My Christian commitments are why I believe the Democratic Party is profoundly evil.
There are major problems in the Republican Party as well, but it isn’t even close.
Republicans align with my biblical views sometimes. Democrats, on the other hand, reliably represent the opposite of biblical values as applied to governments. What’s more dramatic is that even when Republicans don’t align with my views, they are regularly closer to my views on those issues than Democrats, making the comparison stark.
Since I have a vote and a voice, as an American, I participate in government and am morally obligated (seeing this as a stewardship from God) to use that power to steer our government away from the worst possible options we are presented with. To push toward what’s good.
I’d like better options. But standing on the sidelines seems counterproductive to that. Nor does silence in the face of a clear moral choice seem wise or helpful.
I know many of my brothers and sisters in Christ will not agree, and will think I’m backwards, misinformed, failing to grasp the complexity of the issues, or otherwise missing the heart of Christ as it pertains to government. I’ve heard many of the reasons people give for thinking that. In the end, I find myself strongly convinced of the opposite.
I won’t despise believers who disagree, but I’ll continue to stand on this because I see it as true and a way to faithfully follow Jesus.
Trump isn’t “good enough.” Not by a long shot. But he is so much “better than” that this choice seems very clear.
To this end, I voted against him in every primary and for him in every general election.
I feel a natural hesitation to say all this out loud, probably because I worry about the resulting division, being associated with a man or a group I disagree with on so much, and disappointing people I respect, who will think that silence on this is better for the health of the Body of Christ. Yet, I worry even more that being silent is a greater failure that will end up resulting in even greater harms.
Can we stand up and vote, loudly, while maintaining that we do so for our own Christian convictions, and not merely be co-opted into a Party that, while being far better than the alternative, is cast adrift by winds of the world instead of that of the Spirit of God? Can we stand, while others drift? Can we draw a straight line in a crooked Party? I hope so. I don’t see a better option.
If at least some Christian leaders won’t chart a Christian course for believers to steward their role in government then what course are Christians to follow? Random celebrity influencers who don’t share true Christian commitments but only pander as it suits their cause. Won’t the end result of that also be a divided people? Not only that, but a people who get their political ideology from sub-biblical influencers while their own Christian leaders stay silent and offer no clear alternative. Won’t it result in a people who drift instead of stand?