An Appeal to Evangelical Leaders – Come Back from the Precipice!

As the election draws closer and the Trump campaign continues to fire bullets into its own feet, “the Donald” has turned to his only possible “salvation” – evangelical voters.

His pandering continues unabated and with the “coaching” of “Christian jargon” by Mike Huckabee and others, he is desperately attempting to speak to Christians as “one of us.”

But, his actions and rhetoric in all other areas of the campaign still don’t show any kind of consistent message that Christians can have any confidence in believing (or really any consistent message at all).

The latest “pivot” by Trump is the now going back on his word about being tough on illegal aliens – his signature hard-line position that garnered him much of his Primary support.

Apparently Mr. Trump believes his followers (cult member-like as they are) will ignore his latest flip flop and blame it on the dastardly media or the “treacherous” Ted Cruz.

Yet, Trump has reversed himself on what was his signature issue – remember how he was going to kick out all the illegals, build a wall at the border, and then have Mexico pay for it??

NOPE!  “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” because that is not the Donald Trump of the last five minutes any more.

Once again, this goes to Trump’s untrustworthiness and willingness to sell what ever values he has to to be a “winner.” 

Lagging badly in the polls; especially the swing states, Trump is now desperately attempting to expand his base beyond angry, white seniors and “Faux” News commentators.  He’s seeking to reach out to minorities; especially Hispanics – hence the “pivot” (read – “flip flop”).

That turn around should give all evangelical Christians who have supported Trump reason to pause before it is too late.

If Trump is willing to “sell” his signature issue, how can we trust him to keep his word on anything at all?

One of the main arguments for supporting the admittedly flawed candidate – Trump – has been his promise to appoint conservative judges to the Supreme Court.

After the radical Obergefell decision last year, Christians are rightly scared that what’s left of our 1^st Amendment rights will go away should more liberal justices be appointed.

Trump is supposed to be our last “firewall” to stop the court from going “full oligarchy” with the Constitution.

But, can we trust him to keep his word?

Apparently not - a small story that’s gotten swallowed up amidst Trump’s flip flop on immigration is out of Florida.

It seems Trump's support of judges is “for sale” as well.

Newsmax reports: 

“Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has bragged about his influence with politicians, urged Gov. Rick Scott to give a judgeship to a Florida attorney whose work appears at odds with Trump's hard-line stance on immigration, newly released emails show.”

“‘Dear Rick: A friend of mine recommended this gentleman for a judgeship in Broward County. From what I understand, he is very well-respected in the legal community. Thank you. Sincerely, Donald,’ read the May 10 email, to which a two-page biography of Izquierdo was attached.

Thirteen days after Trump's recommendation, Scott appointed the attorney as a Broward County circuit judge.”

So, why would Trump recommend a judge who was at odds with his strongest position – immigration?  Of course, there is more to the story.

Newsmax continues:

“Trump has no apparent direct connection to Izquierdo and why he decided to back him isn't clear. The Trump campaign has not responded to questions from The Associated Press.

But Izquierdo worked with Fort Lauderdale attorney Bradford Cohen for several years. Cohen once appeared on Trump's reality show ‘The Apprentice’ and represented former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski during his arrest on battery charges for grabbing a female reporter last spring. A Palm Beach County prosecutor dropped the charges in early April.

Cohen, who said he talks to Trump and members of his organization regularly, said he couldn't remember if he asked Trump directly to help his former law partner become a judge. But he said that it ‘could very likely be me.’"

So there we have it – a Quid Pro Quo – Trump returned a favor for one that helped him out.  It didn’t matter if the lawyer in question held opposing views to his; “making the deal” was of paramount importance.

Trump desperately needed Lewandowski’s ruffianism to go away at that point in the campaign.  It played right into the notion that Trump degrades women.

After hiring a high-priced legal team to get his friend off the hook, Trump owed them a favor – which he returned.  His principles were “negotiable” at that point.

