This is part four of this series of posts by some friends answering this question: In what ways does your faith in Christ impact how you think about and engage with the upcoming presidential election? See the introduction for more info. Also check out part one, part two and part three.

I think I was first conscience of politics in the context of faith when I read Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire (in college). I was a history major. My professor, a South American political activist, left a lasting impression. The book has its debatable points, but it says (if I remember correctly) that people who are oppressed sometimes fear freedom.

I compare the subjugated in Freire’s text to the marginalized in the Scriptures. Jesus came so that the oppressed might go free. Sometimes, even when Jesus is present, the oppressed still fear their freedom. Other times, He gives the oppressed a way to practice being free. For me, that’s the power of my vote–the actualization of freedom without fear.

I am neither communist nor capitalist, but I do believe that our vote is akin to communal property and power. I vote for those who cannot. I vote on behalf of those who fear freedom–the marginalized (for whom Christ has come).

On that basis, I must choose the candidate who will make the oppressed his priority.

Aja Carr is a writer in Dalls, Texas.