Monday, November 7, 2016

Why a Southern Baptist Pastor Will Vote for the Unvirtuous Donald Trump


This article was viewed over 17,000 times the first week of posting.


Donald Trump was my last choice during the Republican primary.  I groaned and grieved when the Donald received the nomination.  

On the other hand, I could never vote for Hillary.  Her election would continue Obama’s tyranny, arrogance, and disastrous economic and foreign policies.  She will continue his dismissal of the Constitution and rule of law and extend his massive overreach of government.  

One interviewer asked former Secretary of Education William Bennett, well-known for his books on virtue, how the “virtue man” could support the unvirtuous Trump.  Bennett answered, “I understand how you feel about some of the things he said, but it may be better to lower your standards on things the guy says temporarily than to lose your country permanently.”


Horrifyingly Corrupt

And with Clinton, it may be a permanent loss.  She would be a disaster for foreign policy, including ISIS, immigration, the economy, taxation, religious liberty, and race relations.  Her radical justices would sit on the Supreme Court for decades.  And as for experience?  She has plenty of experience – marked by corruption, deception, and failed policies.  

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said, "She would be horrifyingly corrupt as President. And she would be a disaster in public policy. Remember, this is not about politics. The cost of Hillary's dishonesty could be the loss of America as we know it." 

Peggy Noonan writes, “Clintonism is a way of governance based on a dishonesty so pervasive and all-encompassing . . . that you cannot believe they expect you to believe the bizarre story they just peddled because no one would lie like that.” One of the most disturbing things about Hillary is “the disconnect between the reality of Hillary, the image of Hillary, and the ruthlessness with which she will go to any length to protect that image.”

Pastor Dutch Sheets correctly states,"The damage [under the Obama administration] has been so great that America is now one president away from a complete transformation to secularism, a loss of our Judeo-Christian foundation, the loss of our position as the stabilizing force for good in the earth, and the leading voice of the gospel to all the world. If elected, Hillary Clinton will be the president who finishes the job. She stands almost entirely against everything we, the church, are for, and for everything we are against. Hillary is pro-abortion, including partial-birth abortion, the most insidious evil of the last century; will raise taxes while continuing out-of-control spending; will further weaken our military; is for completely open borders; is pro-gay marriage; supports Obamacare; has no respect for our Judeo-Christian heritage; sells influence; and is a proven liar. Do not be fooled—she will completely finish what Obama started."
 
Governor Mike Huckabee said, "If Hillary is elected, we have a real good shot at losing religious liberty, the Second Amendment, the Fourth and the Fifth, having open borders . . . .  This country is going to take a very, very negative direction."


Pastor Jim Garlow, who wrote If You're On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake, says “Although America has had some scandal-ridden candidates in its history, we have never seen any one major party candidate more constantly scandalous as Hillary (along with her husband). She seems to exceed all previous boundaries for wrongdoing. The scandals just don't stop.”


I cannot entrust the future of my children and grandchildren one day to her folly.  Not in the most important election of our lifetime.

Dennis Prager writes, "The left is successfully undoing every one of those founding principles [of our nation]. . . . [W]e are at the most perilous tipping point of American history."


Ben Carson shared, “We must remember that 2016 is not just about who will sit in the Oval Office for the next 4 years, but who will sit on the Supreme Court for the next several decades.” 


But then I am faced with Donald Trump.  As Snoopy says, “Argghh.”


Wayne Grudem, my favorite modern theologian for twenty years, penned an excellent article, which can be googled, entitled Why Voting for Donald Trump is a Morally Good Choice.  Grudem shares the angst of a Christ-following, Bible-believer choosing to vote for Donald Trump – a very flawed candidate.  


Grudem challenges us to see the big picture – what a different nation would result from a Hillary Clinton presidency and her far-left radical agenda.  The worst consequence of all of voting for Clinton: “you will be contributing to a permanent loss of the American system of government due to a final victory of unaccountable judicial tyranny.”

The economic and foreign policies of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have put this country in a steady decline.  We cannot afford eight more years in this direction.  The morale of our nation is the lowest of my lifetime.

Airline Sewage

Last weekend, the media dumped two more loads of information on the country with Trump's recorded lewd comments about women and Clinton's talks with Wall Street.  Governor Mike Huckabee said, "the 'October surprises' we’d been bracing ourselves for since summer started dropping on our heads like frozen airline sewage."

