Evangelicals Have Abandoned the Character Test. The Competence Test is Next.

Lacking a coherent ethical approach to backing leadership candidates, many evangelicals and fundamentalists look at maybe three issues and ignore everything else. …. but Mohler is too smart for that. That kind of reductionism from him is, frankly, bizarre.

From the article…

Many millions of Trump-supporting white Evangelicals no longer care about character (though a surprising number are still remarkably unaware of his flaws). That much is clear. But the story now grows darker still. As they’ve abandoned political character tests, they’re also rejecting any meaningful concern for presidential competence.

Listen to Mohler’s announcement, and you’ll hear a narrow political philosophy—one that’s limited to evaluating a party platform on a few, discrete issues. It’s nothing more than a policy checklist. He speaks of religious freedom, LGBT issues, and abortion.

How about combining a completely self-serving character with a thuggish incompetence? Doing so produces this:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04/hospitals-face-a-white-house-bl…

Donald Trump is not pro-life using any meaningful definition of the word life. Donald Trump is solely pro-Donald Trump, and that’s the driving force behind whatever platform he cobbles together. Granted, his supporters’ responses to what’s happening is sadly allowing the world to see “we’ve always been at war with Eurasia” played out in real life. Our gods are comfort and human definitions of way of life and liberty.

No one has abandoned the “character test”. Good grief, you guys just won’t let this go. You are expecting certain character qualities from people who do not know Christ. As our world moves further away from any resemblance of Biblical moral standards, of course we will see more poor character from everyone. I wouldn’t expect anything else. The only way to obtain the character you want to see is to give people the gospel and they trust Christ as Savior. Without that, you will not see the character you want to see. Just HOW do you expect to accomplish your “character goals”? By posting on blogs and writing articles which the people you want to change will never see? The degree of self-righteousness displayed in some of these posts is incredible. I sympathize with your concerns/criticisms of today’s politicians and political parties. But your “solution” is not a solution at all. Might make you feel better about yourself. But won’t solve anything.

Sometimes Christians say that if enough of us protest the choices we are given, then we will get better choices. That’s pie-in-the-sky, head-in-the-sand thinking. We have the choices we have in politics because fewer Christians and others of decent character refuse to get involved in messy, dirty politics. If you are so bothered by the poor character of your political choices, then run for office yourself. Writing articles that make you feel good about yourself won’t solve anything.

Wally, I am not expecting those with a heart of stone to act as if they’ve been adopted into God’s family. I am expecting those in God’s family to stop compromising themselves and their witness to a lost and dying world by aligning (via voting and vocally supporting) such obvious evil.

I don’t expect the government to make my life easier. I don’t expect society to embrace my King’s values and ethics. I expect persecution and I expect to be on the outside looking in. As Christians, we are exiles and our hope is not in any human government or nation. By God’s grace, I will not compromise my position as an ambassador of Jesus by allowing pragmatism be a variable in my voting.

God and country is an ideology that has polluted Christ’s Church in this nation.

John, those are strong words. Please prove them! Who did you vote for last and why?

You say that Trump has not shown himself pro-life in any meaningful way, but pro-life activists disagree: https://www.lifenews.com/2019/02/18/in-president-donald-trump-the-pro-l…

When I heard Abby Johnson (whose story formed the basis for the movie ‘Unplanned’) speak some months ago she basically pleaded with her audience to vote for Trump. What do you know that a former director for Planned Parenthood doesn’t know?

Is Trump obviously more “evil” than Obama or LBJ or Kennedy? Do you think he has changed since his liberal days? Do you expect your President to embrace your King’s values? I’m trying to understand your animosity here.

NY Magazine, of which the Intelligencer is part and parcel, is a liberal”far left” outlet according to this: https://www.allsides.com/news-source/new-york-magazine

The author of the Trump-bashing piece that John E refers us to is a Climate Alarmist who writes for The Guardian in Britain, which is about as left wing as mainline newspapers get over there.

I am fine with John giving his opinion here, but I think his anti-Trump vehemence is easy to explain if this is what he is reading.

To me the choice remains simple. I’ll vote for the presidential candidate who most closely aligns with my beliefs. That choice was simple in 2016 and will be in 2020.

Do I agree with everything about President Trump? Of course not, but Lord willing, I’ll be gladly voting for him again.

