On October 18, Rev. John Harnish, retired United Methodist pastor, author and former associate general secretary of GBHEM, shared an article about John Wesley’s advice for an election. Find the original publication here.

Rev. John E. Harnish(Photo from johneharnish.com)

It will come as no surprise to regular readers when I tell you I am a United Methodist preacher and glad to be one. However, in these newspaper articles, I try to speak to a broad, inclusive audience, rather than just my own tribe.

At this point I will risk sounding a bit partisan by quoting from Methodism’s founding father John Wesley. His era, England in the mid-1700’s, was a time of political storms and religious conflict, not unlike our own.

He notes in his journal: “In every county, city and town, men who were once of a calm, mild, and friendly temper are now mad with party zeal, foaming with rage against their neighbors, ready to tear out one another’s throats and plunge their swords into each other’s bowels.”

With some folks attempting to upset our democratic process, even with violence and weapons, his description sounds all too familiar.

Wesley thought it was bad in his day but that was before the advent of social media where misinformation, conspiracy theories and outright lies can be propagated instantaneously. In the process, truth, integrity, fair debate and thoughtful consideration of differing opinions gets lost in the tumult.

In October 1774, Wesley offered advice for the people called Methodist in regard to the upcoming elections:

1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judge most worthy.

2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against.

3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.

It’s good advice for the 21st Century as well as the 18th. In a day of angry rhetoric, childish name-calling, and bitter threats of revenge against those who think differently, it is all too easy to find ourselves caught up in the wave of cynicism and vitriol, even to the point of losing trust in our electoral process.

Of course, Wesley’s experience also reminds us today is not the first time the world of politics has experienced turmoil. As someone once told me, “You can’t control the times in which you live, but you can control how you live in the times which are given to you.” Wesley’s advice is a guide on how to maintain our individual sense of decency and integrity as we try to make decisions based on our own personal values.

People of faith have always looked to their religion for guidance. For Christians, perhaps “The Beatitudes” (Matthew 5-6) would be a good place to begin. Or maybe focusing on what St. Paul calls the fruit of the spirit—"Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against such things.” (Ephesians 5:22).

For the sake of our own souls, approaching this political season with that in mind might help us avoid having, in the words of Wesley, “our spirits sharpened against those who voted on the other side.”