Lux Lucet

In last week’s post, I set forth a framework for helping Evangelicals think through the issue of whether then can support Donald Trump for President. I suggested we ask ourselves the following questions when considering whether we can vote for Trump: What is more important, What is less important, What is not important at all.

Today, I would like to apply that analysis specifically to the issue of the vulgar Donald Trump/billy Bush video that was released a few weeks ago.

That video, showing both men engaged in what has been euphemistically termed “locker room talk”, has threatened to undermine Trump’s support among Evangelicals, who, with good reason, are offended by what was said on the recording.

The Case of the Vulgar Video

The question at hand, then, is this: In light of the release of the vulgar Trump video, can Christians in good conscience still support him for president?

This has been a difficult issue for me. Many Christian people whose judgment I respect, and with whom I generally agree, have answered with a resounding no.

The summary of their argument is that to support Trump is to condone his sins. In particular, his vulgar comments made to Billy Bush on the Access Hollywood video. This is a serious consideration for any Christian, and, for my part, I applaud Christians who take seriously the idea that their faith must govern how they vote.

In the first installment of this series I referenced an article in Christianity Today by Andy Crouch titled Speak Truth to Trump. In it, he argues that Trump is an idolater and implies that anyone who supports Trump is, in effect, guilty of the sin of idolatry himself.

This a serious charge, and one that should cause any Christian, if he hasn’t done so already, to pause and consider the current election in light of Scripture.

I believe I have done this, but my conclusion is quite different from that of Andy Crouch. It is my settled opinion that, not only may Christians vote for Trump with a clear conscience, but that a Trump presidency may very well represent a great and unexpected blessing to God’s people both here in the US and around the world. And I say this knowing full-well what was said on the Billy Bush video is far from the mind of Christ.

Why do I say this? In short, context matters. And there are a few considerations that must be discussed before we can make a proper judgment about the crude comments on the recording.

One point worth considering is how fast many top Republicans were to cut and run from the Trump campaign.

Paul Ryan was especially quick on the draw saying that he was “sickened” by the recording and that he would not join Trump on his campaign swing through Wisconsin scheduled for the very next day.

Of course, Ryan has been one of Trump’s biggest critics from the beginning. He also is the former running mate of Mitt Romney, who himself quite publically denounced Trump during the primary season.

Now if Ryan, Romney and other establishment Republicans disliked Trump on grounds of principle, I could accept it. If the party big-shots had some sterling record of balancing the budget, shrinking the size of government, and defending public morality, that is to say, if they had any real record of achievement to point to, I would be more inclined to listen to them when they complain about Trump.

But in truth, the Romney, Ryan and the other hothouse conservatives in Washington have spent the last sixty years losing argument after argument to the liberals. Under their leadership government is bigger and society more corrupt than ever before. It seems to this observer that about the only real achievement they can point to is their own perpetual re-election. And that’s hardly much of a record.

From where I sit, it appears that the main reason Paul Ryan and other big-short Republicans oppose Trump is that he isn’t part of their insider tree house club. They think the levers of power rightfully belong to them and to them alone, and they are dedicated to the proposition that they will do whatever it takes to make sure Trump doesn’t crash their party.

In other words, the Republican elites dislike for Trump has a lot to do with guarding their own power, not the long-term best interests of the nation.

Second, there is the real possibility that the release of the offending video may well be an act of political judo. To this end, Sean Gerety posted an interesting quote on his Facebook wall. Speaking of those who are outraged at Trump’s crude comments, the quote reads, “They [those denouncing
Trump in the mainstream press] aren’t outraged [about the video] because they’re decent. They’re using our decency as a pawn in their quest for political power.” You may read the full article here.

Is it possible that the release of the Billy Bush video is an attempt by the Republican Party elite, or some other shadowy interest group, to get Evangelicals – and Evangelicals are a key part of Trump’s constituency – to sit down, to shut up, and to stay home on election day?

This seems quite likely to me. After all, if Trump’s opponents can, by appealing to their Christian morality, discourage Evangelicals from supporting Trump and send them scurrying for the nearest safe space, the odds of a Hillary victory jump up considerably.

