And What Now, Christians Who Intend to Vote for Donald Trump? A Question…

Last updated on: October 9, 2016 at 8:53 am by Roger E. Olson

And What Now, Christians Who Intend to Vote for Donald Trump? A Question… 2016-10-09T08:53:27-05:00 Roger E. Olson

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And What Now, Christians Who Intend to Vote for Donald Trump? A Question….

First, a bit of background. This presidential election year, 2016, has been an especially tumultuous one here in the United States. Many Americans, including many professing Christians, have hailed the nomination of billionaire businessman Donald Trump by the Republican Party as a great triumph, a step forward toward “making America great again” and toward reversing federal government policies perceived as anti-Christian. Many Trump supporters, on the other hand, say they will vote for Trump as the “lesser of two evils.” That camp also includes many professing Christians. For them, a vote for Trump is simply a vote against the Democratic Party’s nominee Hillary Clinton who they believe is determined, if elected, to further secularize America and weaken its strength as both a world power and a light to the rest of the world for freedom and democracy. Many conservative Christian leaders have stepped up to endorse Trump for president, some more cautiously than others. Some claim he has become a Christian and is a “baby Christian” who should be shown mercy for some of his more outrageous statements. Other American Christian leaders have opposed Trump on the basis that he is unqualified to serve, that he is a narcissist, that he does not care about the poor and the weak, and that his friendliness toward Russia’s autocratic leader signals Trump’s own autocratic intentions. Many Trump critics, both Christian and non-Christian, point to his apparent misogynistic statements about women as evidence that he is unsuitable to serve as president because he would not promote the full equality of women. Of course, another popular issue surrounding Trump is his stated intentions with regard to Muslims and illegal immigrants.

That is, of course, a totally inadequate account of the controversies surrounding the Trump candidacy in the U.S. However, for the uninformed, especially those living in other countries, it gives a “taste” of the controversy.

Sidebar: *The opinions expressed here are my own (or those of the guest writer); I do not speak for any other person, group or organization; nor do I imply that the opinions expressed here reflect those of any other person, group or organization unless I say so specifically. Before commenting read the entire post and the “Note to commenters” at its end.*

It seems to me that, given Trump’s inexperience in government, and given the fact that many, perhaps most, Republicans opposed his nomination for a very long time, and given his “bull in a china shop” approach to his own campaign, only a few conclusions can be drawn about his supporters. Many I have talked with personally say that they really do not “support” him, but they will vote for him as the “lesser of two evils.” One very intelligent and informed observer of American and world affairs told me directly that he thinks there is only about a five percent chance that, if elected, Trump will become America’s first de facto dictator. He thinks that, if elected, Clinton will forge ahead with statist policies and actions that undermine religious freedom. Other Trump supporters seem to be driven by a single issue about which they are obsessed—the influx of illegal immigrants and the federal government’s reluctance to do anything about that. They believe only Trump, not Clinton, will begin effectively to turn that tide around. And they think that “tide” probably includes some terrorists bent on killing Americans.

Few of Trump’s supporters, including Christians, step up loudly to criticize or defend his vulgarities, his seemingly narcissistic words and behaviors, and his perceived bullying personality. Most say that, once elected, he will settle down and lead the country back toward “greatness” and (conservative Christians especially say) he will reverse the trend in American society toward its complete secularization and enforced pluralism with regard to moral choices and lifestyles.

I think the “fault line” that runs right down the middle of American society, especially those who intend to vote in the upcoming presidential election, lies between two large segments of that population. On the one side are social and religious conservatives who are deeply concerned that under the guidance (or rule) of the federal government—including especially the Supreme Court and the Executive Branch—American society has drifted quickly toward complete moral chaos and loss of America’s military and economic “greatness” in the world. These people tend to favor “American exceptionalism.” They look back to a time when they think America was unified around a moral core that made it a “city set on a hill” and a “light to the nations” for freedom and democracy. With that moral core dissolved, they believe, America will eventually go the way of the Roman Empire and dissolve.

On the other side are those who also believe in a moral core that makes America great in the world and that moral core includes pluralism and acceptance of all kinds of people with radically different worldviews and lifestyles. Those on that side of the fault line view the federal government as a necessary tool in enforcing pluralism and squashing all forms of discrimination. They also believe only the federal government can put the end, finally, to the growing gap between the rich and the poor in America.

There are professing Christians on both sides of that fault line. And that fault line has been deepening and widening for some years.

I suspect that many well-intentioned people on the first side think that Trump, if elected president, will side with them about their major concerns even if he does not embody in himself some of the virtues people on that side of the fault line value. They seem willing to set aside concerns about personal virtue for the greater good of having a president who will turn back the “tide” of rampant secularism and pluralism flowing out of Washington, D.C. and who will give them a greater voice in that project of making America “great” again.

Now my question to them—especially conservative Christian supporters of Trump—is this: How can you continue to support the candidacy for president of the United States of a man who, by most current accounts, has spoken in vile, disgusting and vulgar ways about women and who, by most definitions of “misogyny” is a misogynist? Misogyny, like racism, exists even where a person claims to love women. “Love women” is a very ambiguous phrase. Can a person “love women” as sex objects only? Of course, and that is by definition misogyny. (I cannot read Trump’s heart or secret thoughts, so I am only going by what he has actually said as reported and believed by many of his former supporters who have now abandoned that support due to his apparently undeniable past expressions of disdain for women.)

To push my question further: Would you vote for a gay or lesbian person to be president of the United States who is ideologically conservative and vows to make America great again? If not, why not? What is worse about being a practicing homosexual than being a person who speaks of women as sex objects using vulgar language and who has said that if his daughter were not his daughter…?

What would it take for you, my conservative Christian friends, to drop your support (or intention to vote for) Trump (other than a revelation that he is not at all sincere about conservative ideology and his stated policy intentions with regard to illegal immigrants and “making America great” again)?

Now, please don’t say “Clinton is worse.” If you think so, you must state provable evidence of her moral inferiority to Trump because the question I am raising here is not about ideology per se but about personal moral attitudes and behavior.

To avoid an avalanche of irrelevant responses, let me post one specific question for you (Christians who still intend to vote for Trump for president of the United States) to answer: What would it take—in terms of revelations about Trump—for you to decide not to vote for Trump for president other than that his ideological and pragmatic policy intentions are insincere?

Responses other than to that specific question will not be posted here. Writing such a response will turn out to have been a waste of your time, so don’t bother. Also, as always, responses must be relatively brief and civil. Hostile responses will not be posted here. See more below:

*Note to commenters: This blog is not a discussion board; please respond with a question or comment solely to me. If you do not share my evangelical Christian perspective (very broadly defined), feel free to ask a question for clarification, but know that this is not a space for debating incommensurate perspectives/worldviews. In any case, know that there is no guarantee that your question or comment will be posted by the moderator or answered by the writer. If you hope for your question or comment to appear here and be answered or responded to, make sure it is civil, respectful, and “on topic.” Do not comment if you have not read the entire post and do not misrepresent what it says. Keep any comment (including questions) to minimal length; do not post essays, sermons or testimonies here. Do not post links to internet sites here. This is a space for expressions of the blogger’s (or guest writers’) opinions and constructive dialogue among evangelical Christians (very broadly defined).

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