Electing Not to Vote (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781556352270)

Ethical discourse about the institution of voting rarely includes the option of abstaining for principled reasons. This collection of nine articles widens the discussion in that direction by giving readers a new question: At what point and on what grounds might one choose not to vote as an act of conscience? Contributors offer both ethical and faith-based reasons for not voting. For some, it is a matter of candidates not measuring up to high standards; for others it is a matter of reserving political identity and allegiance for the church rather than the nation-state. These writers--representing a wide range of Christian traditions--cite texts from diverse sources: Mennonites, Pentecostals, and pre-Civil Rights African Americans. Some contributors reference the positions of Catholic bishops, Karl Barth, or John Howard Yoder. New Testament texts also figure strongly in these cases for ""conscientious abstention"" from voting. In addition to cultivating the ethical discussion around abstention from voting, the contributors suggest alternative ways beneficially to engage society. This volume creates a new freedom for readers within any faith tradition to enter into a dialogue that has not yet been welcomed in North America.

Author: Ted Lewis
ISBN-10: 1556352271
ISBN-13: 9781556352270
Publisher: Cascade Books
Language: English
Published: 06/01/2008
Pages: 140
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.96h x 6.03w x 0.32d

Review Citation(s):
Christian Century 11/04/2008 pg. 37
Christianity Today 11/01/2008 pg. 75