27 Oct Answers for Christians Who Oppose Trump
Recently, a fair amount of press has been given to some high-profile Christians who have suggested that it is valid to not vote for President Trump and to vote for Biden or to not vote at all.
I am not going to mention names because I want to deal purely with the issues and not involve personalities. I agree with some of them who make the point that public division among Christians looks bad to the world. I regret it.
Having said that, I don’t believe that it is better to be united around something that’s wrong. So I have chosen to clarify facts and reasons without names, and to do so with appropriate respect. Because space is restricted, I will restrict the number and complexity of issues I deal with, but you will get the overall idea. I remain convinced that we must vote and we must vote for Trump.
It has been suggested:
Issue #1.
We cannot go beyond what the Bible says, and should not quarrel over things the Bible does not speak directly to. For example, the Bible makes it clear that we should take care of the poor, but it doesn’t say if we should do so with a capitalistic system or a socialist system. So, we should unite behind the need to feed the poor, and stop disagreeing over how to do it. It damages our testimony as Christians and the Church. Therefore, it is a valid option for a Christian to vote for Biden who might prefer more socialistic methods than Trump, or at least we should not question or discourage someone who does.
The main point here is true: the Bible does say we should feed the poor, and does not tell us how to do it. However, it is not true that Christians should confine themselves to things the Bible speaks directly to.
There are two principles for Christian guidance in Scripture. One is the guidance of the clear teachings of Scripture. The other is the application of wisdom. We read in Proverbs 2:2-6,
Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding;
For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Though there are a number of points that could be drawn from this passage about wisdom, I simply want to make the case that the Lord expects us to use wisdom, and in doing so, where there is not a clear directive in Scripture regarding an issue, we use wisdom to apply its teachings and principles.
So, if you apply wisdom to the issue of socialism, you make the observation that, historically, socialism is, without exception, anti-Christian, cruelly oppressive, and unimaginably violent. Socialism in the 20th century was responsible for killing 100,000,000 people (Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Cambodia) and continues that pattern in 21st Century China. Personal freedom is eliminated, open Christianity is universally destroyed, the equal economic prosperity it espouses is never achieved, and basic needs of the masses are left un-met while the dictator or oligarchy live in unbridled prosperity.
Socialism is so universally evil that no Christian should ever wish it on others. Therefore, it seems to me a small jump from the direct teaching of Scripture (doesn’t speak to socialism) to the application of wisdom (socialism is evil and should be universally rejected). Therefore, I am compelled to urge Christians not to vote for anyone who would lead the United States in that direction. It is a major reason I urge Christians to vote for Trump and reject Biden.
Urging unity instead of speaking out against Biden is an unacceptable alternative to me, and in my assessment, does not square with the Bible’s teaching on wisdom when assessing Biden vs Trump.
Issue #2:
There are pretty good and not-so-good Democrats as well as some pretty good and not-so-good Republicans. So, vote for the person, not the party.
This is true. However, on national issues, politicians vote for their party agenda nearly every time. It is very rare that individual politicians do not vote with their party on such issues. Because the Democrat platform is evil and depraved (also see Issue #4 below), that means that voting for your pretty good Democrat will help make their not good at all Democrat Party platform the law of the land. Because we are never merely voting for a person in national elections, but rather we’re voting for the party platform, we should vote for the more godly and biblical party platform, which is Republican.
Issue #3:
There are things so wrong with both Trump and Biden, I will vote for a third candidate.
This simply makes it easier for the Democrat Party platform to win (see Issue #4 below). A 3rd party candidate has never won a major political office. So, voting for a third candidate squanders a precious resource – your vote – in the fight for a platform that upholds Christian principals. We must vote for the best option, or we are helping the worst option win.
Issue #4:
I will register my conviction that both Trump and Biden are not worthy of a Christian’s support, so I will not vote. I will exercise “convictional inaction.”
When you vote, you are not merely voting for a person. You are voting for the party platform they support. Compare the party platforms. The Democrat platform is demented and evil, representing the horrible sins outlined in Romans 1:18-32.
To fail to vote is to be complicit in helping a Romans 1 Platform become the law of the land should the Democrats win. You could have helped stop it, and you didn’t.
Issue #5:
The sins of abortion, homosexuality/transgenderism, and rejection of all truth and morality are no worse than arrogance, vulgarity, and personal immorality. Why do we act as though policies and laws that protect life and overall morality are more important than being a certain kind of person?
We do so because some sins are worse than others (John 19:10-11; Matthew 11:21-22).