If this doesn’t scare the bejeepers out of those who have supported Trump on the hope he will appoint only conservative judges to the Supreme Court if elected President, then they have already jumped “off the precipice” and there is no help for them.

Since this was the only saving virtue Christians have touted for supporting Trump, there is now no reason left to believe he will care one wit about the Christian Church in America after the election, in the unlikelihood should he win.

Actually, all evangelical leaders who have endorsed, supported, and/or publically promised to vote for Trump are risking far more than they potentially stood to gain. 

They have become the orchestra on the deck of the Titanic – playing “Nearer My God to Thee” – as the ship is sinking.

But, there is still time to save integrity and credibility.  Anyone who has publicly supported Trump must do some serious soul searching at this point.

If repentance is necessary, then that must happen as well.

And, admitting one is wrong is never easy, but is cleansing for the soul.  Arrogant recriminations and projecting excuses onto others keep sin in control.

Confession and restoration “clear the books” and puts one on the right path once again.

For those who will cling to their arrogance and ignorance about who Trump really is; they will become caricatures of the left – “ignorant, gullible, ‘Christian’ hypocrites.”

Their ministries and organizations will suffer.  Their personal standing within the mature, thinking Church will be diminished.

They may continue to exist in the world of glitzy “televangelists” who constantly appeal for money and promise absurd miracles.   But, they will be hollow inside – their souls eaten away by their pride.

Trump was a slick salesman, that’s for sure.  Far too many Americans were taken in by his bluster and phony self-confidence.

The Church of Jesus Christ deserves better.

But, as God once told Elijah,

“Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him." (1 Kings 19:18 NASB).

So too, God has reserved many fine Christian leaders in America who have not been mesmerized by the gleam from Trump Tower.

These are men and women of conviction and integrity – conviction and integrity which go far beyond any one election.

Yes, we still face the very real danger of a radical President (read – Czarina) Clinton.  But, the time for that choice was lost after the disaster of the Republican Primaries.

Now, it’s “hold on” for four years and hope we have learned our lessons.

America is not done if the leaders of Christ’s Church will humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways (as 2 Chronicles 7:14 admonishes); then the listing American ship of state can be righted once again.

But, if the gaggle of Trump sycophants in the Church is insistent upon going over the cliff with Trump, then the nation is sure to follow. 

No, Silly! It’s About the Truth!

This year’s election has been one of the most rancorous in recent memory.  That shouldn’t be surprising considering there’s a Clinton involved.  That also shouldn’t be surprising considering the two main candidates are NY liberals.

Right in the midst of all the cross-fire lie the millions of evangelical Christian voters in America.  We are a voting bloc too large to be ignored and too diverse to be lumped into one category.

But, this year – 2016 – Christians have been dealing with pressures from all directions to get and stay involved in the process.

All but the most radical, liberal Christian groups realize that Hillary Clinton would make a terrible President.  Her views are antithetical to most of our beliefs.  She is motivated by a lust for power that goes back decades and is still growing in her mind.  A committed, secular, socialist, feminist, Hillary wants to force America even further down the path to destruction than Barack Obama has already dragged it.

Because of this reality coming from the Democrat Party, it is not surprising that Christians have been seeking other alternatives; as well we should.

But, the main problem is that the Republican nominee – Donald Trump - is equally untrustworthy, if not more so.

Trump is a self-centered, shameless self-promoter whose ego has written checks his supposed expert business acumen has been unable to cash for decades.

His personal life reflects his secular, self-absorbed lifestyle.

His campaign has been riddled with incompetence, corruption, and downright unpresidential ugliness.

Yet, in desperate times, people do desperate things.  After almost 8 years of Obama’s carnage, Americans are scared, angry, and looking for a “savior” to fix the problems – both real and imagined.

Enter Trump and his opportunism.  Saying whatever he deduced people wanted to hear; and exploiting a very flawed Republican Primary system, Trump managed to secure the GOP nomination for President despite the fact that a majority of Republicans (and evangelicals) voted against him.

