Thursday, October 1, 2020

Why a Southern Baptist Pastor Will Vote for the Unvirtuous Donald Trump in 2020

 


"The stakes in the upcoming election could not be higher. . . . 
The things Americans have always cherished—representative self-government, free and fair elections, liberty under just law—will be at risk," writes Tony Perkins in his article, A Nation on the Precipice of Destruction

I will unapologetically vote for Donald Trump - again.

In 2016, I wrote a blog article called Why a Southern Baptist Pastor Will Vote for the Unvirtuous Donald Trump. Because a Biden-Harris ticket embodies many of the values and policies of a Hillary Clinton agenda, many of my arguments remain the same in 2020 as they did in 2016.

Four years ago many Americans, including millions of evangelical Christians, took a chance on casting a vote for the non-politician Donald Trump. With the options between him and crooked Hillary Clinton, we felt we had no choice but to vote Trump, even if we held our noses while voting. It appeared an option between a Samson or a Jezebel, and biblically speaking, Samson was a much better pick.


However, three and a half years into his presidency, Donald J. Trump is no longer the "unvirtuous" gamble, he is a proven leader with a consistent track record of accomplishment. The recent Republican National Convention was a great display of "Promises Made, Promises Kept."

(See my article, The Big Picture: Why Evangelicals Support Donald Trump)


The stakes are high, folks. Dr. Albert Mohler rightly states, “Our two political parties represent two radically different visions of the nation and its future, two different understandings of the role of government, two very different ways of reading the U.S. Constitution and even two different moralities.”


Here are 7 reasons this evangelical pastor will gladly vote for President Donald Trump again in 2020:


1. Promises Made, Promises Kept

In spite of a rancorous media, largely intent from his election night to undo him, President Trump's list of accomplishments the past 3 1/2 years is stellar. Dr. Wayne Grudem offers an excellent analysis of many of these feats in his article, 30 Good Things President Trump has Done for America. I will not attempt a repeat of that here. I encourage and challenge you to read every word of Grudem's well-documented article.

The Family Research Council prepared some excellent resources with much research noting the promises made, promises kept. See the following: The Trump Administration Accomplishments


Here is another long list of the President's accomplishments.

He keeps winning for America.


2. The Left is the most dangerous threat in America today.

Today we are witnessing the Left / Leftists (as opposed to classic liberals or classic conservatives) hijack and take over the Democratic party. And they are making a frontal attack to take over and transform the United States of America.

The Left is an enemy to freedom, morality, religion, a free market, freedom of speech, and the list goes on. This is why, in 2017, Bernie Sanders remarked before a Senate committee that a person who holds traditional, Christian theology should have no place in the American government.

Dennis Prager explains, "Leftism — in its incarnations, such as Marxism, communism and socialism; expressed through egalitarianism, environmentalism and feminism; in its denigration of capitalism and Western civilization, especially America and Israel; in its supplanting of Christianity and Judaism; through its influence on Christianity and Judaism; in its celebration of race; and in its replacing of reason with romanticism — has almost completely taken over the news and entertainment media and institutions of education.

There is a largely (though not entirely) nonviolent reign of ideological terror in America. In almost every area of life, people fear antagonizing the left." See Fear of the Left: the Most Powerful Force in America Today.

The Democratic Party is pandering to lawlessness in our streets. Gun and ammunition sales are out the roof - stores who sell firearms say they have never seen anything like this. Millions of common people in America are afraid widespread violence is coming. 

Tony Perkins says, "At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies or two agendas... This election will decide whether we will defend the American dream or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny." See his article, Two Visions, Two Philosophies, Two Agendas.

And Gingrich wisely warns, "If we want America to survive as a constitutional republic under the rule of law, which protects the right of free speech and is dedicated to the belief that each one of us is endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we have no choice but to fight to defeat the anti-Americans and reassert our nation.

Reagan would understand. Lincoln would understand. Freedom itself is at stake.”

See my article, 7 Lies Americans are Believing, which has been viewed more than 40,000 times.

See The Left: The Greatest Threat to Freedom and America.

See The Intolerance of Bernie Sanders and the Left

See America is Living through a National Disgrace

See Cancel Culture: The Death of Dialogue, Debate and Decency

See Fact-Checking the Democrats' Empathy



3. President Trump is a friend to faith, family and religious liberty.


Albert Mohler says, "The dangers to religious liberty we see today would shock the framers of our Constitution. We now see an ardent and aggressive hostility to religious freedom and any substantial religious belief. A rapidly secularizing culture presents entirely new challenges to religious liberty. Will Christian schools have the right to operate on Christian principles? Must a Christian wedding photographer, cake designer or florist be compelled to celebrate same-sex marriage? Will the Christian Gospel and the preaching of the Bible be classified as hate speech? 