Huckabee also said that Trump's locker room talk was inexcusable, yet forgivable.  The essence of Christianity is to be forgiven for past grievances and our nature of sin.

Sadly, some of the men who served our country as POTUS were marked by their own sexual transgressions.  LBJ was a habitual womanizer.  JFK had numerous affairs.  Bill Clinton - well, enough said.  Those three Democratic Presidents left long and sordid trails of lewd, inexcusable behavior.  The difference today is that we have digital technology and internet capabilities that make hiding locker room talk and Oval Office affairs incredibly more difficult.  

Can you imagine the gutter garbage that would have been captured had White House staffers had digital devices during the years of LBJ?

Yes, as I have said all year, Trump has not been a beacon of sexual morality.  He leaves much to be desired. 

I wish that Hillary Clinton were up against Mike Huckabee, or Ted Cruz, or Scott Walker.  But that is not the case.  


As my friend Dianne Belsom posted on facebook this week, "His [Trump] comments come as no surprise and will not change how I am already voting. We have two viable options in this election: Trump or Hillary. ONE of them (pending some sort of catastrophe or divine intervention) will be the next POTUS. Trump is STILL the far better choice of the two."

I also remind myself that I am not voting on the President of a Bible college, seminary, or ministry.  I am voting on a political leader.  Yes, ideally, I want my President to be a godly man.  But that is not currently an option.

House on Fire

When the house is on fire, it would be nice for the firemen who come to be God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians.  But I will take the most qualified firefighter who gets to my house. 

Right now the house of our country is on fire. 


If I suffer a heart attack and the EMS carries me to the ER, my wife does not walk in the door and exclaim, “If you are not an upstanding, morally pure, God-fearing, born again believer, you can’t work on my husband.  If you have had a sordid past, then just leave him alone.  I’d rather stick to my principles and not having anyone touch him than let someone beneath  my standards help him.  Just leave him alone if you don’t match my criteria.”

That would be nonsense.

Ronnie Floyd, former President of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote, "The problem with this election is that we have lost sight of what’s really on the ballot. We don’t vote for personality but for policy. Vote not for a man or a woman, but for the future of our children."

ISIS poses the greatest threat to our nation.  Our next Commander in Chief must be prepared to deal diligently, forcefully, and courageously with the threat of radical Islamic militants.  Their motive is religious.  For centuries, radical Muslims have wanted world domination.  They want to remove Christians from the globe.  They view the United States as a Christian nation.  (They may understand our history better than some modern secularists.  Up until the 1950's the Supreme Court still declared that America was a Christian nation.)

Last month in ISIS' magazine, they declared that they will "kill people of the cross."  In the past year in their magazine, they declared that they would march to Rome, removing every cross along the way.  They have declared a holy war on Christianity and on the western world.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will not even say the words radical Islamic terrorists.  They will not acknowledge that this is a religiously-motivated problemIf you fail to acknowledge the source of the problem, you cannot solve it.

This is not a time for political correctness.  We face an enemy who wants to infiltrate America and wipe us out.  Every two minutes, ISIS kills a Christian somewhere in the world.

It is time for a Churchill, not a Chamberlain.    


Jezebel and Samson

Christian apologist Eric Metaxas shares similar thoughts in the article Why Christians Should Vote for Donald Trump:  "We need to understand that if you care about this country, you care about the rest of the world, you need to take this election very seriously.  Beyond that, I don't think Trump is going to save America. I think Trump would pull us back five feet from the cliff so that we have bought ourselves a little time to keep the republic. I think if Hillary Clinton is elected, we are not going to have that ability."



Metaxas also offers an excellent essay, with which I agree, called "Should Christians Vote for Trump?"


As Dennis Prager said, "I’m not defending Trump.  I’m voting for him.  I’m defending America from Hillary Clinton who will fundamentally do much more damage to our beloved country."  

And later he writes, "There is no defense for Donald Trump’s comments or alleged sexual misbehavior. But in terms of damage to America, there is no comparison between what he has said and allegedly done and what she has done and advocates for the future."


One selling point for the Donald is how he gathers good, wise people around him.  The past year, Trump consistently listens to and affirms people like Mike Pence, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, Trey Gowdy, and others.

Again, Dutch Sheets writes, "To see how Trump would actually lead, I would challenge you to look at those with whom he has surrounded himself: Pence; Carson; Huckabee; Giuliani; Christie; Gingrich; Palin; trusted generals; law enforcement officials; border patrol officials; evangelical leaders of all races; and otherwise, ethical, conservative leaders. What does this tell us? It is probably the greatest indicator of who Trump now is, clearly making the case that he has changed his moral ways over the past 10 years, as he claims."

