Can a vote for Trump be morally justified?
“In the end, though, it may all come down to this: a vote for Trump is, more than anything, a vote against Harris. So, we can vote for Trump without being enamored by him, without being his defenders or apologists, and without being unrealistic in our expectations.” - Michael Brown
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That’s logical.
But by that reasoning (a vote for an option = a vote against all the other options), a vote against them both can be achieved. This is what I plan to do.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Good article.
As far as Aaron's vote for-against dilemma, it is an interesting question.
In an interview (about 35 minutes in), Jonathan Leeman was asked that question (about voting for the lesser of two evils). He said he believes that if you vote for someone, and then they go on to do something evil, you bear culpability for that vote. The interviewer seems incredulous and tries to ask questions to see if he really means that. It's interesting.
I see it like this:
Your two sons are on a teeter-totter. And the can't get off until one side touches the ground. Problem is below Son #1 is a dog, ready to bite him. And below Son #2 is a tiger, ready to eat him.
You, and a line of people have a stone, and you can walk on a platform and drop your stone in a bucket on the side of either son. A clamp holding the teeter-totter will release in 2 hours. So would you rather a son gets bitten or eaten?
And to me, it seems that Aaron is saying, "I don't want bitten OR eaten! I can't encourage either one." I'm throwing my stone away.
Tucker Carlson said, "It's because whatever his flaws, he's made it clear that he's not the enemy of Christians.” But he is the enemy of God. He has shown that time and time again that he has no concerns with pushing back on the morality of God.
With that said, I have less concerns about choosing him because it is the lesser of two evils. What bothers me is the overwhelming majority of Conservative Evangelicals that don't view him as the lesser of two evils, but "God's chosen one", or the picture him as a "type of Christ". It is the fanatical support.
You see very little from the Evangelical crowds railing at him for his lack of morals. The article makes a good comment about the SBC resolution for Clinton, and yet Clinton seems less flawed than Trump. Vote for Trump, but at the same time denounce many of his actions.
Dgszweda, I agree. I understand voting for Trump if he is viewed as the lesser of two evils. But to see Christians excited to vote for him, calling him the "best president we've had in our lifetimes", and ignoring or minimizing his character flaws is hard to understand. Not as much maybe by the Trump supporters on SI, but definitely by the family and friends in my orbit.
Trump is less a friend of Christians and more a friend of voters that adore him. He is not aligned with Christians, regardless of what he says or does. He may do things that are aligned with what a Christian wants, but in the end he is not aligned. We as Christians should be aligned with 1) Christ and 2) with our fellow Christians - the church. Trump has not professed salvation, and therefore is not of Christ. He does not attend, nor is he a member of a church. He doesn't display the fruits of the Spirit, nor a personal relationship with Christ. While that may not be a reason not to vote for him. In the end, he is in defiance to Christ. Scripture warns us of individuals like this and how the Church should respond. To be a bride that is pure to Christ, we should loudly reject Trumps actions and call Trump out, just as John the Baptist called Herod out, not invite him to speak in our pulpits during a Sunday morning worship service.
With that said, I have less concerns about choosing him because it is the lesser of two evils. What bothers me is the overwhelming majority of Conservative Evangelicals that don't view him as the lesser of two evils, but "God's chosen one", or the picture him as a "type of Christ". It is the fanatical support.
I feel like there’s a lot of hand wringing over these fanatical guys who view him as a chosen one. I know quite a few people who support Trump and I have never seen or heard this kind of fanaticism.
Dan,
Have you been to a Trump rally? It is hard not to see people wearing something with God or Jesus and Trump on a hat or shirt, sometimes to the point of being blasphemous. Watch many a preacher, fanatically exalting him from their pulpits. I have been to a Trump rally. Is it a majority of Christians? I don't know, but it sure is a lot of them.
I can drive down my street and in front of the Publix pick up a shirt with Jesus putting his hands on Trump blessing him. They have a whole stack of God and Jesus merchandise.
He said he believes that if you vote for someone, and then they go on to do something evil, you bear culpability for that vote.
Interesting idea. I can sort of see how it might work under the right conditions, but it’s complicated. A key question would be “to what extent could or should I have anticipated the evil that he eventually did?” There is a relationship between knowledge and culpability. I can’t see it as 1 to 1, though, because nobody really knows the future. So there is the uncertainty factor always present in our expectations of future cause and effect (or present cause and future effect).
Your two sons are on a teeter-totter. And the can’t get off until one side touches the ground. Problem is below Son #1 is a dog, ready to bite him. And below Son #2 is a tiger, ready to eat him.
You, and a line of people have a stone, and you can walk on a platform and drop your stone in a bucket on the side of either son. A clamp holding the teeter-totter will release in 2 hours. So would you rather a son gets bitten or eaten?
And to me, it seems that Aaron is saying, “I don’t want bitten OR eaten! I can’t encourage either one.” I’m throwing my stone away.
