By Ryan Kelly –

This is a tough article to write, an even tougher to keep succinct. There is a huge political rift in the United States today, which has been building for more than 20 years on hot-button topics including taxes, foreign wars, immigration, nationalism, race, and abortion.

Some of these topics I believe have easy stances to take as a Christian, while others are very obscure and specific to details. For instance, is it more Christ-like to allow those in need to come into our country with public support to build a better life, or is it more important to place controls over immigration and focus on American citizens who have critical needs first? Is it Christ-like to have an America-first agenda and support jobs and pride in our nation, or is it better to have a global focus and share our resource with other nations and people groups? We could go days debating these topics, and I’m sure I could support elements of both sides.

Today we have two candidates for president that are unique. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have an America-first agenda with limitations of taxes, reduced immigration allowances, a reduction in foreign spending, tariffs on foreign goods, and state’s rights when it comes to abortion. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are almost the exact opposite, with a largely globalized agenda, focus on increased taxes and government spending, global trade, increased support and involvement in Ukraine, and legalized national abortion.

Based on this alone without further detail (with one exception), I could not tell you which set of candidates are more Christ-like on the surface with respect to policy and advancing our country.

What does have a very clear and distinct right and wrong for me is with the name of Jesus and the declaration of His Lordship in the public arena. For me, this is what makes the difference.

Two weeks ago, two students from the University of Wisconsin La-Crosse, Luke Polaske and Grant Beth, attended a Harris Walz rally at their campus and made a peaceful protest in support of the elimination of abortion.

Beth was quoted as remarking about his experience, “I was pushed by an elderly woman. We were heckled at, we were cursed at, we were mocked, and that’s the biggest thing for me personally. In reflection of the event, Jesus was mocked. You know, his disciples were mocked, and that’s okay. In reality, we did God’s work, and we were there for the right reasons, and God is watching us in this moment.”

The moment that made headlines what when one of the students shouted out “Chris is Lord and Jesus is King.” Kamala Harris laughed and then remarked, “You guys are at the wrong rally,” and then waved to them both to leave. This is in reference to another rally taking place across town with Donald Trump and JD Vance, implying that those values are not shared at the DNC rally but rather at the one hosted by the GOP.

Flash forward to two weeks later where JD Vance hosted a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin. At this rally, Vance remarked about his deep faith in Christ and how this relationship with our Lord has shaped him into the man that he is today. During these remarks, an attendee shouted the exact same statement, “Jesus is King” and Vance paused and acknowledged that “Indeed, Jesus is King” and then went on to describe the importance of his faith and how this is needed in our nation.

Of the four candidates, Harris has asked for prayer on occasion and has appealed to members of historically black churches, yet has never publicly discussed her faith or religious beliefs. Tim Walz has described himself as a Lutheran, but again, has given very little detail as to his faith. Donald Trump describes himself as a Presbyterian and has frequently discussed his faith in God and the work of God in his life, especially with respect to the recent assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. J.D. Vance has been by far the most vocal with regard to his faith, going into great detail about his salvation through Christ, his baptism, and how this shapes his personal and political life.

I do not know the hearts of any of these four people. All four may have saving faith through Jesus or all four may be lost souls in need of a savior. I do not know. What I do know is that one side clearly stands for Jesus in a public way and supports values that are clearly Biblical. On the contrary, one side seems to actively avoid the name of Jesus and do whatever they can to adopt what is now referred to as a secular humanist philosophy.

I believe that we as Christians must vote in a way that will best glorify God and will best represent what He wants in this world. I don’t vote for people, I vote for policies. I don’t vote for parties, I vote for what will best represent my values and desired outcomes as a man who attempts to be a reflection of Jesus in this world.

I hope that you do the same as you consider who you will cast your vote for on November 5th. If you do not know who to vote for, I encourage you to pray that the Lord will reveal this to you and open your heart to what He is telling you. Then, vote with confidence that you are doing what the Lord desires of you, whatever that answer is. For me, the answer is easy. I pray that it is for you as well.