Why Christians Are Obligated to Vote, by Chenyuan Snider

By Chenyuan Snider, The Stream, October 17, 2024

Chenyuan Snider was raised in Communist China and majored in Chinese language and literature in college. After immigrating to the U.S. and studying at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and Duke Divinity School, she became a professor at Christian colleges and seminary. She and her husband live in northern California and have two grown children.

One immigrant offers her perspective.

Over 30 years ago, when I first arrived in the U.S., I met an elderly lady in our church who had escaped from communist Cuba. Now, a few decades later, my memories of her have faded away, except those concerning her enthusiasm about voting.

On several occasions, she asked me when I would become a U.S. citizen so that I could exercise my right to vote. Her urgent plea confused and annoyed me at the time. I had voted once in China; what was the big deal? With a green card in hand, I didn’t see the immediate need to become a U.S. citizen.

I waited more than a decade to apply for U.S. citizenship because it took that long for me to understand how incredible the American political system is and the gravity of voting in America. …