Some of my reasoning:

http://gulfcoastpastor.blogspot.com/2020/01/accomplishments-of-presiden…

David R. Brumbelow

From Dictionary.com

VOTE: “to express or signify will or choice in a matter, as by casting a ballot”

ENDORSE: “to approve, support, or sustain”

I think I have posted this distinction a few times before. But its still true, by common usage and common understanding of the terms, to endorse a candidate is not the same as to vote for a candidate. In fact, I nearly voted in the Democratic Party primary for President. The law allows me to do so, and I wanted to exercise the right to have a say in which Democrat would be the nominee, even though I would never endorse any of them.

In the general election, I can vote for Trump without endorsing him in any way. I will simply show up, and express my will, or choice in the matter of which of the two options I would rather be president. It really is not more complicated than that.

In 2016, character, integrity, etc., was not an option on the ballot if you wished to have any say in the outcome. One of the two promised conservative judges on the courts, and given the long-term effect they have on the country, I was able to express my will, or choice in the matter of which set of judges I would prefer to have.

All of this gets way over-thought through when one decides that voting is the same as endorsing. It is not.

Can we please dispense with any postings from The Dispatch and David French? We all know it now and we don’t need to be hammered over the head with it on a regular basis: French hates Trump viscerally and will never pass up an opportunity to bash him and anyone who votes for him. Aaron shares French’s mindset. If we ever want to know what French or Aaron think about Trump, generally or specifically, we can go read the Dispatch and waste our time there. We don’t need to also waste it here.

Aaron, you’re abusing your position at SI. Please cut it out.

Thanks for your common sense

Religious liberty is, as should be obvious, a subcategory of liberty.

There are no great choices in US politics right now. I think most of us can agree with that.

Can we also agree that the Progressive Left is the current, primary vehicle for creeping tyranny? I think it’s pretty obvious.

Trump, despite early rhetoric (and terrible character) is clearly not an authoritarian. Neither is Biden (or Clinton). But the Prog Left is. They’re not even liberal anymore; they’re illiberal. Trump has also kept his promises to a surprising degree.

I may not agree with the choice many Evangelicals have made to support Trump. But I can at least sympathize with why they might feel it’s necessary.

To conclude my thoughts above, maybe some of us are past character and competence.

Maybe some of us will settle for a ruler who will just leave us alone.

Maybe some of us will settle for a ruler who will just leave us alone.

It is interesting how many would apparently prefer a ruler than will not leave us alone. One of the commanded prayers in Scripture is for those in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. It seems odd that we should pray for something but not vote in accordance with that prayer.

It reminds me of the story of the guy in a flood who fled to the top of his house. A boat came by and offered him a ride to safety and he said “No. God will deliver me.” A helicopter flew overhead and offered him a ride to safety and he said, ‘No, God will deliver me.” And the flood waters rose a bit more and he drowned. When he got to heaven, he said, “God, I was trusting you to deliver me. Why didn’t you?” And God said, “I sent a boat and a helicopter for you and you refused.”

Obviously the story is not theological, but it makes a point about the providence of God. It will be interesting to see those who refuse ot vote for a candidate that will work to allow Christians to live peaceably and quietly pray for the opportunity to leave peaceably and quietly. Might it be that God would say something along the lines of, “I sent someone to enable you to do that and you refused to vote for him”?

[dmyers]

Can we please dispense with any postings from The Dispatch and David French? We all know it now and we don’t need to be hammered over the head with it on a regular basis: French hates Trump viscerally and will never pass up an opportunity to bash him and anyone who votes for him. Aaron shares French’s mindset. If we ever want to know what French or Aaron think about Trump, generally or specifically, we can go read the Dispatch and waste our time there. We don’t need to also waste it here.

Aaron, you’re abusing your position at SI. Please cut it out.

By all means! I mean, why would we ever want to be invited to read someone who doesn’t confirm our own biases? We might actually be convinced by someone who doesn’t think exactly like us and we can’t have that! We should never want to understand how other smart people might reach a conclusion different than ours! In fact, let’s just burn their books and ban them while we are it. {exit sarcasm mode}
Aaron….you aren’t abusing anything. People are free to scroll right by anything they fear might offend their sensitive opinions. You’re the owner/operator/editor and if you don’t tick people off from time to time, you aren’t doing your job. Count me as someone who appreciates hearing from varying points of view and appreciates vigorous debate among those who are thoughtful enough to articulate disagreeing points of view. Keep up the great work!

Though I don’t come from the same camp, I agree with DL Creed, although NOT with his tone.