How Should a Christian Vote?

I'd like to follow a train of thought in the next few posts. On the one hand, my question may seem to have an obvious answer to many Christians. But I wish to be more systematic than just thinking about an individual election. I wish to consider the age old question of the relationship between church and state, between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of earth.

Where one begins is not without consequence. Some would say that we will not reach the right conclusions if we do not begin with Christian presuppositions (e.g., Anselm, Kierkegaard). This may be. Perhaps I will waste my time to start where I plan to start.

I wish, however, to start by bracketing my Christian presuppositions and begin with what seems to be the default position that a human being might take--the egoist position: what answer is in my individual best interest. I do this because I have not received a personal revelation from God to answer this question. And no part of Scripture addressed a democratic society and the individuals thereof directly.

After I have explored an egoist train of thought, perhaps a somewhat "noble" egoist train of thought, I will then put my Christian hat back on and see what modifications I must make to my prior conclusions. Perhaps Kierkegaard will be waiting for me then, laughing to see such sport. Perhaps he will tell me that I have only wasted my time until I have taken a leap of faith into my Christian presuppositions.

The game is afoot. Next entree: "natural law."