In Romans 1, we see a hierarchy of sin:
- Suppressing truth
- Rejecting God
- Becoming idol worshipers (greed amounts to idolatry, Colossians 3:5)
As a result, God gave such people over to degrading passions (homosexuality and, by implication, transgenderism).
As a result of indulging their degraded passions, God gave such people over to depraved minds where they got worse, even “inventing evil.”
It is true that arrogance, vulgarity and immorality are caustic to a culture and left unchecked, could lead that culture to much worse things.
But, I cannot equate arrogance, vulgarity and personal immorality with abortion, homosexuality/transgenderism and rejection of all truth and overall morality:
Is arrogance truly equal to abortion?
One of the methods of abortion is the cutting apart of a live human being in the womb – up to the point of birth, well into the stage of development that the baby can feel pain. Also, when a failed late-term abortion allows the birth of a live baby, in some states that baby can simply be left to die – infanticide.
Is vulgarity truly equal to homosexuality?
Normalizing homosexual marriage and transgenderism allows the placing of children in homosexual and transgender homes for adoption; allows men to use women’s restrooms and allows biological males to compete in women’s sports; allows children to choose their gender and take hormones to unnaturally alter their bodies without parents’ consent and making it illegal to interfere.
Is immorality (infidelity to spouse) truly equal to the loss of all truth and the basis for all morality?
For progressives, truth is “what I say it is, based on how I feel, regardless of what you think. You have no right to say anything I do is wrong. I may lie, cheat and steal – and even murder and destroy – if it achieves my goals.”
If you want me to believe that the list of arrogance, vulgarity and immorality is equal to the list of abortion homosexuality/transgenderism and the loss of truth and a basis for morality, I cannot do it. I cannot accept that it doesn’t matter if a person allows abortion, homosexuality and the loss of all truth and morality any more than if a person is arrogant, vulgar and immoral.
To do so, in my assessment, would be to abdicate all moral, ethical and logical high ground. To equate the two is, in my assessment, a biblical misjudgment and moral misstep.
Therefore, I urge all Christians to vote for Trump regardless of his failings, which are, in my assessment, nowhere near the failings of Biden, who has massive character deficiencies himself on top of his support for the Democrat Party platform.
Conclusion
There are more issues I could address, and more depth into which we could go on these issues, but time/space does not permit. But you get the idea. No matter what reason can be raised to vote against Trump, or not to vote at all, in my assessment it cannot rise to the level of reasons to vote, and to vote for Trump.
When you read the reasons people give for not voting for Trump, or for not voting at all, they tend to get down into esoteric details, looking at a bump on a part of some bark on the north side of one tree, and they do not see the forest.
My appeal to you is to simply apply good, sound biblical judgment. As Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” The Democrat Party platform is evil personified. The Democrat Party platform is almost a point-by-point example of Romans 1, reflecting a party given over to the dark side, given over to a depraved mind for the practice of every kind of evil. The same is not true of the Republican platform.
Under the Democrat platform, the government will supply condoms to everyone. Government will pay for an abortion if you get pregnant through immorality. The government will allow doctors to let your child die if your abortion is botched and your child happens to be born alive. The government will allow, and pay for, your children and grandchildren to have a sex-change without your consent, and make it illegal for anyone to interfere. The government will allow biological men to compete in women’s sports. And the government will likely eventually allow nearly any personal preference, because, according to them, there is no absolute morality and the desires of the individual are greater than the needs of the nation.
In addition, the Democrat platform will eventually squeeze out the influence of Christianity in the running of government. They will require Christians and Christian organizations to toe the line or pay the full price legally, requiring us to violate our religious convictions, both as individuals and as organizations – as they are trying to do now, and would be more successful if not for President Trump.
And on and on…
You can help stop this moral mudslide by voting for the Republican Party platform. I urge you to do so. If you have not downloaded my video and eBook on the Compelling Christian Case for Trump, you can do so here.
And, please, if you know others who have questions about reconciling their faith with how, or whether, to vote, please share this with them! Just copy and paste the URL from your browser bar and send it in an email.
I have tried to keep the content of this blog as succinct as possible. But if you would like to study these issues more fully, here are some truly excellent sources (not previously linked to in any of my earlier posts) that will elaborate on these and other related issues:
Speech, (YouTube) Trump 2020 A Man vs. A Movement, by Tom Klingenstein, The Claremont Institute.
Tony Perkins, FRC Action article, Christians 2020: Between a Rock and a Polling Place?
Wayne Grudem, bestselling author, theologian – Article Refuting John Piper
Blog by Douglas Wilson, pastor, educator.
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