And so it begins, as we knew it would. With only a month to go until the election, the Clinton camp is beginning to uncork the bottle of the vile human being known as Donald Trump. I’m certain that the
revelations of Trump’s abuse of women is only the beginning of the avalanche of bile that we’ll see over the next few weeks. We must realize that this isn’t just about the economy or even the country; it is about you and I. It about who we are in Christ and our witness to the world. In that light, to my friends and fellow Christians, I have but one heartfelt call:
Please stop while you still can.
Please stop before you double down on failure. Trump has never been a viable candidate for a thinking, moral people. There is no way you can win by supporting him. If he loses you’ve paved the way to Hillary Clinton’s victory by choosing an inherently and obviously flawed candidate. If he wins, he has redefined your party into a monstrosity you once swore it would never be. You will have beaten the democrats by becoming the democrats.
Please stop before you mark yourself as a hypocrite for life–or, worse, all of history. Cal Thomas, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Wayne Grudem*, etc. etc. You are vociferously defending a man who is cut from the exact same cloth as the one you once opposed with equal vigor. You are defending a man with as little character as his opponents by willfully pretending ignorance of who he is, in spite of the fact that his past has been on display for anyone willing to look. You are actively leading well-meaning (if ignorant) Christians who trust your judgment into committing the same hypocrisy you are embracing with such abandon.
Please stop before you are forced to violate your honor in defense of the indefensible. Trump is not and never has been a viable alternative to Hillary, morally or politically. If you continue to doggedly defend his flag, whether out of fear of Hillary or an arrogant determination to be “right”, rational people will have every good reason to reject you and anything you might have to say in the future.
Please stop before you destroy all of the political effort made by generations of Christians before you to influence this culture and this nation in a positive way through a consistent, meaningful witness. By hitching up to the Trump bandwagon, you are actively and unnecessarily destroying the credibility of Christianity and conservatism in the public sphere.
Please stop before you further dishonor Christ, His Church, and yourselves in the eyes of a world who expects you to act exactly as you are.
Over the coming days, you will be faced with a decision much more important than where to cast your vote on November 8th. As I’ve watched the inevitable revelations about Trump, I’ve seen thinking, feeling, moral friends begin to defend things that, in any other circumstances, they would know immediately to be wrong and even evil. More is coming and you will have to decide how much of yourself you’re willing to sell to purchase a chance at Trump to be president. The world will be watching and you can rest assured that they will remember your positions, your words, and your actions (thanks to the internet–Facebook especially). If you want the moral ground to be able to oppose the next tyrant, think carefully of how far you’re going to support this one.
And so, once more, I beg you: Please stop.
*NOTE: After this post was added, Wayne Grudem withdrew his support for Trump because of the recent revelations. No, I’m not suggesting a causal connection! 😉
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