain. When we presume to know God’s will, especially on sensitive matters, we can do more harm than good.

Studying history reminds us why the founders of the U.S. emphasized the separation of church and state. They had witnessed religious wars and atrocities in Europe and elsewhere, committed in God’s name. It’s a legacy that still matters today. We must approach God’s will with humility, especially in the context of politics. Jesus taught us the greatest commandment: to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Jesus didn’t establish an earthly empire. Politics and power have long coexisted with religion, but as Christians, we’re called to read the Bible and reflect on Jesus’ message. This is why Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, protesting practices like the selling of indulgences, which weren’t biblically sound. Anyone who follows Jesus should read the Gospels, to understand his message. Jesus stood for the widow, the orphan, the immigrant. He calls us to love not just those who look like us, but even those who hurt us. He calls us to love expansively, embodying God’s love on earth.

So, when you hear “God’s will” invoked in political rhetoric, be mindful. We can seek God’s will for our lives, our communities, our nation, and our world. But discerning that will is a profound and personal journey. I believe I’m called to help build a “beloved community,” to connect with others, and to embody the fruits of the spirit—love, peace, patience, joy, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

Let’s fill our lives with these fruits and share God’s love with others. I hope you have a wonderful day.