There are some essential elements/assumptions to this thought experiment that make it work.
- The two sons are equally responsible or not-responsible for their predicament. So, nobody is to blame for the situation existing.
- Nobody is actively sustaining the situation: it is fully automatic.
- There is no reason to think it will ever happen again.
- The situation cannot remain as it is forever.
- There are no other options beyond one son or the other being injured.
- The dog and the tiger will behave in predictable, worst-case ways.
Probably some of these assumptions aren’t really essential to make it work. But anyway, if the essential features are givens, you have to toss the stone to the son on the dog side… also add #7. There are no future consequences beyond the initial result of making the choice (e.g., dog-bitten son will not fall off, drop the other son to the waiting tiger; the tiger will not leave his place, devour the dog-bitten son, then eat the second one also, who has now reached the ground, etc.)
In short, you have to engineer the scenario in some vital ways to make the choice fully (or even highly) certain.
And no election is ever going to fit any of those assumptions. (OK, #4 works)
So, yeah, I’m tossing the rock.
I’m still thinking about who to write in on the ballot, if I can do a write-in in Wisconsin. I can’t remember if I wrote in last time or just left it blank. At the moment I’m thinking Calvin Coolidge.
Out walking the other day, I saw a yard sign: Photo of a dog and the caption “Vote for Buster.” Maybe I will. It will really be a vote against the rest.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
Viewing one's country as one's sons tells me someone has a wrong view of one's country. We are elect exiles. We are pilgrims. We are citizens of another kingdom. This country is not our home. My choice to throw or not to throw my stone isn't based on filial love or devotion. So I view the whole premise of two sons on a teetertotter as a false dilemma.
While I appreciate my American citizenship and rights, I hold them loosely. Yes, I need to be a wise steward of my American citizenship and rights, but ultimately they belong to Christ.
So, when I vote (or don't vote) for a candidate, I do so with no devotion to party or country. The only one I pledge allegiance to is Jesus Christ.
And, that makes all the difference.
Well, our sons and daughters are on the line.
T, I don’t think we should tie the appreciation of governmental aspects of common grace to holding on the those too tightly. Though that’s always possible.
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Naselli and Leeman have a little book on Christians disagreeing on politics. Has anyone read it?
I want divided government, either the House or Senate (or both) under different party leadership than the party of the president. I don't like either Trump or Harris.
Jonathan,
I agree. I appreciate the checks and balances. And in general I am more concerned with the Senate and which party holds that, than I am in the President. The President has little control. For example, many people were excited about Trump promising to build a wall on the Southern Border during the candidacy of his first term. And the fact that he was going to get Mexico to pay for it. Well Mexico didn't pay for it, and Trump quickly realized the extent of his control when he realized it was going to cost money and he didn't control the purse strings.
Interesting to see Trump's comments on abortion yesterday, and Al Mohler's reaction to it:
https://x.com/albertmohler/status/1829302850830172406
As well as his crude sexually explicit comments that he posted on Truth Social around, Hillary and Kamala.
Again, if someone wants to vote for the lesser evil, that is a path someone can take and I won't dig them for that. Regardless of how the church wants to vote, I want to see the church stand up and preach against the vileness, filthiness and sin that eminates from Trump, as well as the other campaigns. The church will not be condemned for voting, it will be condemned for not addressing sin.
Regardless of how the church wants to vote, I want to see the church stand up and preach against the vileness, filthiness and sin that eminates from Trump, as well as the other campaigns. The church will not be condemned for voting, it will be condemned for not addressing sin.
Is it my job as pastor to address the sins of political candidates that are not members of our church? Isn't it my job to preach against sin regardless of whether or not a political candidate committed that sin? I have mentioned Joe Biden multiple times from the pulpit over the past month, without addressing his sin. Instead, I have talked about him during our prayer request and praise time to remind us to pray for him. I have stated something to the effect of "regardless of whether or not you agree with his political views, it is evident that he is having some health problems and he is at an age where he does not have long to live, so let us pray that he is ready to meet the Lord. Let us also pray that he and other leaders would recognize the importance of looking to the Lord for guidance in making decisions."
Is it my job as pastor to address the sins of political candidates that are not members of our church?
When a political candidate who is a Proverbs fool and who has many additional vices is the darling of many evangelicals, then the answer to your question is yes. It is not about political parties. It's about reminding Christians that though they may want to vote for him as the lesser of two evils, there is a danger in embracing Trump and his whole persona. He is not a candidate to be welcomed warmly and looked up to by Christians. He is not someone Christians should be eagerly voting for and calling "the best president of their lifetime". And vast swaths of the evangelical church have done this, so yes it is something that should be warned about just like a pastor warns about other evils overtaking the evangelical church.
That said, I appreciate that you pray for Joe Biden in your services. Sincere prayer for our nation's leaders is important no matter their party affiliation.
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