There you have it. In case the title is unclear, I will be voting for Donald Trump for the office of President of the United States of America. Four years ago, I found myself at a massive crossroads. My conscience was bound by firm convictions that prevented me from voting for Donald Trump. In fact, I may have tweeted a few #NeverTrump hashtags in the process of explaining my case.
Today I’m writing my final article on Delivered By Grace. I have been writing here since I was in seminary when the blog began under the name “Practical Theology Discussions” as a means of discussing theology with my fellow classmates. Since then, millions of people have read articles on this website as the popularity grew over the years. Some of the readers have asked why I’ve dropped off from my weekly routine of publishing articles, so it’s time for an explanation. In the coming weeks, Delivered By Grace will become one of the blogs on the newly redesigned G3 Ministries website that will be released soon. There’s more to be said about that, but look for announcements from G3 coming soon.
As I write this article, I’m presently on a flight home from Brazil where I’ve been preaching for the last several days. I’m eager to arrive back home where I will be reunited with family, but I’m also eager to arrive back home for another reason. I need to vote. I am looking forward to exercising my right as a citizen of the United States of America to vote for the next president of our country.
Tomorrow morning, I will be voting for Donald Trump and I would like to explain my case as to why I have shifted from a #NeverTrump evangelical pastor to supporting and voting for Donald Trump in 2020.
The Issue of Abortion
Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, more than 62 million babies have been murdered under the banner of women’s rights and freedom in America. As a Christian, it is extremely important for me to make it clear that abortion is not a human right. It’s not a woman’s right. It’s not a personal family decision. It’s murder. Plain and simple. It’s murder. It’s not a decision for the freedom of women when it puts to death hundreds of thousands of little baby girls every single year. Add to it that abortion is a historic form of racism against the Black population dating back to Margaret Sanger that persists to this very day.
According to the exit polls in 2016, 62% of Americans ages 18-29 claimed that abortion is “not that important.” We are living in a nation that has enjoyed the wonders of medical advancement, scientific progression, and with all of the technology at our fingertips—we still legalize the murder of little babies in their mother’s womb. It’s appalling.
In 2018, President Trump singled out Planned Parenthood for defunding on the first page of his 2018 budget. He was also the first sitting president to address the March for Life live through satellite in 2018. In 2020 President Trump became the first sitting president to address the annual March for Life in person. Add to this his consistent work to oppose late term abortions and to defund international aid projects that would promote international abortions.
With a heavy push by progressives, the idea of “Pro-Choice Christianity” is being promoted far and wide as another path for Christians to vote for liberal politicians. However, one of the most disturbing twists comes a bit closer to home. Within conservative (becoming more and more less conservative) evangelical circles, Christians are being shamed for being a “single issue” voter and for standing up and opposing abortion. They claim that Title X is responsible for counseling almost 4.6 million families, with majority of families qualifying as low income. They insist that since families now have access to contraception, family planning education, and affordable STI tests—they can murder a baby in one room and “educate” a woman in another room and it will result in the decrease of abortions. Therefore, they argue that we should not vote for conservative politicians who will work to defund such programs.
What does the Bible teach? In Exodus 20:13, the Bible says, “You shall not murder.” Jesus taught that we are to be peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). Since murder is forbidden, each Christian has a responsibility to oppose it. There are better ways for education and providing health care opportunities than through an organization or government program that murders little babies.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will move our nation backward in the fight against abortion. They will remove restrictions and put into motion opportunities for late-term abortions as normative protocol. Such progressive policies will be the open door for post-birth abortions in the future. We must oppose these progressive liberal candidates firmly. Abortion matters, but most importantly—the lives of little babies matter.
Donald Trump’s policies and leadership has proven that he will continue to help us advocate for the unborn—and for that reason I will be voting for him on November 3rd 2020. However, like many other conservative Christians, I am not a single issue voter. But, if I were a single issue voter—abortion would be enough for me. When we look at abortion properly, it cannot be reduced to a single issue especially when we take into consideration that hundreds of thousands of little babies are murdered legally every single year in America.
The Issue of Social Justice
This is the hour for a national leader who will stand for justice for the people of our nation. That means that we need a president who will lead in such a way that confronts injustice against the unborn, all ethnicities, both genders, religious freedom, and horrific crimes that are committed against law enforcement officers who are seeking to serve our communities.
Beyond opposing the cancer of social justice, I stand firmly convinced that we must pursue justice as a nation in order to protect the great freedom that we enjoy and the dignity of human life as a whole. However, the progressive ideologies of social justice have infected the whole of our society. The social justice agenda has infected professional sports, politics, corporations, the academy, and most importantly — the church and evangelical denominations. This is the most destructive evil that Christians have had to face in the last century. We must stand firm. One of the ways that we can stand firm is by voting for a president who will oppose such ideologies as Critical Race Theory and other cancerous ideas that emerge through the lens of postmodern philosophies and identity politics.
President Trump issued an executive order to ban programs that teach and promote Critical Race Theory within government organizations. He recently canceled another CRT training that was set to occur through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) despite his recent executive order.
President Trump will work to protect our nation’s freedom from the invasion of dangerous ideologies that have a goal to destroy America and dismantle every fiber of our nation. Our president has done this and will continue to fight this uphill battle for the good of our people.