David Lane of the American Renewal Project writes, "Though I believe a Hillary win in November will quicken the pace of the downward spiral [of corruption in our country], the election has not yet taken place.  It's not too late, if Evangelical pastors and pews will move into the publicsquare this fall.”

Regardless of whether or not someone likes or respects a candidate, voting for a President is much greater than simply voting for one person.  Wise voters should research the party platform of each political party.  The party agrees to work, if their candidate is elected, on the values of the platform.


In biblical terms, we are faced with the choice of a Queen Jezebel or a Samson.  If you don’t know the Bible, it is no compliment to be called either.  Jezebel was a corrupt, power-driven woman who built a climate of deceit, ruled with manipulation, was characterized by a shameless parade of evasion and spin, and severely punished anyone who got in her way.  Samson was a dishonorable, narcissistic, immoral man characterized by frivolity and sexual conquests.  

Samson, however, was able to rise above his personal failures in order to do good for the nation.  The queen could never rise above her culture of deceit and corruption.  She died doing what she did best - trying to protect herself.  Samson, however, died sacrificing himself to destroy the enemy.  Samson as leader was the most likely to do good for the people.

This election cycle does not offer us a candidate to point to our children and say, "There is a man or woman of deep moral integrity.  They have lived such an exemplary life.  I want you to be like him or her, child."  We simply don't have that option this round.  

What we do have is an opportunity to say, "The future of the country is at stake, son.  Clinton and her policies will create havoc for your generation.  Out of our two flawed options, I believe Donald Trump will do the least amount of damage and the most amount of good."

We cannot always make ideal choices.  Sometimes rugged realism is needed.  At times we can't say, "What is the pure choice?"  Instead, we have to ask, "What choice will likely do the most good, or, what choice will likely do the least amount of damage?" 


To vote for a third candidate or to not vote at all, in my opinion, is highly idealistic and irresponsible and not a viable option.

There are three ways to help Hillary Clinton in November: vote for her name on the ballot, don't vote, or vote for a third party or write-in.
  
The blog Last Chance America shares, "PLEASE stop saying that failing to vote for Trump is not a vote for Hillary…it is."

Sheets writes,  "I also want to make an appeal to those who say their conscience won't allow them to vote for either Trump or Clinton, so they simply won't vote at all. I sincerely respect your convictions, but in this election, that argument fails the logic test (as does voting for someone who cannot possibly win). Trump's potential negative developments do not come close to the magnitude of those Hillary would produce. . . .  'Neutrality' is not a valid option at this critical crossroads in history. The times demand that we make a stand!"

And James Dobson said, “Clinton and his wife disrespect the Constitution of the United States, although Trump has promised to protect it, especially the First Amendment. Shall I go on? . . . I am supporting Mr. Trump primarily because I believe he is the most capable candidate to lead the United States of America in this complicated hour."

Our own Congressman Jeff Duncan recently posted, "My support for Donald Trump remains unchanged. Hillary Clinton is massively corrupt and unfit to be President of the United States. I'm far more concerned about Hillary Clinton's actions than I am with Donald Trump's words. There's too much at stake to allow Clinton to be President. From Supreme Court nominees, to executive amnesty, to the refugee resettlement program, she would be a disaster!"


When I see the big picture and rise above the political-media rhetoric, I agree wholeheartedly with Grudem's original article.  My conscience and my “considered moral judgment tell me that I must vote for Donald Trump as the candidate who is most likely to do the most good for theUnited States of America.”

It's a dark day in America as it was in the time of the biblical book of Judges.  Out of 300 million people, the flawed lives of our two choices for the President of the United States speak to the great moral-spiritual-ethical void in the USA.    

No, I cannot and will never vote for Jezebel.  Samson is the lesser of two evils and the more likely one to do good for our nation.  

Surprisingly, Old Testament Samson is recorded in Hebrews 11, The Hall of Faith, as a faith-hero.  It seems the grace of God has a way of covering our past failures and shortcomings.

I fear for our country should Clinton win.  

I unapologetically will vote for Donald Trump in November.
 


See my prayer guide 21 Days of Prayer For the United States.

Read my post called Fervent, Righteous Praying for America.


