I'm a Conservative Christian, a Pastor's Wife, and I'm Voting for Biden | Opinion

I am a conservative Christian. I am pro-life. I spent my childhood at Harvest festivals instead of Halloween parties and I haven't tasted a sip of alcohol in years.

I believe in being fiscally conservative and limited government. I voted for John McCain. My husband is a pastor and I have personally read the Bible cover to cover ten times. My faith is the bedrock of my entire being, and it is because of this that I will not be voting for Donald Trump.

This election is not just about politics. Want to know how I know that? Because a month ago I was walking in downtown Boulder with two other minority women when a guy in a pick-up drove by us, rolled down his window and shouted, "TRUMP!!!"

Interesting, isn't it? That someone would want to shout the name of the President at three brown girls he didn't know. The message was clear: be afraid. He wanted to incite fear, and the best way he thought to do that, was to shout the name "Trump." I find that... problematic.

President Trump has used the terms "aliens" "animals" and "rapists" to refer to immigrants. And when he became President, traffic to the white nationalist site, Stormfront, spiked by about 3.5 million visitors. It is interesting for me as a Christian, because the entire story of Scripture hinges on the preservation of Israel, a group who were explicitly commanded by God to welcome...wait for it...immigrants. "When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:33-34

A friend of mine, who is Muslim, no longer feels safe wearing her hijab after she was threatened with a knife and told to go back to her country (she is an American citizen.) I am a Christian, and I am so grateful to live in a country that allows me freedom of religion—which of course, does not just mean freedom of my religion. I want my friend to be able to live out her faith in her country, too. Because I believe in loving my neighbor, and I will vote in such a way that allows her faith to be protected as much as it allows mine.

When asked to give signs of the end in Luke 21:10 Jesus says, "nation will rise against nation". The word he uses here is ethnos by the way. So, what Jesus actually says is that a sign of the end is that "ethnicity will rise against ethnicity" or race against race. Interestingly, according to a Monmouth University poll, more than 60 percent of Americans say race relations are "generally bad" in the United States. I would hope Christians would help speak into this divide with the timeless truths of the gospel "to love one's neighbor as yourself."

I would like to also remind my fellow Christians as they enter the voting booth today, that they, of all people, should be wary of aligning the church with the state. In Luke 21:12 Jesus says, "they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name."

Interesting that what Jesus seems to describe here is an alignment of the church and the state. That people will be handing people over to the church (synagogues) and the governors (the state.) It appears, if you believe in the Bible, that Jesus warns Christians when the church seeks to align itself with the government in order to take power over its citizens, the end is near.

So no, I will not be voting for Donald Trump. I will not seek Supreme Court power, or political power, at the expense of my commitment to living out a Christ-centered life. I am committed to loving my neighbor, which includes immigrants. I am committed to religious freedom, not just for me, but for my Muslim friend who would like to wear her hijab. I will reject the notion that political power for the church is my goal. Because that isn't the gospel, nor is it "good news".

People are hurting. Marginalized groups are beings targeted. A team from the University of North Texas put out a study that found countries that hosted a Trump campaign rally in 2016 saw a 225 percent increase in reported hate incidents compared to counties that didn't host a rally.

If you are wondering which way to vote, as a Christian, here is my advice: go to the most marginalized people you know, and ask them how you should vote, and then serve them. That is why I am voting for Joe Biden. Christ never sacrificed others to save self. Christ always sacrificed self to save others. Because that is, actually, the gospel.

Dr. Heather Thompson Day is Communication Professor at Colorado Christian University, and a contributor to the Barna Group, an evangelical research institution. She can be found blogging on I'm That Wife.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own.