Was voting for Donald Trump wrong? Not from a theological standpoint but neither was voting for Hillary Clinton. God is not impressed by our conclusions of moral right and wrong. After the Bill Clinton saga broke out in the news, the church rallied around three popular Republicans who were all decrying the immoral Clinton. The rallying cry then was "character counts." Those three House members were Dennis Hastert, Bob Livingston and Speaker Newt Gingrich. Fast forward a few years and we would discover these three clarions of moral purity were more compromised than Clinton. Gingrich was having an affair at the that exact time with someone half his age. He would divorce his wife to marry that woman. Livingston had so many sordid affairs his own party made him resign and Dennis Hastert was busy molesting little boys. Evil is always evil beloved. One party does not have everything evil and the other is pure. The immorality of Donald Trump was LEGENDARY prior to the 2016 election but character no longer counted for the dominionists.
'But those critics misunderstand the point of voting. It isn't for virtue signaling. There is a reason theologians and pastors ranging from Dr. Wayne Grudem to Dr. Norman Geisler to Dr. Robert Jeffress supported Trump. Policies. Trump's policies were the moral choice. "Voting for Clinton and her ultraliberal policies is not an option for me as an evangelical Christian," Grudem told OneNewsNow. "Therefore, I am left with two options: (1) vote for Trump, or (2) vote for a third-party candidate whose hopes of winning belong to fantasy - not reality. And if these are my only two options, then voting for a third-party candidate has the clear effect of helping to elect Clinton, because it is taking my vote away from Trump. That is why the liberal media loved it when I said I was finding it hard to decide."' - Capstone Report
Clever that the same church that once said voting was all about character is now arguing that stance is "virtue signaling." Nonsense. The scarier proposition here is that the notion of voting for a third-party candidate or writing one in is dismissed out of hand because that option cannot win the election. So, it is all about winning, not what is right. Grudem and Jeffress are two dominionists NAR pastors so of course it is no wonder they chose Trump. Jeffress adored Trump. If one looked beyond the two popular wedge issues, we could find a myriad of anti-Christian polices on both sides. You think impoverishing people is a Christian virtue?
"What is an election? An election is not the place for witnessing to the lost or of showing the world how awesomely you live your Christianity. Elections determine the direction of public policy for a state. For Christians, we should approach an election as an opportunity to help the state to do its job"its God-given job. What is the state's God-given job? Protecting life and religious liberty for starters. Christians must evaluate the candidates and party platforms in view of what God wants the state to accomplish. This must keep in mind a key truth: We live in a fallen world. Candidates are sinful. All of them." - Capstone Report
Except the bible never instructs us to help the state do anything. We are to pray for leaders for the express purpose of leading peaceful lives. Jesus' disciples all wanted Him to rail against the tyrannical state of Rome, yet He continuously said His kingdom was not of this earth. The notion here that God gives the state marching orders that include protecting life and liberty is simply made up. It does not exist in the bible at all. The report is right to point out that all candidates are sinful, but they still insist that one is somehow better than the other. By all means evaluate the entire platform of every candidate but do not confuse your carnal evaluation with a Christian imperative.
"Typically, Christians have evaluated fitness for office with a focus on personal morality. That worked when the country was mostly Christian and even nominally Christian. However, today we live in secular America. Often no candidate truly represents a Christian worldview. What should a Christian do when neither candidate reflects their morality? Focus on policy. Christians must learn: A candidates personal sinfulness matters, but it matters less than sinful public policy when voting." - Capstone Report
Clever sleight of hand here as they attempt to provide a reason why character no longer counts. They are compelled to do this because their choice is so morally bankrupt. The reality is the world is not that much more secular than it was in 2000 and then the church's choice was George W. Bush over Al Gore. The same Bush who is responsible for over a million dead people based on lies. The same Bush who said that all religions lead to heaven. So, save me your performative piety. All are evil. All have turned away. This logic is ridiculous. When we are presented with a morally deplorable candidate, we can make fair assumptions of how they will lead! Instead, the report wants us to base our vote on what lies they promised to us. As we have said however, the notion that all of Trump's policies were Christian is stupid. Now, you may have concluded that his evil was lesser to you, but that still means you are defending and promoting evil. Good luck explaining that when you stand before Christ.
"Simply, is Donald Trump's personal infidelity and rudeness more important than allowing the election of a candidate promoting mass murder and the erosion of religious liberty? Character matters, but when the choice is between a rude, adulterer and the party of abortion and reduced religious liberty"there was no choice. There is no choice in 2018 and beyond." - Capstone Report