See Decision Magazine's 2016 Presidential Election Guide here.

See my article, Christians, Engage the Public Square


Check out my book reviews regarding Hillary Clinton:

Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate.

The Case Against Hillary Clinton

The First Family Detail: Secret Service Agents Reveal the Hidden Lives of the Presidents.  


Pictures used by permission from Pixabay.

5 comments:

  1. Pastor Wilson, this blog post is incredibly disappointing. I am a Republican Christian, and have always enjoyed reading your posts. I am no fan of Hillary Clinton. But like you, I am the father of a daughter, and I can see no way that my heart, my conscience, my values or my Christianity will allow me to vote for a man who has been accused of sexually assaulting 10 women. Will you be able to look your wife and daughter in the eye after casting that vote? Would you be able to look at yourself?
    In this post, you seem to be working very hard to justify voting for Donald Trump. To me, saying “other politicians have done it” does not allow me to cast this vote. I did not vote for Bill Clinton. I would not have voted for any man who I knew touched and assaulted women without consent. I too, have struggled with this election, but in the end, I have to rely on my values. I have been raised to respect women, and I try to raise my son to respect women. I thought you were doing the same. I urge you to pray on this choice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paul, I am glad that you have enjoyed reading my posts. And I understand that different Christians disagree over whether or not they can vote for Trump. And I respect your desire to teach your children purity and respect, as do I. And yes, unapolegetically, the blog article is an attempt to speak to Christians as to why they can vote for Trump with a good conscience. I am not going to repeat what I said in the article, b/c I spent 20,000 words doing that. However, you took a stab at me when you question whether or not I am raising my sons to respect women. I believe anyone who knows me personally would answer affirmatively. Yes, Paul, I can look my wife and daughters and myself squarely in the eye with no guilt whatsoever after voting for Trump. It is as simple as saying, “I believe Clinton will destroy or terribly altar the country. I believe Trump will do the least amount of damage.” My citing other sexually immoral Presidents is in no way a justification of the actions. It is pointing out, however, how ironic it is that many Democrats are using Trump’s past as a way of saying he should not be in the office – when 3 out of the 4 past Democratic Presidents were habitually sexually immoral men and womanizers. I would point people to Pastor Jim Garlow’s article If You're On the Fence About Your Vote, This Pastor Clarifies How the Very Future of America Is At Stake, or Eric Metaxas’ new article "Should Christians Vote for Trump?" We don’t have an ideal choice. We have to make realistic one. As Mike Huckabee said, “If Hillary is elected, we have a real good shot at losing religious liberty, the Second Amendment, the Fourth and the Fifth, having open borders . . . . This country is going to take a very, very negative direction.” Trump is the better choice between the two realistic options. Many blessings to you.

      Delete
  2. Well, one woman found my number and left a message for me without leaving her name. Her complaint on this post was how disappointed she was that I, a Southern Baptist, would use Newt Gingrich and William Bennett to justify my position. She told me that Gingrich has been divorced twice and that Bennett at one time had an addiction to gambling. So in her eyes it was inconceivable that I would quote them. Yes, I am quite aware of both of those things about their pasts. I could actually add their names to a long list of sinners - like Abraham the liar, David the adulterer, Jacob the deceiver, Peter who denied Christ, Paul who killed Christians, and not the least sinner - Rhett - who has plenty of sins from his past. That is one of the wonders of the grace of our Lord. This morning in Sunday School I taught on Rahab the prostitute, who was grafted into the family of God through her faith and God's grace. To think that I could not quote someone to justify a point because they have past sins marks out every human who has ever lived. Gingrich and Bennett are two of the most respected conservative analysts of our day. They have both since repented of their past sins. They both give testimony to a saving experience with Jesus Christ. Charles Stanley invited Gingrich to speak (during the preaching time) at First Baptist Atlanta eight years ago when Gingrich had just written "Rediscovering God in America." James Dobson had Bennett on Focus on the Family to discuss how he overcame his gambling addiction. And Bennett has since been on their program several times. If Stanley and Focus use them, it is certainly ok for me to quote them. Thank God for His wonderful grace.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for your detailed article from two born again senior Jesus followers! We became citizens the legal way many years ago -we chose to retire here over our "native countries" in northern Europe - Trump gets our votes and prayers - we know God is using him and the Donald is listening, or he would NEVER chose the support people that he has surrounding him all the time! Be encouraged!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for your kind words. Many blessings to you both.

    ReplyDelete