When Donald
Trump asked a crowd in North Carolina at one of his rallies to raise their hand
if they were an evangelical, nearly every one raised their hands. And then he
asked who wasn’t a believer: A couple of people raised their hands. Aren’t
evangelicals supposed to be the ones spreading the good news of the Gospel?
Aren’t they supposed to be following the literal interpretation of the Bible? I
certainly thought so as I am an evangelical. I also spent time in Seminary. I
was four classes short of a Master of Divinity when my financial aid fell apart
so it wasn’t in God’s plan. But I have a pretty good idea of what the Bible
says. Am I perfect on the Bible? Absolutely not.
Shouldn’t an
evangelical also pick a candidate or candidates that also follow Biblical
principles or at least someone who’s life doesn’t completely contradict them? Shouldn’t
we look at Jesus’ actions as examples of how we should go forward.
When Jesus
picked his twelve apostles, he did not select all the same type of person. He
picked a tax collector on one end, Matthew, and a zealot, Simon, who was against
the government on the other end. It was a vast difference of opinion among the
twelve and the political discussions were undoubtedly brutal. Evangelicals
should want people who will bring a coalition of different ideas and find the
middle ground. It is the basis of the U.S.A.’s entire system of government.
Are the
Republicans doing that now? Saying No to everything is not finding the middle
ground. Refusing to bring up a single bill in the House of Representatives that
a majority of their own clique doesn’t support is not finding a middle ground.
Finding a middle ground means negotiating with everyone to find a bill that a
majority of the entire house will find acceptable. The use of the clique of
Republicans as a stopgap for all bills is why the Congress is in eternal
gridlock. Why should they be rewarded for doing that?
When Jesus
was asked, what is the greatest command, he answered in Matthew 7:12, “To do to
others as you would have them do to you.” That seems like a pretty good
principle to live by.
Yet Donald
Trump follows a far different principle. He seems to follow the principle to
use someone for all that he can to enrich himself. For instance, he hired
contractors to build his buildings. When they had finished work, he would not
pay them the agreed amount. There’s videos of these contractors telling how he
brought them in and told them that they did a terrible job and he wasn’t going
to pay them. Or he tells him that he has already spent too much for the
building and they were going to have to take less. Or they could go to court
and spend a lot of money on lawyers while his lawyers dragged it out as long as
possible and hid as much of the documentation as they could. Does that sound
like someone who is following the golden rule?
Or someone
that has read Romans 4:4? In it wages are not optional. They are a requirement
for the one who wanted the work done. Or James 5:4 where the unpaid wages cry
out against the perpetrator. The Bible is clear they should be paid. How can
anyone vote for someone who unjustly withholds the amount due the worker?
James 5:1-5
appears to be talking directly to Donald Trump. How could anyone who takes the
Bible seriously, as Evangelicals are supposed to, vote for this rich man?
Donald also
has the habit of using people for his own pleasure at the expense of the other
person. As his video boasting about his sexual assaults show. The Bible does
not condone sexual assault. In Deuteronomy 22, the assaulter is to be stoned to
death. If the Bible finds such actions to be so horrible that it requires the
death sentence, how can evangelicals disregard the video of his confession? And
before you dismiss it as him not being serious, people caught on tape boasting
about their actions have found themselves convicted and sitting in jail. Do you
want to open the floodgates and release everyone convicted for something they
said on tape that were just words? In Matthew 5, just being angry with someone
is the equivalent of murdering them to God. And what does Matthew 5 say about
lusting?
Donald also
has admitted in the debates that he has not paid federal income in years and
that it shows that he is smart. So it is smart violating Matthew 22:21? I do
not think it is smart to not follow the Biblical principles that Jesus set
forth. It also has hurt the country greatly by people doing so. Deficits happen
because of rich people like Donald doing this and the debt rises. In addition, reports
show since he doesn’t give himself a salary he has avoided paying social
security as well. His avoiding his dues causes the rest of us to have to make
up for what he has stolen from the federal government. Or to at least try to as
deficits show we are failing. What does the Bible say about hoarding riches?
Look at Luke 12 and Matthew 6.
Donald has
been lying throughout his campaign about big things and little things. He
claimed he didn’t know a mobster that a photograph has been found showing that
he did indeed know him. He claims he has never met Putin after months before
saying that he met with him and got a gift from him. He claimed to be
unfamiliar with David Duke when he was endorsed Trump even though he has
condemned him in videos in the past. His lawyers have said they must meet with
him in pairs because he must be reminded about what he agreed to in prior
meetings. He even lies about things that aren’t important. Such as in 2005, he
said he voted for George W Bush both times. In 2009, he said he did not vote
for George W Bush either time. Now in 2016, he is back to voting for George W
Bush. If he can’t even tell the truth about that, what can you believe that he
has said. There are claims that Trump lies 70% of the time he speaks. What does
the Bible say about lying? In Proverbs 12:21, lying lips are an abomination to
the Lord.
When his
father was dying and presumably didn’t know what was going on around him,
Donald convinced his father to give his one brother’s family less than the
others. His brother had died before his father. So naturally the brother’s
family was not pleased with that outcome so the family sued the estate to use
the will that had divided the estate equally among the siblings’ families.
Donald used his 18-month grand-nephew’s health against the family. He cancelled
the health policy that was covering the $300,000 health bill to make them give
up the fight for their share. To use a toddler to make yourself even richer… that
is an act of a monster.
James
2:14-26 lets everyone know that faith without works is dead. Works are people’s
actions in life. If someone doesn’t pay contractors, boasts of sexual assaults,
doesn’t pay taxes, lies about everything, and treats children as stepping
stones to wealth, he shows his true self. Those actions are deplorable. And
those that support such actions are also deplorable.
If
Evangelicals ignore these things about Donald when they cast their vote, they
might as well forget about candidates in the future ever being to their liking.
They show they will vote for anyone that has an R by their name by voting for
Donald Trump so they can be taken for granted. They will have no input in the
platform of the Republican party in the future. Why should the party listen to
those who will not stand up for their principles? Simply they won’t.
And if
Evangelicals do vote for such a candidate they should never again be taken seriously
when they speak of moral values. Because Trump has none. And by their action of
voting for him, neither do Evangelicals take their moral values seriously. So
why should anyone else?