A third consideration is Billy Bush’s relationship to famous establishment Bush political dynasty. Former president George H.W. Bush is Billy’s uncle, and former president George W. Bush his cousin, as is former Florida governor and Trump Republican primary opponent Jeb Bush.

There is a great deal of antipathy between the Bush family and Trump. Both former Bush presidents have refused to endorse Trump. George H.W. Bush has gone even further, letting it be known that he will vote for Hillary. One of his granddaughters, Lauren Bush, also has voiced her support for Clinton. Another bush granddaughter, Barbara, was photographed at a Clinton fundraiser in Paris with long-time Hillary confidant Huma Abedin.

This raises the question of Billy Bush’s involvement in the release of the offending video. Billy lost his job over it, so it is doubtful that he would have wanted the recording to come out. But perhaps someone else connected with the Bush clan, or for that matter outside the Bush clan with a shared dislike of Trump, found out about the existence of the tape through Billy and worked to have it released.

This is not unlikely, as there are reports that Billy bragged about the existence of the tape while in Rio de Janeiro covering the Olympics.

Jerry Falwell Jr. raised the possibility that the video’s release was a case of sabotage by leadings Republicans on the Neil Cavuto show. Further reports indicate that Paul Ryan’s former advisor, continuing close associate, and hard-core Never Trumper Dan Senor was the actual source of the release.

This brings us back to the issue of motive. In the eyes of God, it is not just what you do that matters, but also why you do it. When the outraged crowd brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus, he, knowing their hearts, that they wished to accuse him, dismissed them by reminding them of their own sins.

Now the woman was guilty. There’s no doubt about it. She made no protestations of her innocence. And Jesus, when he sent her away after the lynch mob had left in shame, told her to go and sin no more. The woman’s accusers weren’t wrong with respect to the facts, but they were motivated by a wrong spirit. They weren’t interested in justice, they wanted to test Jesus to see if they could bring a charge against the Son of God, about the most evil thing anyone can purpose to do.

If, as appears likely, the motive behind the release of the vulgar video is not about seeking the good of the nation, but instead represents a desperate attempt by establishment Republicans to destroy the campaign of Donald Trump because they perceive him as a threat to their power, Christians, on the example of Christ himself, are well within their right to discount the importance of the tape when assessing Trump’s fitness for office.

To put it another way, the motive behind the release of the vulgar video means that it is less important – note well, I do not say it is unimportant, only that it is less important – than other issues when it comes to Christians deciding for whom to vote. Some of these issues I detailed in last week’s post.

The Issue of Idolatry

As mentioned above, Andy Crouch raised the issue of idolatry in his Christianity Today article. Although he didn’t come right out and say it, he clearly implied that Christians who support Trump are guilty of idolatry. I disagree.

To begin, what is idolatry but worshipping and serving something in the place of God alone. This can even be done with something that is generally considered good and useful.

For example, mammon in the Bible is money worshipped. Now money is a useful thing. Most of us value it. Perhaps at times we wished we had more of it. But as long as we acquire are money through lawful means, acknowledging it for what it is, a gift from God, it is a positive good in our lives.

Money is not, as many people believe due to their misquoting of the Bible, the root of all evil. Rather it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all kinds of evil. Those who say they will do anything for money are serving a false god mammon and are guilty of idolatry.

The same holds for politics. Christians are called to be salt and light in a dark world. One of the ways we do this is by voting for political candidates who will best fill the office for which they are running and carry out the Bible’s charge to civil magistrates that they punish evildoers and praise those who do good.

When comparing the platforms of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, it is easy to see that Trump’s program is superior to Hillary’s in every way. I do not say that Trump’s ideas are perfect. I do not say that I agree with all he wants to do. But I believe his ideas are vastly superior to Clinton’s

Further, there is the issue of a female president. Having a woman as head of state is not a sign of progress, but a sign of God’s curse. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God lamented the sorry state of Judah, specifically crying out that women ruled over his people.

John Knox summarized the Bible’s teaching about women rulers thus:

To promote a woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion, or empire above any realm, nation, or city, is repugnant to nature, contumelious to God, a think most contrary to his revealed will and approved ordinance, and finally it is the subversion of good order, and of all equity and justice (The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women).