These are not hypothetical questions. Every one of these issues has been in the headlines in recent years. The political divide in the nation extends to these headlines. By its own acknowledgment, the Democratic Party has drawn the support of more secular Americans. The Republican Party has drawn great support from America’s evangelical Christians. Given the leftward shift in the larger culture, this pattern will grow more acute election by election. America’s cherished First Freedom is at stake in this election." 

Grudem writes, "President Trump’s administration has repeatedly and continually worked to defend religious freedom, and his Justice Department has defended religious freedom in numerous court cases. . . . In addition, in the first year of Trump’s presidency, the Department of Justice issued a strongly-worded, 25-page memorandum detailing exceptionally strong protections for religious liberty."

Our country was founded with the conviction that the government would not tell the church what to do, but that the church would influence the government. 

Waggoner and Smith write, "Religious freedom protects the right of Americans to speak and live consistent with their convictions. It also serves to restrain government and allows competing claims about truth in the marketplace. Democracy thrives with robust debate. In fact, countries that vigorously protect religious freedom are more stable, democratic, prosperous and less violent. In the United States, religion contributes greatly to a healthy society and economy. And finally, civil liberties travel together. The loss of religious freedom signals the loss of other freedoms. History confirms this time and again." 


See CissieGraham Lynch and Abby Johnson Urge Americans to Vote for Religious Liberty andLife

AG Barr Blames‘Militant Secularists’ for War on Religious Freedom

The "Equality Act," which Joe Biden has promised to sign into legislation during his first 100 days of office, according to Franklin Graham, is "the most crushing threat to religious liberty in our nation’s history."

Kelly Shackelford, said, “They want to make sure there’s no religious freedom defense. … In every scenario, whether you’re a parent, you’re a woman or a girl, you’re a nonprofit religious group, you’re an employer or you’re a medical professional—you name it—in all scenarios, religious freedom [would be] subsidiary and LGBT and gender-identity rights [would] trump, in all cases, religious freedom and people’s right to conscience.” Shacelford is the President of First Liberty Institute.

Jerry Pierce shares The Equality Act: What it Would Mean.

See The Equality Act: A Clear and Present Danger

Read Trump's Religious Freedom Record is a Stubborn Fact

See Family and Religious Liberty Accomplishments of the Trump Administration

See International Religious Freedom Accomplishments of the Trump Administration

See Trump Administration Accomplishments on Life


4.  Our liberty is at stake, including the future of the courts in America.

Leftism is an enemy to liberty.

Our Founders intended for the judiciary to be the safeguard of the government. Today, they would be shocked to know the federal courts are a key issue in a Presidential election. Mohler shares, "For the last several decades, the federal courts have usurped the democratic process. Moral and political progressives, frustrated at their inability to win in the legislative process, decided to transform the courts into engines of moral and cultural revolution."

Kelly Shackelford explains, "For Biden and the left, the judicial branch is viewed as a super-legislature—another avenue to accomplish their policy goals if the democratic process 'fails.' President Trump and conservatives have traditionally viewed the judicial branch as one that should not be influenced by political considerations but act as a neutral guardian of constitutional principles and arbiter of disputes between legislative and executive branches. . . .

[W]hen the judiciary wanders into the realm of policymaking—as it has for the past several decades by judges who believe the Constitution is a 'living document'—the politics of judicial nominations become more significant and rancorous. . . .

Over the next four years, there will be many more vacancies to be filled on the U.S. District Courts, the Courts of Appeals and, potentially, the Supreme Court. Few can argue against the notion that we need men and women in the judiciary with the humility to refrain from making policy and the integrity to uphold the Constitution as written, regardless of the direction the cultural winds may be blowing. Although we don’t get to vote on the judges, we do get to decide who appoints them. It is an awesome responsibility and one that may well determine what kind of country we leave to our children and grandchildren." 



The Kavanaugh hearings were a national disgrace, where the Left proved all gloves were off and they will attempt to destroy anyone who gets in the way of their agenda. We must secure the path for justices to be on the federal courts who will protect and preserve liberty.


5. The economy benefitted greatly these years.

Regardless of what the fake news cycle claims, the Trump administration in three years built the strongest economy in the history of the United States. Just consider a few examples:

+ The lowest unemployment rate in 50 years.

+ The lowest black and Hispanic unemployment rates ever recorded.

+ Massive elimination of wasteful government regulations - an estimated 25,000 pages.

+ Tax cuts, giving a tremendous boost to small businesses

We elected a businessman, an entrepreneur, - not a politician. And in spite of a global pandemic, which was totally out of his and anyone else's control (well, maybe not some Chinese scientists), he kept his promises toward the U.S. economy.

Look at the Decision Magazine Election Guide here.


6. Trump is a friend to minorities and women.

One of the many high points of the Republican National Convention (as opposed to the negativity of the Democratic National Convention) were the testimonies of numerous minorities and women who strongly support our President. Just listen to the following stories - just a small sampling from the RNC:

BurgessOwens at RNC: Democratic Party a a dour, dark, depressed party

Black Americans Need to Leave the "Mental Plantation" - Vernon Jones at the RNC

Jack Brewer at RNC: “Dad, can you please just tell everyone that all lives need to matter and that God loves everyone?”

