During the first debate between U.S. Rep. Huizenga and Dr. Rob Davidson on Oct. 15, Huizenga mentioned that he might be "too Christian" for some people to vote for him. He wanted to be very clear that he would not water down his Christian principles in order to win votes. Huizenga is a man of faith and a committed church-goer. He is a member of the same denomination in which I am ordained (the Christian Reformed Church). I do not in any way question the sincerity of his faith.

His remark did leave me with some wider questions, though. I wonder what particular Christian principles he had in mind, and how those have been expressed during his tenure as a representative, to make him think that he might be "too Christian" for some folks to be willing to vote for him?

Because he offered no further explanation during or after the debate, I can only guess. But I suspect that he was hinting at his opinions on the one or two social issues that are often considered to be crucial for "conservative" Christian voters: abortion and same-sex marriage.

If this is the case, it raises a a number of issues with regard to all those who are seeking to vote in ways that express their Christian convictions. By saying that he might be "too Christian" for some, Huizenga’s comment also implied that committed Christians ought to support him. I’m sure that he is well aware of the many passionately committed Christians whose views on how best to deal with these issues, and many others, differ significantly from his. Huizenga is not "too Christian" for such folks. It is precisely their understanding of what it means to be deeply committed to the gospel, and how that commitment plays out in matters of public policy, that may motivate them to vote against him.

That said, both in perception and in reality, Michigan’s Second Congressional District is a strongly "conservative Christian" district. To all of us who might fall into that category, I want to offer this challenge: Since when has the gospel been reducible to only one or two issues? How atrophied has our understanding of the gospel and Christian political engagement become, when simply passing a litmus test on abortion and/or same-sex marriage is all that passes for reflecting Christian commitment in the public square?

No Christian, conservative or otherwise, should be a one- or two-issue voter. No Christian’s vote should ever be guaranteed on such a narrow basis, as if a preferred answer to issues (a) and (b) means giving a pass on issues (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g), even though they might be deeply contrary to the thrust of the gospel.

Of course, voting as a Christian (and as a non-Christian, for that matter) is always going to require compromise. All politicians and all parties will uphold positions and legislate in ways that are incompatible with how we understand the gospel on a range of issues. From a Christian perspective, there is no "Christian Political Party," and there are no ideal Christian candidates, because there are no ideal Christians this side of the coming kingdom.

To vote well as a Christian is not simply to consider a couple of "trigger" issues, but to look for a platform that reflects the breadth of the priorities that we find in the scriptures as a whole, seen in the light of the gospel of Christ. Since the scriptures call us to seek the flourishing of all people, and the whole of creation, we should think as widely as this as we ponder how best to cast our votes.

As a (doctrinally conservative) Christian, I try to do what I have just described every time I have the responsibility of deciding which candidates I will support. I hope that Christians of all stripes will do the same. If we do, no candidate should ever be able to simply assume that those of us who are committed Christians — even those of us who are so-called "conservative" Christians — will automatically give them our vote.

— Rev. Dr. Suzanne McDonald is ordained in the Christian Reformed Church and is a theology professor at Western Theological Seminary. She lives in Holland and can be contacted at revdrsuzanne@gmail.com.