Then there is the issue of Hillary’s running mate Tim Kaine. He is a Jesuit-educated Roman Catholic whose hero is the Antichrist Jesuit Pope Francis I.

When considering the positives that Trump brings to the table and the serious negatives that attach to Hillary Clinton, it is a fairly easy choice to see Trump as the better candidate.

But back to the issue of idolatry. Does not support for Trump implicate us in his sins and mean we are looking to man and not to God to solve the difficult issues our nation faces?

Not necessarily. It depends on what you mean by the term “support”. Let me explain.

Remember Nathan the prophet? He was David’s friend and confidant. But when David sinned with Bathsheba, Nathan did not hesitate to lower the boom, thundering “You are the man!” at David as he recalled the king’s acts of adultery and murder.

Had Nathan remained silent and showed himself more solicitous of staying on David’s good side than on fulfilling his duty as God’s prophet, he would have been guilty of serving David rather than God and could justly be charged with idolatry.

But that’s not what he did. Nathan confronted David, both fulfilling his duty toward God and showing himself to be a true friend of David in the process.

In like fashion, when Evangelicals announce their support for Trump, this does not mean we have to agree with everything he does and says. Sometimes support for Trump may mean calling him out for his sins. Why can’t we Evangelicals be Nathan to Trump’s David?

Now someone may object, saying “David was a believer, but Trump isn’t a Christian.” Very well. If you don’t accept the example of David, how about another one: let us be Joseph to Trump’s pharaoh. Joseph and pharaoh had mutual respect for one another and together they were able to save Egypt from a sever famine.

Or how about another example. Evangelicals can be Daniel to Trump’s Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was a tremendous help to the Babylonian king and the king very much appreciated his wise counsel. Reading through the Book of Daniel gives one the sense that Daniel had a genuine regard for the king, even though they obviously had their differences.

Do we Evangelicals have so little faith, has the Lord’s arm been shortened, that we think we cannot follow the examples of Nathan, Joseph and Daniel and be both supporters and, when needed, godly critics of president Trump?

Conclusion

As I see it, one of the problems with Evangelicals is that we’ve been beaten down so hard for so long that I fear, not only have we come to accept losing, but have become comfortable with it. It’s almost as if we’ve become – and I’ll borrow a little Tumpian lingo here – spiritual choke artists who are more afraid of victory than of defeat.

Trump is not a perfect guy. He’s a sinner in need of grace. But then that makes him not all that much different from you and me.

In my opinion, Evangelicals need to stop focusing on what is less important – acts of political gamesmanship – and start focusing on what is more important – the question of whether our nation will survive.

Things are getting pretty dark out there. The economy, civil unrest, the rise of the surveillance state, moral decline, the threat of foreign wars all pose serious challenges to our republic.

Trump, in my view, gives Evangelicals and the nation as a whole, a better chance of weathering these storms than does Clinton. He’s not perfect, but he gives us something to work with.

Clinton, on the other hand, gives us nothing. And if we Evangelicals allow ourselves to be intimidated out of voting for Trump by elite political skullduggery, we play right into their hands. In my opinion, if we cut and run to our safe space at the first sign of trouble, we will both deserve nothing and receive nothing from the hand of God.

To those who truly believe that a vote for Trump is a sin, I respect your view. This essay is not aimed at you. God alone is Lord of the conscience, and if your conscience will not allow you vote for Trump, you must not do so. It would be sin to you.

For Evangelicals who are on the fence regarding Trump, I encourage you to consider what I have said here. The purpose of the post is not to chastise you (okay, maybe there is some chastisement in this essay, but it take it for what it truly is, the admonition of a friend and not an enemy), but to provide you with a framework for thinking through how best to use your vote in the 2016 presidential election.

Perhaps, after considering my argument, you will remain unconvinced. As your brother in Christ, I respect your opinion and ask only for your charity in return.

In closing, it is my view that Donald Trump represents something I never thought I would see: A real opportunity to vote for a patriot; someone who, for all his flaws, actually has demonstrated regard for ordinary Americans and wants do right by the nation. For this reason, it is my opinion that it would be a big mistake for Evangelicals to turn their backs on Trump.

Now is the time for Christian men to exercise discernment. Now it the time for Evangelicals to be counted. Now is the time for us to heed the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians: Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.