From Cotton to Congress - Senator Tim Scott at the RNC

He Keeps Fighting for Black Americans - Herschel Walker at the RNC

Sister Deirdre Byrne at the RNC: As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life against the politically correct or fashionable of today.

Cissie Graham Lynch at RNC: Trump a Fierce Advocate for People of Faith


7.  Vote policy and platform - not personality. 

This election is not about party or personality, It's about policy and platform. See my article, The 5 Ps of Voting this November.

Kamala Harris, judged by her record, is the most radical, Leftist VP nominee in the history of the Union. She scored as the most liberal Senator in 2019.

Research guru George Barna said, “The 2020 election is not about personalities, parties, or even politics. It is an election to determine the dominant worldview in America.” 

Dr. James Dobson writes in his October 2020 letter, “This vote has awesome implications for future generations and the nation we love. It is about our Constitution and the immutable, God-given rights it protects. It is about values, and truth, and greatness, and hope. That is why the notion of choosing a president based on frivolous personality characteristics is so unfortunate.”


Dr. Michael Brown asks, 
“When it comes to the November elections, which party is more likely to protect our religious freedoms? Which presidential candidate is more likely to push against the marginalizing tactics of the radical Left?” 

See Where the Parties Stand here.

And David Clossen writes, "Although neither political party perfectly represents Christians, party platforms allow us to make thoughtful judgments regarding who we will support at election time. These platforms, which serve as proposed governing philosophies, allow Christians to see if and how the political parties prioritize issues on which the Bible clearly speaks.” 

Don't vote past - because your parents or grandparents voted one way.

Don't vote party - because you've always voted for one political party.

Don't vote personality - because you do or do not like a particular candidate.

Vote for the policies the person has accomplished (look at their record).

Vote for the entire party platform of that candidate's party: 

"The declared policies of a candidate, and of a candidate’s party (Democrat or Republican) give a good indication of what the candidate will do if elected. In this year’s election, there is a vast difference between the policies of the two parties and their candidates. The Democrats have moved further to the left, in the direction of a highly government-regulated, oppressive, anti-Christian, quasi-socialist country, than we have ever seen in our history. Is there no level of harmful policies that a party could advocate that would cause you to rise up and do what you could to stop them?" (Grudem) 

See Comparing the Democratic vs. the Republican Party Platforms.

See The Light and the Darkness: Biden Got it Backwards



It is No Contest

Governor Mike Huckabee shares, “I am often challenged as to how a practicing Christian believer and former pastor can support Donald Trump with his many character flaws. First of all, it’s not my place to judge someone else’s character. I’ve also never made it a secret that I find some of the President's language, tweets and behavior to be less reverent than I would like. But God has not sent us any perfect people in the past 2,000 years. When choosing a President, you have to consider more than whether you approve of someone’s personality and temperament. You have to consider what that person will do for (or to) America and the world.

When I look at how President Trump has defended life, religious liberty and Israel, and how he has worked so hard to restore American strength, protect the innocent, end terrorism, and create jobs and rising wages for all Americans – and I compare that to the far-left, job-killing, tax-raising, government-bloating, free speech-destroying, student-indoctrinating, religion-crushing, gender-confusing, crime-condoning, border-erasing, abortion-at-all-stages agenda of the Democrats – it is simply no contest.”

If you are still one of those persons who thinks they cannot vote for the "unvirtuous" Donald Trump because of his past sins, I challenge you to read the following:

Letter to an Anti-Trump Christian Friend

Trump Should Not Be Removed from Office: A Response to Mark Galli

Why a Southern Baptist Pastor Will Vote for the Unvirtuous Donald Trump (2016)

If You Don't Like Either Candidate, then Vote for Trump's Policies


Grudem, again, says,It is not the fault of evangelical Christians that Republican party policies have increasingly favored policies consistent with Christian values, while Democratic Party policies have increasingly strayed from Christian values (this happened initially and most notably over the issue of abortion rights but then it spread to many other policies). Since that has happened, it seems to me that evangelicals face an easy choice of which party to support. (In fact, many of the policies favored in the 2016 Republican Party platform are the same as those advocated in my book, Politics According to the Bible.)"


Don't be deceived. Liberty is at stake.

Make the right choice. You may not have that opportunity again.


Watch my videos:

7 Ways to Speak Up and Influence the Culture

4 Ways to Help America

7 Lies Americans are Believing


See my following articles: 


7 Lies Americans are Believing

Christians - Engage Politics and the Public Square

The Big Picture: Why Evangelicals Support Donald Trump

4 Ways to Help America

See my review of Stephen Strang's book, God and Donald Trump.


Picture used by Pixabay  by permission


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