With the outlandish words coming from Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s mouth, many Christians who have actively supported the Republican party for the past thirty years are facing a dilemma: Do they swallow their pride and vote for a man who thinks he should be a God, or do they find another alternative that is better suited for the presidency than Donald Trump?
While Christians across the country are dealing with this internal struggle, one powerful man within the religious community has made his choice.
Renowned Biblical theologian Wayne Grudem published an essay on christianpost.com detailing his reasoning for believing that voting for Trump is a “morally good choice.” He said:
“I did not support Trump in the primary season. I even spoke against him at a pastors’ conference in February. But now I plan to vote for him. I do not think it is right to call him an “evil candidate.” I think rather he is a good candidate with flaws.”
Grudem’s words would mean something if Donald Trump held views similar to the other Republican candidates. It’s like when current President Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination over Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton back in 2008. They held the same views on virtually every issue. So it was easy for Democrats who voted for Hillary to then switch over to Barack.
But Donald Trump is not your typical Republican candidate. He says things that the other 15 Republican candidates who ran for the nomination would never dream of saying. His plans for deporting over 11 million immigrants are not only crazy, they are not even Republican to begin with.
Don’t get me wrong, the sentiments of racial exclusion and anti-immigration are clearly a part of the Republican dogma. But expanding the police-state to deport over eleven million immigrants is certainly not the small government that Republicans believe to be the best path for the country.
It is safe to say that this is not your typical election, and Donald Trump is not your typical type of candidate.
Many Christian thinkers across the country agree with this statement.
They have come out against Grudem’s public support of Donald Trump and are disappointed in his reasoning for that support.
In an interview with the Christian Post, Ethics and Public Policy Center Senior Fellow Pete Wehner described Grudem’s essay as “just silly.” He is quoted saying:
“Anyone who says Donald Trump is a ‘morally good choice’ is, at a minimum, morally confused. Using the phrase ‘a morally good choice’ is a very peculiar formulation when it comes to describing Trump on anything.”
Conservative philosopher and First Things Contributor Mark Reynolds publicly pleaded with Grudem to take back his words. Not just for the Christians he influences through his ministry, but for himself and his credibility. Reynolds said:
“Just as saying a kind word for Mussolini is a perpetual shame to GK Chesterton, so in the same way, advocating for Trump will tar Grudem. I beg him to retract it or he will lose the moral authority to comment on politics for the rest of his life. Trump is that bad.”
These passionate words coming from prominent members of the conservative and religious sector, highlight a real issue for those who believe the Republican Party is the political home for Jesus Christ believers.
Will they stand for Christian principles like the golden rule in Matthew 7:12 which clearly states:
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Or will they continue to be puppets for the Republican party and their Presidential candidate Donald Trump?
Because it is very clear that Donald Trump does not abide by the golden rule, or he would have gotten the crap kicked out of him a long time ago.
Here is a video of Wayne Grudem discussing the importance of the 2016 election:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBMDCnyHP7k
Featured Image Via Family Research Council
