To The “Never Trumper”- A Biblical Case For Trump
It is my estimation
that 90% of the people who clicked on this link did so to openly mock and
ridicule the redneck, Biblically illiterate, idiot who would dare to put the
words, “Bible” and “Trump” in the same sentence. If this is you,
congratulations to me for getting you to read this article, and congratulations
to you because I am neither an idiot nor a heretic. The following is not some poorly-patched
together, theological treatise that attempts to warp the Word of God in order
to justify my political sacrilege.
But since I’ve got
you reading, let’s make a wager shall we? You read this article all the way
through and as Cruz said, allow your “conscience” to be swayed, or not swayed,
by what I believe to be Biblical wisdom. You have the right to judge for
yourself.
I fit the classic
profile of a “Never Trumper.” I am a highly educated, staunchly theologically
and politically conservative pastor’s wife, who plans to one day homeschool her
children. I even want to be a “Never Trumper.” I really do. It sounds so
principled, so brave, to be a political nonconformist who refuses to buckle
under the weight of societal temptation, or fall under the spell of the big
mouthed billionaire with his lofty promises for a better future. I CANNOT,
however, allow myself ignore the principles laid out in the Word of God for
situations such as the political debacle Americans have unfortunately found
themselves in.
In Luke 9, we find
the disciples recovering from a serious blow to their pride. Despite their best
combined efforts, they had been unable to drive a demon out of a troubled young
man, and had been reprimanded by Christ for their lack of faith. Just a few
verses later, we find the dejected 12 incensed that another man, an outsider,
was able to do what they had not. I believe Jesus’ surprising answer to their
protests has great ramifications for today’s political conundrum.
Verses 49-50 read, “
‘Master,‘ said John, ‘we saw a man driving out demons in Your name and we tried
to stop him, because he is not one of us.’ ‘Do not stop him,’ Jesus said, ‘for
whoever is not against you is for you.’” (1)
I can sense your
hackles immediately rising from across the screen. “But Trump is NOT for us!”
you object, “his essence oozes the opposite of Christian values!” I would first
ask you to remember that we are NOT electing Trump to a sacred or
ecclesiastical office. We are electing him to a political office. If this was a
question of placing Trump in charge of my church or Christian organization, you
would have to hogtie and hold me down in order to get me to vote for him. I am
not arguing for Trump’s morality here.
I am simply stating
that in this specific office, as President, he has gone to great lengths to
demonstrate that he will protect and champion the rights of the American
evangelical if he were to be elected, even if he does not personally embrace
those values. I would think that his promise to appoint a conservative Supreme
Court Justice should “Trump” (excuse the pun), our other hesitations. He has
even organized a “faith advisory committee” comprised of some of the most
respected Christian leaders in America. As a side note, I am appalled at the way
the Body has treated the members of this committee and other evangelical heavy
hitters who have endorsed Trump. We are willing to let Dr. Dobson dictate the
way we raise our children, yet the instant he speaks out on a political issue,
we mock him and call him a coward? We make Kirk Cameron our Hollywood hero, pay
big bucks to go see his films, and then call him a sell out when he makes a
comment about where we should place our vote? Maybe we should let our ruffled
egos settle down for a moment and consider that we would willingly adhere to
the wisdom of these men on any other issue. Even if you disagree with their
political choice, please have the decency to treat them with the respect that
their years of faithful service to the Kingdom have warranted.
Speaking of wisdom,
would you PLEASE stop saying that failing to vote for Trump is not a vote for
Hillary…it is. No matter how much you attempt to pad your argument with
mathematical or philosophical meanderings, the simple truth is that a third
party NEVER has and NEVER will win the presidency. (Go ahead, quote your
Abraham Lincoln story at me, but please don’t forget to add that he did not
face 2 dominant parties in his election. He faced four weak and divided ones.)
Some of you have offered a far fetched equation that would enable a third party
to steal enough votes to give the House the right to choose the president from
among the top contenders. I would think that this option would be repulsive to
you since most Never Trumpers claim to be proponents of “small government,” and
this outcome would completely subvert the will of the people. Never Trumpers
also tend to be very intelligent former debaters. This means you love logic.
Logically speaking, if only two people are in a contest, your failure to endorse
one candidate is implicit endorsement of the other…and you know it.
Some of you have
answered this argument by claiming that, “A vote for no one is a vote for no
one,” and thus, will choose to forgo the vote entirely. I would answer this
contention by pointing out that a failure to proactively cast your vote against
Hillary means that she is one vote closer to winning the election. Your vote
does matter. You are either helping to push her one step forward, or one step
backwards by your failure to act. You choose.