It should also be noted that under the leadership of Donald Trump, minorities in our nation experienced record-breaking employment opportunities. In October of 2019, just a few months before the COVID-19 crisis hit our nation—both the Black and Hispanic populations experienced record unemployment rates. The false idea that Donald Trump is a racist is simply ridiculous. He supports the advancement of all ethnicities in America, but he merely believes that if someone comes to America from another nation they should do so legally rather than illegally.
We need a president that understands the evil attacks and agendas that seek to bring harm to our nation. We need a president who will work for the people and pursue justice for all.
The Issue of Freedom of Religion
The day is fast approaching where we will see great restrictions upon the Christian community in our nation. 400 years ago, the Mayflower began its historic voyage across the Atlantic with a group of English settlers and Separatists who were pursuing religious freedom. When they arrived, they settled in the new world with communities that were centered around local churches. How long will it be before Christians are forced to flee America for religious freedom? This election matters.
Today, we are witnessing heavy-handed leadership by politicians in their approach to COVID-19 restrictions as a tool to prevent Christians from gathering together in local churches in states like California. John MacArthur has basically stood all alone among the more well-known evangelical leaders as he leads his church to defy the Governor of California and the state’s mandates.
This is merely the tip of the iceberg. There is talk of using progressive politics to greatly restrict the church in our nation by stripping tax exemption status from Christian ministries and local churches. Add to this an agenda to use hate crime speech to restrict what pastors can say in public sermons regarding homosexuality and various other controversial topics.
While Donald Trump is not a perfect man—I believe he is the best man for the job. He has a proven record of firm leadership and he’s not afraid of taking an unpopular stand in order to lead America in the right direction of religious freedom.
Wayne Grudem is exactly right as he writes in opposition to John Piper on this subject in a recent article titled, “A respectful response to my friend John Piper about voting for Trump” where be states the following:
If laws are passed (and upheld by the courts) that enforce the LGBT agenda, no creative professional like a cake decorator (or photographer or florist) will be free to say, “I believe same-sex marriage is morally wrong, and I won’t use my artistic talent to decorate a cake celebrating same-sex marriage.” No high school girl will be free to say, “I won’t undress and change clothes for my gym class because there are boys in the locker room who claim to be girls.” No Christian adoption agency will be free to say, “We will not place children with same-sex couples.”
On matters of religious freedom, this election is crystal clear. If liberals gain control of the key leadership positions within our government, they will press laws and ordinances that mandate Christians to pay taxes that fund abortions and restrict the freedom to make morally upright and God honoring business decisions.
Character and Final Assessment
Does character matter? Yes, it does. It matters greatly. When we evaluate a man for the president of the United States of America it’s wise to evaluate more than his policies. You may not appreciate the President Trump’s choice of vocabulary or his personality. In fact, you may be more attracted to Joe Biden’s personality. However, we are not voting for personalities and character alone. We’re voting for the whole package. As we make our decision, we must ask ourselves the following important questions:
- Who will serve to protect the church in America and the various different freedoms that we enjoy?
- Who will serve to advance the church’s position regarding the sanctity of human life and the fight against abortion?
- Who will serve to protect our nation by leading our military as the Commander-In-Chief of our armed forces?
- Who will serve our nation by providing key appointments and leaders such as SCOTUS?
- Who will serve to protect our nation from dangerous ideologies such as Critical Theory and its various forms?
- Who will serve to lead our nation to economic success in the wake of COVID-19?
- Who will lead us out of this COVID-19 season with boldness and will provide for greater medical response and treatment for COVID-19 in the days to come?
- Who will be more capable of bold leadership on a global scale with foreign policies that will prevent nations from taking advantage of the United States—especially as it pertains to trade policies?
- Who will support our police officers and oppose the dangerous ideas of the “Defund the Police” movement?
- Who will serve to secure the borders from illegal entry and threats upon our nation in terms of drugs, violence, and illegal economic competition for American jobs?
- Who has the best overall policies that will impact each state and eventually flow down into small towns and cities across America?
- Who is poised to take on big tech giants regarding the freedom of speech?
- Who will protect our Second Amendment rights?
- Who has the best record for leadership and getting the job done in Washington? Is that President Trump in his 4 years or Joe Biden in his 47 years?
- Who has the best vice presidential candidate who is capable of leading our nation should something happen to the president preventing him from exercising his duties as POTUS?
While this is not an exhaustive list, needless to say, this is not a “one issue” election for Christians. As a means of summarizing everything in a succinct manner, I believe Allie Beth Stuckey has said it well:
I’m voting for babies in the womb, religious liberty, economic opportunity, school choice, secure borders, safe communities, and strong foreign policy. I’m voting for the policies that I believe are best for every segment of society. It’s that simple.
On or before November 3rd, I want to encourage you to vote for Donald Trump. I say that with biblical conviction and without the violation of my conscience. This election is historic and every vote matters.
Dear Christian, go vote. And if you vote for Donald Trump you’re not a racist, a white nationalist, white supremacist, a compromiser, or any other pejorative that progressives are seeking to use to shame Christians who are supporting Donald Trump. And, no you don’t worship Trump if you choose to vote for him to be our president. You’re a Christian who cares for future of our nation. For that, you have no reason to blush.
