Chris Chamberlain is the National Leader of the Baptist Union of New Zealand.
I’m a passionate person and have always enjoyed stimulating conversation. But when I was young, there were three things you never brought up in company: politics, sport, or religion. Those were the subjects that almost certainly generated strong, passionate views! I have noticed these days, that when we start discussing politics in our Baptist churches, things can almost get heated if we are not careful. Why is it that what starts out as a simple discussion turns into a raging debate? Ordinary people can certainly become passionate as they air their opinions.
I’m all for passion! It’s amazing what passionate Kingdom-of-God people get done in this world. Right now, leading up to the New Zealand General Election (7 November 2026), we have an opportunity to combine our passion, our vote, and our hope in Jesus. Imagine our entire movement of churches being well-informed as all of us of voting age enter the polling booth.
Over the next four months
Over the next four months leading up to the election, we’re offering a series of opinion pieces called In the polling booth. These pieces will consist of short, thoughtful reflections written by different people from a broad spectrum across our churches. In a nutshell, they’ll outline how the Gospel informs their political vote.
I’ve asked these people to read and ponder three Bible passages (included at the end of this article) that I’ve been focusing on a lot since I began in my role as National Leader last November. I’ve asked them to use these texts as a lens or starting point to explain how they come to decide on their local representative vote, and their political party vote.
I’ve asked them to share their thoughts candidly, being free to include specific policy, people or parties if that helps them explain their decisions.
I’ve asked them to imagine they’re writing to a person sitting next to them on a pew in a church service who enquires about how they decide to vote as a follower of Christ.
They will be respectful, not soap-box-ey, and are certain to be thought provoking – helping to open up this important civic process with some faith and theological reflection, and encouragement.
Our first guest writer will be published next week, and we'll aim to have a new one every fortnight. I’m grateful that this sample of our people, with divergent political ideas, have said yes to my request.
My own reflection
In the few months I’ve had in this National Leader role I’ve already shared glimpses of things I have felt strongly about through the Kingdom-People lens of my own eyes:
- Dignity denied by Minister’s metaphor – Is comparing social housing to winning Lotto a harmless metaphor, or does it reveal something deeper about how we see the poor?
- Together: When children suffer the church responds – New Zealand Baptists are really good at looking at what’s wrong in this world and getting involved in fixing it.
- Homeless move-on orders: “The government’s decision has done the church a favour” – the government’s new powers for police to ‘move on’ homeless create an opportunity for the Church to make a difference.
Each time I write I get several emails and messages of support, as well as messages from people saying the church – and me in my role, should be silent about these sorts of things – “let people decide in their own hearts what is good, and stay away from influencing people toward your own political agenda…” Thank you for all the messages!
I obviously disagree with the latter train of thought. The National Leader role is one of influence! I don’t want to tell you who to vote for, but I do want to help you go through your own process of Christian reflection before you head into the polling booth – your hand will write the ticks, not mine.
The message of Jesus in Luke 4:16-21 clearly calls us to embrace his Kingdom vision - and to serve the poor in the power of the Spirit; The message of 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 leaves nothing off the agenda in terms of reconciliation - and the crucial role of we, the Church in this task; and Revelation 21:4 is a beautiful inspiration to persevere towards the last day as we embrace God’s vision of hope. These three texts I am finding inspirational at this time - and whenever I have referred to them, they too have generated a flurry of emails and messages. Thank you!
When I came up with the idea for In the polling booth, my hope was for us all to be inspired and informed by a variety of thoughtful people among us, so that we approach the General Election as Kingdom People first and foremost.
I hope the series will make this important civic process more accessible and offer helpful guidance as you consider how to use your vote responsibly. Please join me in praying for those who serve our country by entering the political realm. Join me too, as I pray about how to vote come November.
The Bible passages
New Zealand Baptists are Kingdom People! baptist.nz/kingdom-people
Gospel renewal to people and places is possible when kingdom people act (Luke 4:16-21) as agents of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21) with a vision that demonstrates hope (Revelation 21:4).
Luke 4:16-21
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.
Read from others in this series:
