It does concern me that Christians are so tightly connected with the Republican Party. I think as Christians we need to keep our independence. And I think a lot of Christians have done a good job of this. Russell Moore definitely fits in this camp. He is a conservative (I think at least) but a man of very high character and principle and a man trying to bring attention to issues conservatives generally overlook.
Maybe it’s just the bubble I live in, but I don’t know anyone and haven’t read anyone that thinks Trump is God’s anointed. I regularly read Michael B. Dougherty and Ross Douthat (both conservative Catholics) as well as Niall Ferguson (a conservative atheist) and all endorsed Clinton. Jonah Goldberg, Yuval Levin, Bill Kristol, Ben Shapiro, Charles Murray—all these conservatives and many more were Never Trumpers. Regarding my friends, every Christian I talked to my age or younger (admittedly it was only a few) voted 3rd party. The fact is there were a lot of religious people that didn’t support him.
From what I read in the New York Times, of all the contingents in the Republican coalition Trump’s lowest support during the primaries was among church going evangelicals. Ironically (or maybe predictably?) Trump's support was highest support was among people that consider themselves evangelical but don’t attend church. In other words, it was nominal/cultural Christians that paved the way for Trump’s nomination, not legitimate Christians. Now did most Christians end up supporting him in the general election? Of the 50% or so that bothered to vote, yes. But most did so while holding their noses. Even Michael Moore, no friend of conservatives, recently said that Trump supporters are by and large good people that dislike Trump but see no other viable option.
I think it is fair to debate who was the better choice, but I don’t think this was in any way an easy election, especially for Christians. Civil cases against religious speech and practice are up 125% over the last two years! Abortion, same-sex marriage (and the pressure on businesses to support it), transgender bathroom issues—Christians have lost the culture war and there is a sense that their liberties are under attack. When the CEO of a major company (Mozilla) can lose his over a political opinion, when the mayor of the 3rd biggest city in America (Houston) subpoenas pastors sermons, California is moving to consider all churches public spaces and thereby force them to open bathrooms to both sexes, and the fire chief of Atlanta lose his job for what he said outside of work at his church, who feels safe? And when these attacks, and many more, are all coming from one political persuasion it is tough for me to lend it my support.
Now we can disagree whether or not it is a sin to bake a cake for a same-sex marriage wedding—I personally don’t think it is—but the idea of living in a country where the government has the power to force a person to act against their conscience is terrifying. Think about it. Do we really want a government that says, I know you feel like this is wrong, but if you don’t do it I will put you in jail? If there is one liberty that our country was founded on it was the freedom of conscience. This is because the early settlers recognized that freedom of conscience is fundamental to any meaningful right or liberty. Now it has been members of the Democratic Party (or their allies) that have been in the forefront of the attack against conscience in the name of LGBTQ or other non-discriminatory rights. I know Republicans use Christian conservatives and never follow through with their promises. But who am I going to vote for? The party that says they are sympathetic towards me and fails to follow through? Or the one that has Lena Dunham and Samantha Bee and a host of like-minded people in its ranks that all think that everything that I believe is ridiculous and dangerous and has no qualms of mocking me and fellow Christians? Ten years ago the Democratic Party made a push for evangelicals, was more moderate in its platform, and allowed more deviation from the party line. They’ve moved so militantly to the left in some of these social issues that it is hard for me to support a party whose social policies would undoubtedly violate what I take to be absolute and fundamental freedoms. If the government wants to allow same-sex marriage, fine. But it should not force those that think this is wrong to participate. And if the Democratic Party wants my vote, they shouldn’t call me bigoted or mock me for being on “the wrong side of history” because I believe and follow the teachings in the Bible. I could have supported Bill Clinton in the 1990s or even Hillary 8 years ago, but the party has moved too far to the left in these social issues. So far to the left that I will reluctantly and mournfully vote for a man to run the country that I wouldn’t trust to run my school. It is not a place I wish I was in, but it is the state of politics as I see them.
There isn’t a clear or easy path. To say that Trump is God’s anointed or whatever is blaspheme in my opinion. But to say that Clinton is clearly better I don’t think is true either. It is true that Trump lacks character, but so have many other presidents! FDR died in the arms of his mistress and JFK was the Charlie Sheen of his age! This doesn't excuse them or Trump, but we’ve survived disreputable men before and God willing we’ll survive Trump too.
Politics is messy. I think Christians should not and cannot let it divide us. I think we also need to find places that we agree on, things like the sanctity of life, freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, policies that help families form instead of policies that put stress on the family, etc. and try to move both parties towards these. Until they move we need to pray and think and talk to try to figure out the best way to engage.
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