For those of you who
argue that, “A vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil,” I
urge you to STOP and think about the fallacious foundation of that statement as
it applies to this circumstance. If abstaining from the vote entirely were a
viable option in this election, then perhaps your pious sounding claim would
hold its ground. As I have already demonstrated above, by not voting for one
“evil” you ARE, like it or not, casting your VOTE for the other. Even if I
accept your terms and define Hillary as the “big” evil and Trump as the
“little” evil, you are going to be endorsing an “evil” no matter WHAT you do on
Election Day. The difference is that one “evil” has promised to do his best to
protect your right to worship freely, and one has promised to do everything
within her power to suppress them. You may argue that Trump will turn tail and
act against Christians once elected. You are absolutely right. He could. We can
be CERTAIN, however, that Hillary will do her best to destroy what little sense
of decency we have left.
“But, but..” I can hear your continued protests and growing
disgust, “Trump is so, so…pompous, so brash, so unfit for office.” The
disciples didn’t approve of the outsider who was doing their job either. Jesus
helped to correct their perspective. This wasn’t about them. This was about the
future of the Kingdom. (I can still feel your eyes rolling at me but please
listen…)
I believe that a lot of the discontent over Trump is due to
his brash nature, yes, but also because of the blow that was dealt to your
pride when an outsider was able to come in and usurp the leadership of your
party. This may not be true of you at all, but I am certain that it is a large
part of the driving force behind the Never Trump movement. I am simply asking
that you examine your motives. If you detect pride as a motivator factor,
please pray to be released from it and follow the example of Ben Carson. If
anyone had a bone to pick with Trump, it was Dr. Carson, but as he so wisely
stated in a Fox interview when asked how he was able to get over the personal
insults dealt him by Trump, “If this was about me, I could never get over it.
This is about the future of our country.”
Never Trumper…get over yourself. This isn’t about your
personal likes or dislikes. This is about the future of your children. If you
aren’t willing to overcome your personal chagrin that an outsider could come in
and do your job for you, then you have no one to blame but yourself when Mrs.
Hillary Rodham Clinton is elected.
You will have lost
the right to act as a martyr when she comes after your right to speak freely
about issues such as homosexuality and the exclusivity of the Gospel because
you had your chance to do something about it and you did NOTHING.
Some of you have
chosen to avoid the conflict entirely, and have decided to abstain from voting
because no matter the outcome, “God is in control.” I agree 100% that God is in
control and that no matter who is president, Jesus Christ is King. This overarching
fact that God reigns has NEVER been an excuse for inaction. In 1 Timothy 2:2 we
are commanded to pray, “For kings and all those in authority, that we may live
peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (2) If we are to pray
for a political environment that fosters peaceful Gospel conversations, does it
not logically follow that if given the opportunity to help make this a reality,
we should act?
This situation
reminds of the parable of the drowning man who turned down three rescue attempts
with the rationale that, “God would come and save him.” When he drowned, he
questioned God about why He would allow him to die. God responded with, “I sent
you three boats!”
Whether you like it or not, America is drowning and the
Trump boat, though less than desirable, is the only viable option for rescue we
have to keep us afloat for the time being.
In Cruz’s address to
the Republican convention, he repeatedly acknowledged the fact that this may be
America’s last chance to save herself. I beg you to consider the words of your
own hero and make the only sensible choice.
If you do not vote
for Trump and therefore vote for Hillary, I do not want to hear you complain
about the escalating murders of third trimester, unborn lives in America and
the increasing span of The Parental Rights Organization, because you had your
chance to do something and you did nothing.
If you do not vote
for Trump and therefore vote for Hillary, I do not want to hear you complain
about future, liberal Supreme Court Rulings, because you had your chance to do
something and you did nothing.
If you do not vote
for Trump and therefore vote for Hillary, then I don’t want to hear you
complain when your pastor is imprisoned for hate speech crimes, because you had
your chance to do something and you did nothing.
If you do not vote
for Trump and therefore vote for Hillary, then I don’t want to hear you
complain when you lose your right to bear arms and fret over the safety of your
family, because you had the chance to do something and you did nothing.
If you do not vote
for Trump and therefore vote for Hillary, don’t tell me you were being self
sacrificial and that you did it “for your country.” Because you didn’t. You did
it for yourself.
I am not arguing that
Trump is a great man.
I am not even arguing
that Trump is a good man.
I am arguing that in
the words of Christ Himself, God can use an individual that is “not one of us”
to further His purposes and protect His people.
I am arguing that in
this time, and in this particular circumstance as the only nominee for
Republican Party, Trump is the RIGHT man to serve as President of the United
States.
Unless something
cataclysmic occurs between then and now, he will be receiving my vote in
November.
Ironically, though
many Never Trumpers have claimed that they will not be “bullied” or “harassed”
into voting for Trump, I have been forced to publish this note anonymously to
avoid the violent backlash that is certain to ensue. So go ahead, insult me, call
me a heretic, say whatever you want. My conscience is clear before God because
I have done all that I believe He has called me to. Can you say the same?
(1) Luke 9:49-50, NIV
(2) 1 Timothy 2:1-4,
NIV
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