Now, flagging in the polls and restarting his campaign for the 3^rd time in just a couple of months, Trump is once again turning to evangelicals to “bail him out.”

I’ve heard all the self-refuting arguments as to why it is our “Christian duty” to vote for Trump.  None holds logical water.

Yet, several evangelical leaders have come out and endorsed him; some did so even when there were a number of far better, more qualified, more moral, more experienced choices available.

The fear of a “Queen Hillary” regime has so terrified these leaders that they are more than willing to look the other way from the mountainous pile of Trump negatives, flaws, inconsistencies, and downright lies.

What is worse is that they are using some dubious “Christian duty” narrative to goad sincere Christians into getting “aboard the Trump train.”

But, here is where the real problem lies.

Should Christians compromise their integrity, morals, and consciences to support a candidate who is flawed beyond the point of any rational levels of trust?

Trump, by his own admissions over the decades will say and do whatever is necessary to “close the deal.”

Do we really want to be part of that ongoing duplicitous spectacle?

How does this honor Christ?

How does this rebuild the moral foundations of America that have been crumbling since the 1960s?

How does this protect our God-given rights and freedoms?

How can we possibly trust someone whose principles are for sale to the highest bidder to guard and promote our rights?

NOPE!  We can’t.  And, that’s my point.

As Christians, we need to be all about the Truth.  If we serve the Lord of Truth, we need to reflect His Truth in all areas of our lives; that includes the political world as well.  This is true of both citizens and candidates.

America’s unprecedented success in the whole history of human civilization is founded upon the principles of Truth found in the Bible.  These truths were written into our founding documents and into the very fabric of American culture.

(Sorry, atheists.  I’m not buying the French Enlightenment/Deist argument for America’s founding.  It is without real historical factuality.)

We cannot hope to gain what we have lost by abandoning the very principles of Truth that have built and prospered America in order to have Trump “save” her.

It is true that no one candidate is perfect; as no human is perfect.  But, we are not obligated to hire dishonest plumbers, doctors, bus drivers, and architects.

Who in their right mind would ignore obvious moral flaws in people we allow to influence our lives?

Would we hire and support teachers that were felons? 

Would we hire roofers who got bad reviews from the Better Business Bureau?

Would we knowingly fly with pilots who are alcoholics?

See, we make moral choices in those we support and patronize all the time; and, rightly so.

Why should our support and votes for President be any different?

The stark reality is that we have “passed the point of no return” to elect a good, competent, trustworthy individual for President in this election.

For Republicans, that opportunity was squandered in the Primaries by splitting the conservative and evangelical vote too many ways; once again.

Far too many of us were lazy, uniformed, couldn’t see the big picture, and/or duped by a slick “snake oil” salesman.

So, now do we compromise the Truth to make the best of a bad situation?

The clear answer should be a resounding, “NO!”

Our faith and loyalty to Christ goes well beyond any temporal Presidential election.

The reality now is that the country will be harmed regardless of which candidate wins.

Do we want to be among the “co-conspirators” to America’s degradation?

Or, do we want to continue to be “salt” and “light” amidst the growing gloom and perversion?

America will survive as long as God allows, regardless who wins the election.  It may be moving closer to His judgment, given our poor election decisions of the past and the growing corruption among the political class in America.

But, if America is worth saving, it must be done so without the selling out of faith in the process.

We cannot promote lies to return to the Truth.  It simply won’t work.

The hope for the nation is a return to God.  If the people of God aren’t leading the charge, it won’t happen.

God granted America the incredible blessing of self-government under His banner of Truth.  Self-government will not endure for long is we compromise and abandon His Truth.

So, sorry so-called “evangelical” leaders – I stand in opposition to your compromised pragmatism.

I will stand on my love of the Truth and oppose all politicians I can’t trust to be honest with me and the people they seek to represent.

If that means I remain Never Trump AND Never Hillary, so be it.

 

Whether America survives or falls, I know that I will seek to remain faithful to the Author of Truth – the Truth that is eternal; not dependent upon the next polling focus group or media sound bite.