[Trump] An invitation for Evangelicals to Debate the Merits of Supporting Trump

I know the majority on here are anti-Trump. I’m not looking to engage in discourse with Democrats or Republicans. I’m looking for evangelical’s that support Trump to debate with. I know that’s not going to be many on here, but I’m hoping for a few.

I’m honesty seeking to have a thoughtful theological discussion on the merits for supporting Trump (or any political leader for that matter) with such unwavering loyalty. I think Christianity Today said it well:

Politics matter, but they do not bring the dead back to life. We are far more committed to the glory of God, the witness of the church, and the life of the world than we care about the fortunes of any party. Political parties come and go, but the witness of the church is the hope of the world, and the integrity of that witness is paramount.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/c...s-editorial-christianity-today-president.html

I’m a pastor and have been searching out other Christians who support Trump to have this discussion with, but to no avail. It seems there aren’t any in my circle, at least none willing to discuss it, but i know they’re out there. Hoping to find a few here that have a greater devotion to faith and Scripture than country or party to discuss this issue with. Anyone? I’m willing to have my own theology challenged and corrected if someone can enlighten me on why any Christian ought to support Trump based on any biblical merit.

 

I do think some Evangelicals support Trump due to policy issues around abortion and religious liberties aka culture wars.

I personally don’t think those issues are important enough compared to others that ought to compel Christians more so but that’s just my opinion (based on my biblical interpretation of the text).

but I do find the unwavering support of a Trump among evangelicals, despite clear behavior that is “unchristian” all just because he advocates for what Christians want, deeply unsettling. In a nutshell, it smacks of heresy and feels tantamount to prostituting the Bride of Christ for a cheap cultural win.

but yeah, no offense to the atheist in the thread. Don’t mind having the discussion. But I’m looking to throw down with some Scripture from another trump supporting believer.

 

agreed

 

sorry I forgot that you asked me a direct question.

1) pro life candidate is important, but not the most important issue.

2) I don’t think Trump is pro-life. Nothing in his past or current behavior would indicate to me he truly cares about that issue. He is simply a conduit for what Evangelicals want.

but my greater issue with the whole pro-life/choice issue is if it’s truly an issue for evangelicals, why isn’t the church at large doing more from its own platform to do anything about it? Why seek out and rely on the power of the government to enforce policy when the Church could work harder to influence though and beliefs in the culture on the issue. To me it’s just the Church being lazy and abdicating it’s job to the government. And that’s true for most every culture war issue. If it’s an issue, where’s the church’s ministry to reach out to women that are contemplating abortion? Why isn’t the church having the messy and hard discussion in those spaces? To care for people in the hardest and messiest of places? Don’t get me started....

 

I think it depends on what your scope is. Some Christians vote for a person based on how they execute policy. Some based on the person (character). Some based on both. I can’t argue (biblically at least) for why a Christian ought to base their vote on one more than the other. For me I’m one that votes based on both policy and person which means I’m usually left dissatisfied with every politician I see.

Which is why I actually don’t think politicians can be or ought to be viewed as agents of God. Politicians tend to serve a different master. My issue that I’m looking to get clarity on from another Christian here is why would they stoop down to the level of modern politics just to get policy agenda items accomplished. For the Evangelical, change was always meant to happen through the function of the Church, not the government.

 

I believe He can and does, but not as His primary mechanism. Biblically speaking, Christ departing charge before He ascended was to his disciples and more specifically to “go and make disciples”. He didn’t commission any one person. He established this mandate through the Church. When Christ ascended He said the Helper (Holy Spirit) would come to equip the church. He gave authority to the disciples to become the Church, the rock on which His Body would function to influence change in this world.

So my assertion of God operating through the church is based, in part, on those texts and also how He operated throughout old and New Testament. The agent of change was first Israel and then the Church.

 

I would say those aren’t the norms and are usually found in churches with much higher resources/budgets. But as a pastor that oversee care and counseling ministries at my own church I’ve run into an issue that every church does at some point. My church is one with those kinds of resources and has an abortion outreach program as well and it does well to minister to those ALREADY in the church.

But why aren’t these outreach ministries doing enough to stop abortions from happening beyond the reach of the church? Because those that continue to seek out abortions aren’t going to the church to seek help. And why wouldn’t people in need of help chose intentionally to not go to the church for help? Could it be that the church has a reputation in this culture for being judgmental and hypocritical more than it is compassionate and empathetic? This is my point exactly....when believers hitch there wagon to a guy like trump, and endorse hateful rhetoric, it damages the churches ability to effectively reach the community it finds itself in.

 

And why stop there? If gay marriage and homosexuality is such a big issue, why wouldn’t the church seek to engage the LGBTQ community through compassionate dialogue, to have uncomfortable discussions rather than trying to mandate sexuality through legislation and the courts?

it’s the job of the Church to enter these dialogues with as much compassion as truth to influence change. Not to circumvent this function by going through government. That’s just weak and lazy on the part of the Church imo.

 

i can’t say why He wouldn’t. Just that is what the Bible dictates. God certainly could chose to do whatever He wanted but that’s what He chose according to the scriptures. It’s also consistent in Old and New Testament. In Old Testament He could have chosen any people or person, but He chose to work in and through the nation of Israel.

again, I won’t speak to why He’d do this....just that’s what He did and what He mandated in text.

And no, I’m evangelical, but have a great deal of respect and appreciation for high church like the Catholic Church.