I am a Christian. I grew up in a small town in southwest Ohio and attended a Southern Baptist church. I loved my church family and the years that I spent there were some of the most formative of my life.
I'll always be grateful to my church and the people who attended it, but around the time I was preparing to graduate high school, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with some of the rhetoric I was hearing on Sundays. My frustration did not stem from any of the gospel centered messages I was hearing. Rather, my distaste was born out of the increasingly political nature of the church atmosphere. I clearly remember being handed voter guides when leaving the building. These supposedly informative pamphlets were little more than right-wing propaganda praising the Republican candidate and portraying Democrats as immoral monsters. The voter guides focused on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and religious freedom. All of these are of course important issues, but they are not the only issues people of faith should care about, in my opinion. In 2004, I was told by a small group leader that "Christians need to do their duty and vote for George W. Bush this November." When I expressed concern with President Bush, primarily as a result of the disastrous war in Iraq, I was told "I don't understand how someone who calls himself a Christian can vote for John Kerry." The argument was that despite any shortcomings of the Bush administration, the GOP was the party that stood for family values. The moral leadership on social issues provided by the Republican Party trumped all other issues. This has been an effective argument for the better part of 40 years, ever since Jerry Falwall and others created the Moral Majority in the late 1970s. Whatever one's opinions about the issues such voters have supported, the fact is the evangelical movement has been a reliable base of support for the GOP for decades. Generally, they have used their influence to insist that politicians support their causes and that parties put forward candidates of high character. This brings us to 2016. The GOP has recently nominated Donald J. Trump as their candidate for President of the United States. For many, the idea of Donald Trump actually winning the Republican primary was unthinkable as recently as 1 year ago. What's more amazing is that Mr. Trump has received rather strong support from evangelical voters. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 78% of self-identified evangelicals are supporting Mr. Trump. This is a higher percentage than pledged their support for Mitt Romney in 2012. While Gov. Romney does not share the faith of evangelical community, his views on social issues are very much in line with religious conservatives. Furthermore, Romney is widely viewed as a man of high character, principle, and integrity. The same can not be said for Donald Trump. In fact, Mr. Trump's campaign and personal life seems to be the antithesis of qualities valued by the evangelical community. To many Christians, myself included, such support constitutes the highest level of political hypocrisy. Never again, can evangelicals, as a voting bloc, claim the moral high ground. It seems they are willing to sell their vote to most anyone the GOP puts forward. Because of their overwhelming support for Mr. Trump, the evangelical movement is in danger of becoming irrelevant. When the page turns on this embarrassing period in American electoral history, the last chapter of evangelical political influence will be written as well. While the end of evangelical electoral influence may not be the worst thing to ever happen, the real damage being done by this election is the scar it may leave on the church itself. The ultimate goal of evangelical Christians is not to elect public officials or influence policy, it is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By enthusiastically supporting Donald Trump, I wonder how evangelical leaders hope to minister to the groups that have been the target of Mr. Trump's vitriol? How can there be racial unity within the church when so many are proudly casting votes for a man heralded by white supremacists? How can the church continue to empower women when prominent male leaders shake the hand of a man who denigrates women on both a personal and professional level? What of the wonderful ministries to refugees? Desperate families come to our country in search of a better life and safety, yet they are generalized as terrorists by Mr. Trump. How can our churches open their doors to immigrant families (regardless of their status) when they cheer the preposterous idea of building a wall and forcibly deporting 11 million people? How can the advocates of "family values" seek to destroy immigrant families by separating parents and children? Furthermore, how can the voters of "family values," who have always demanded high character out of their candidates, cheer for a man who has been married 3 times and has admitted to multiple extramarital affairs? I don't mean to paint with broad strokes. Their are certainly numerous evangelical leaders and millions of ordinary Christians who have not pledged their support for Mr. Trump, however they are in the minority. This is not meant to be a stump speech for Hillary Clinton (there will be other candidates on the ballot), however it is meant to encourage evangelical voters to consider the ramifications of their support for a campaign that has been aimed at demonizing millions of innocent people. People in our country have a 1st amendment right to support whichever candidate or issue they wish. However, none of us are provided a freedom from consequence. The consequences of supporting Mr. Trump will not only be dire for evangelical political influence, but also future ministry opportunities. I couldn't agree more with Senator Ted Cruz when he told his fellow conservatives: "Vote your conscience." That's what I'll be doing in November, I hope you will too,
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Derek Trent AshcraftA place to discuss, among other things, politics, culture, food, faith, and nonsense. Archives
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