Biola professor Scott Waller shared an astounding statistic with radio show host Frank Pastore on his show Tuesday, Sept. 13. Waller found that only one in every ten of his students voted in the last election.

Last semester he asked students in one of his political science classes to raise their hand if they voted in the last election. Out of a class of thirty Christian students, only three raised their hand.

“There is a big disconnect among young Christians on being involved in the political process,” said Pastore.

More and more young Christians today are falling head-first into the assumption that separation of church and state means religious belief is a private and personal matter.

“My politics grew out of my theology,” said Pastore, whose interest in politics came after becoming a Christian. Pastore said he did not vote until after being saved.

Waller shared that the Church needs to develop a philosophy behind political engagement. He does not intend that every Christian join a certain political party, but rather that Christians would have the mental acuity to recognize what good public policy looks like.

“We need to have something that endures, something that keeps us involved on a longer term basis more than electoral success,” said Waller.

Listen to Scott Waller Talk Politics on the Frank Pastore Show.

Scott Waller is an associate professor of political science at Biola University, where he received an M.A. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Biola University. Waller also completed his M.A. in Politics and Ph.D. in Political Science at Claremont University. Today, he teaches undergraduate political science and philosophy courses at Biola.

Written by Elizabeth Mak, Media Relations Intern. For more information, please contact Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator, at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu or via phone at 562-777-4061.