I belong to a religious tradition which forbids the Church from speaking officially to political matters, “except by way of humble petition in cases extraordinary.” In that spirit, as a minister within this tradition, I have never spoken publicly about any ongoing political race. However, I believe the current successful candidacy of Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president has now reached the threshold of becoming an extraordinary case which requires a response from thoughtful, conservative Christians.
I belong to a religious tradition which forbids the Church from speaking officially to political matters, “except by way of humble petition in cases extraordinary.” In that spirit, as a minister within this tradition, I have never spoken publicly about any ongoing political race. However, I believe the current successful candidacy of Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president has now reached the threshold of becoming an extraordinary case which requires a response from thoughtful, conservative Christians.
I am as conservative as they come in terms of theology; a classical Protestant within the evangelical sub-culture of American Christianity. I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and in traditional Biblical morality. I also love our country and served in the US Army, including a brief combat tour during Desert Storm.
And as such, I am perplexed by the support that Mr. Trump is getting from many evangelical Christians. Polls in Iowa and elsewhere bear this out. Jerry Falwell, Jr. gave a warm introduction to Trump when he spoke recently at Liberty University, and has since personally endorsed him. Mr. Falwell called Trump a man who imitated Jesus well in his love and care for others. Having observed Trump’s career and life for years, and having heard many of his unwise and uncharitable comments during this campaign, I find this baffling to say the least. As a Christian leader, Falwell should know better than to evaluate a man’s character by the size of the checks he is able to cut for charity. As I recall, Jesus had a thing or two to say about this regarding a certain Widow’s Mite.
And so because of my love for this country and my fellow Christians, I feel compelled to speak out, asking them to reconsider such a worldly alliance. And of course, it should go without saying this reflects my own opinion as a private citizen, not the official position of any church.
As Christians, we are faced with a vexing problem in this political season. One major party has defied natural law and Biblical morality by its wholesale endorsement of same sex marriage and abortion (on the latter, even removing the desire that it be “rare” in their 2012 party platform). And now large segments of the other party are getting behind the most materialistic, bombastic, self-focused and downright rude candidate we have seen in modern times. Trump’s moral compass seems to be guided by just one principle: winning. Is that really the one, overriding principle that faithful Christians should rally around? Have we forgotten the Cross?
Consider just this one statement Mr. Trump made late last year, one that by itself disqualifies him as a candidate for any major office, much less the presidency. On December 2, Trump told Fox News that the United States should “take out the families” of terrorists. In other words, commit the war crime of purposely targeting non-combatant civilians. And when called out on this statement by Senator Rand Paul at the following Republican debate, Trump doubled down. Until Mr. Trump recants of this statement, no Christian – nor anyone who believes in the rule of law – should consider Trump eligible for the presidency. Some might choose to overlook Mr. Trump’s many chauvinistic, xenophobic and insulting comments as somehow “refreshing,” but how can they overlook this blatantly murderous comment and still remain true to Biblical ethics?
Moreover, we are told that we should not consider a man’s past; that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness. That is true when it comes to matters of salvation, which is by grace through faith in Christ alone. Yet we are not interviewing a man for church membership, but to be the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. I am not opposed to considering a candidate with a checkered past, as long as he or she has repented of it. President Bush no longer abuses alcohol, and President Obama no longer uses cocaine. But where has Trump repented of his adultery, his casino and beauty pageant ownership, or his unmitigated worship of money? Do people know or even care that he once introduced Hugh Hefner as a “great man” on his TV show, “The Apprentice?” Or does any of this matter anymore to conservative Christians?
Is it within our Christian freedom to support a man who is, shall we say, less than perfect in Christian character and humility? Of course. As some have pointed out, we are not electing a pastor but a president. There is indeed a difference between the Christian ethic of love outlined in Romans 12, and the power of the sword wielded by secular government described one chapter later in Romans 13; and it is foolish for Christians to neglect this difference.
But Christians should also seek political leaders who are measured, wise and humble, regardless of their professed faith. We should support leaders who believe in the limits of human government, not a leader who vaguely promises that he will make everything just “really great,” by his own skills and personality. Do we really want someone so brash, unpredictable and petty to be in charge of the most powerful military on earth, much less Federal law enforcement?
I understand many Christians’ frustration with the way our culture and Federal government have gone over the past decade or more. They feel marginalized and seek someone strong to stand up for them. Based on what I read in Luke 14, Romans 12, I Peter 2, and Philippians 2, I doubt that is the way we should go. But even if so, surely we can find someone better than Donald Trump to represent our values. Otherwise, evangelicals show themselves to be naïve, worldly and hypocritical. We need to remember what James tells us is true religion, which is to visit orphans and widows in their distress – and also to keep ourselves unstained by the world. And we are naïve to think that worldliness cannot seep into us from all sides of the political spectrum.
Here are links to other articles outlining Christian objections to Donald Trump’s candidacy:
Chris Hutchinson is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and lives in Blacksburg, Va.
