Authors
I’m a husband and father based in the metro Phoenix area. I’m part of a multi-generational, multi-cultural, bilingual church community. I now consider myself to be a political centrist, but I grew up in a conservative home in a conservative county in conservative states (Ohio and Texas). I distinctly recall thinking my third grade teacher was wrong for voting for Bill Clinton in 1996, despite of course knowing nothing at that age about our government or political system.
I also remember going to the Ross County Fairgrounds as a high schooler to see then-President George W. Bush at a re-election campaign rally. He was with John Carey, a GOP candidate for a state-level position (not John Kerry, Bush’s Democratic opponent, he wanted us all to know).
As far as my faith goes, I grew up in the Christian church, under the teachings of conservatives like John MacArthur and John Piper. So, the most important political issue in my church was, of course, abortion.
It probably comes as no surprise that as a young adult I looked to right-wing conservatives like Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck for my understanding of the political landscape - it was what I knew.
But it turned out that for someone having grown up in church, I didn’t really know Jesus. Partly because of my immaturity, partly because of the disconnected ways the Bible can be taught in places like Sunday School.
As an adult, as I began to understand who Jesus is, my political views began to shift. Instead of being formed by one side, I began to let them be formed by Jesus himself. What did Jesus say on this topic? Which candidate most closely aligns? These are the questions I began to ask as I matured as a person and developed a real relationship with Jesus.
But where I’ve found myself lately is to assume that both parties stand for what the media says they do, and so I find myself voting more against a party instead of for the things that align biblically and restore our world. And I’ve realized it’s pretty complicated and time-consuming to figure out what Jesus said on an issue, or what the Bible says, and how the parties actually vote on that issue, to get an honest and clear view of that issue and how to vote on it.
So that’s why I’m starting this now - in September of an off-off year (2025) in terms of elections - so that by the time midterms get her next year and presidential election comes in 2028, I’ll know exactly what honoring God with my vote should look.