Why this Evangelical Christian Voted for Trump

James R. Aist

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” – Jesus

I rarely write about politics, although those of you who follow me on social media know that I am, one way or another, regularly outspoken on this topic. But, this is a presidential election year again, and once again the very soul, core values and identity of our nation are at a crossroads. Many in the world of Christian evangelicalism are still staunchly opposed to President Trump, primarily because of his past sexual sins and his continuing, coarsely worded and often harsh, comments and tweets. Those who support Trump can’t understand why any Christian would not vote for him, while others can’t understand why any Christian would vote for him. It is my assumption that both of these opposing positions are based, ultimately, on the biblical instruction to not be condemned by what you approve (Romans 14:22b; see also Romans 1:28-32).  In addition, it appears to me that many evangelical Christians who oppose Trump have embraced false narratives (e.g., racism and misogyny) promulgated by the anti-Trump Main stream media (MSM) concerning some of Trumps actions as President. Perhaps the most egregious of these lies is the accusation that Trump created the policies of separating families and caging children at our southern border. The truth is that children were already being caged there in 2014, during the first Obama administration (click HERE), and the Trump administration was forced to separate and hold immigrant children, temporarily, for their own safety until parental relationships could be confirmed (click HERE). Now, I am not naive enough to believe that I can win anyone over to my way of thinking on the matter, but some of you might, nonetheless, be interested to know what my perspective is, and why. The following is the short version, trust me.

At first, my support for Donald Trump was more of a disdain for Hillary Clinton than anything else. She promised to continue the legacy of Barack Obama, which we conservatives had suffered through for eight long years: a militarily weak, apologetic America, animosity toward the Bible, Christianity and Christian values, high praise of Islam, overt support of sexual perversions, open borders and endorsement of the globalist end game (one-world government), etc.  Moreover, I was familiar with the several scandals Clinton was involved with and did not believe that she possessed sufficient good character to handle the power of the presidency appropriately. Then, I compared the political platforms of the Democrat and Republican parties, and I quickly realized that the Republican platform was much more aligned with my Christian beliefs and patriotic values than was the Democrat platform. Next, I began to listen carefully to the positions Trump was taking on key issues, such as lower taxes, religious freedom, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, abortion, regulated legal immigration, voter registration and a strong America, and it became clear to me that Trump was the clear choice, despite his past moral failures and ongoing coarse and harsh language.

But then, the infamous videotape surfaced of Trump speaking very crudely and offensively about his sexual exploits of women that occurred more than 10 years earlier. I believe that it was primarily this revelation that caused many evangelical Christians to become firmly anti-Trump. At first, Trump proclaimed that he had nothing to apologize for, which served to solidify the anti-Trump stance of these evangelicals, and for good reason. Meanwhile the liberal MSM was having a field day, feeding the public frenzy over this scandal. They were eager to report and replay this videotape in an effort to convince evangelicals to abandon support of Trump, on the basis of moral failure. They were also eager to perpetuate the false narrative that Trump is a racist, because he opposes open borders. But, predictably, they were far less eager to publicize what happened next.

Donald Trump confessed and apologized publicly for his despicable, past treatment of women (click HERE). He also made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ (click HERE). And, the conservative press began to point out Trump’s more recent attitudes and actions toward women, which were anything but misogynist. Sadly, those who were depending on the MSM to cover the whole truth heard only a steady barrage of the liberal, anti-Trump narrative.

So, Trump did, in fact, confess and apologize for his past moral failures and has subsequently demonstrated appropriate respect for women. Moreover, he did make a profession of Christian faith, contrary to the anti-Trump narrative which even some evangelical Christians continue to believe. And he has strongly and consistently supported many Christian values and practices as President. What more can any evangelical Christian fairly demand of a political candidate? After all, Trump ran for President, not Pastor, of the United States! And what would the genealogy of Jesus Christ look like today if God had not forgiven King David’s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11)? Surely we can all agree that Trump’s past moral failures were despicable, but can we not agree also that he has upheld many Christian and conservative values in his actions as President? Isn’t it Christian to forgive past sins and move on? And didn’t Jesus say, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone…” (John 8:7)?

Since Trump was first elected, the Democrat party has drifted much farther to the left than it was before, calling for higher taxes, a socialist government, forced governmental funding of abortions, legal abortions of even babies born alive, open borders with unregulated immigration, confiscation of firearms from law-abiding citizens, governmental control of religious speech and practice, surrender of U.S. sovereignty to globalist ideologues and overt governmental support of sexual and gender perversions, to name a few. In view of the fact that our next President will be either Donald Trump or a Democrat, I have this question for evangelical Christians who still refuse to vote for Donald Trump, in 2020: “How can you, in good conscience, not vote for Trump?” In my view, to vote Democrat has become unthinkable, all things considered, especially for an evangelical Christian. And please, look beyond the now ultra-liberal MSM to inform your political views! You’re apparently missing a lot of relevant and important truths and facts. That said, I will staunchly support your right to see these things differently than I do, and I refuse to cause division in the body of Christ by accusing you of failing to demonstrate the love of God to an unbelieving world by opposing Trump.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind us all of a much higher calling than the one to “not be condemned by what you approve” (Romans 14:22b). That higher calling is to love one another, no matter what our differences may be. In fact, there are no less than 20 New Testament verses that command us to love one another! It is by this love for one another that unbelievers will know that we are truly disciples of Christ (John 13:35)! So, let’s not compromise our Christian testimony over something as worldly as who to vote for in 2020. Far more important than that is who or what we are putting our faith and trust in: is it Jesus, or is it worldly governments? The Apostle Paul gave us a clear and practical instruction in this regard when he wrote, “If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:19, italics mine). Certainly “all men” includes all evangelical Christians!

Along these same lines, you may also be interested in recent articles appearing in christianpost.com (click HERE) and americanthinker.com (click HERE).

(To read more of my articles with a biblical viewpoint, click HERE)