Some of my Christian friends on Facebook have sworn in recent months to quit posting politically partisan material. Most have explained their decision in terms of not wanting to further division among Christians and jeopardize friendships. Recurring themes have been that, regardless of who wins the presidency, “God is still on His throne” and “God is in control.”
Sorry, though I respect the sincerity of these friends’ motivation, I believe such reasoning disregards the higher calling of the Kingdom of God.
A calling that takes serious heed of the needs and concerns of those who stand to lose a great deal more than they if Donald Trump becomes president. The higher calling of the Kingdom of God, expressed so passionately by Jesus in his professed anointing “to preach good news to the poor,” and his declaration that “whatever you have [not] done to the least of these, you have [not] done to me.”
It’s easy to look forward to the hereafter when your here-and-now is relatively comfortable. But what about those who aren’t so comfortable? What about those who are in great need and whose needs will only be exacerbated under a Trump presidency?
Elections have consequences in the here-and-now for flesh-and-blood people. And saying a simplistic “God is in control” ignores those consequences.
Yes, God is in control of heaven and the next life. No, God does not control our world in the here-and-now; He is at work in it, but He doesn’t control it . . . He doesn’t fix every consequence of our reckless and careless decisions . . . He doesn’t fix the circumstances of people who are struggling because of lack of access to health care; or job loss; or inadequate wages; or inadequate prenatal care; or food insecurity; or broken families resulting from extreme deportation policies; sexual assault; or persecution based on the color of one’s skin, one’s religion, one’s gender, one’s sexual orientation, or one’s sexual identity. Or those of refugees fleeing oppression, whom we have historically welcomed (“huddled masses yearning to breathe free”), but Donald Trump would turn them away.
And God won’t step in to fix every misstep of a Donald Trump bent on destroying alliances that are the product of generations of painstaking effort – by statesmen – in building partnerships on the basis of a regard for the mutual well-being of partner nations. God won’t step in to fix the work of a vengeful Donald Trump when – in a fit of pique at some personal slight, real or perceived – he orders a nuclear attack on another country.
God gave people responsibility for the Earth in which He placed us. He always stands ready to give us guidance and assistance when sought, but He expects us to take responsibility for taking care of each other and the planet that we inhabit.
This isn’t an ordinary election. In an ordinary election, Christians should respect our political differences and go on from there.
But this year, there is one candidate who has, day after day, called out the very worst in us. I always say that people are complicated, that there are layers beneath the surface, good and bad in each of us, circumstances of life that we should seek to understand in each other. Recently, however, I’ve found myself compelled to make an exception – Donald Trump has not exhibited a single shred of humanity in anything he has done or said. If there is any humanity in him, he has – for some unfathomable reason – chosen to keep it hidden. Believing that requires a fantasy that I cannot, will not, indulge. We must make decisions based on what we know about a candidate, not on what we hope but for which we have no evidence.
There is no humanity in Donald Trump. His “temperament” (one of his many points of braggadocio) and demeanor have been to mock and lash out at anyone who questions, challenges, or criticizes him, like a 5-year-old on the playground. (My son has just told me that I owe an apology to his nephew, my 5-year-old grandson, for insulting him with this comparison!)
He has appealed to all of the ugly prejudices against anyone who looks or thinks differently – rather than being fellow citizens (of the U.S. or of the world), they are the “other” to be feared, hated, and mocked. This includes anyone who dares to hold up a protest sign at one of his rallies. He incites physical violence against them.
Multiple bankruptcies, hundreds of lawsuits, repeated refusal to pay contractors after he received the benefits of their labor – all of this speaks to the total lack of character, the total lack of humanity in Donald Trump.
He was caught bragging about sexually assaulting women, then denied it when he was caught; yet, in response to his denial, numerous women came forward to confirm having been the victims of activities he himself claimed in his 2005 “locker room talk.”
He evidences complete ignorance of our Constitution’s checks and balances, separation of powers, and religious liberty for ALL people, not just a privileged few. He has, time after time, declared that he alone would “fix” things, change the libel laws (to benefit him so that he could silence any media criticism), and “restore power” to Christians – evincing a strongman mentality (for once, comparisons to Mussolini and Hitler are NOT off the table – just watch the frightening mob mentality displayed by the crowds at his rallies).
I repeat – this is NOT an ordinary election year, an ordinary choice between two competing political visions. Neither is it a choice between two equally flawed candidates, as some would have us believe. Hillary Clinton has dedicated her life to serving “the least of these”; Donald Trump has dedicated his life to serving Donald Trump – at the expense of “the least of these.”
And it won’t stop with the election. Win or lose, Donald Trump’s actions have given many supporters what they apparently perceive as “permission” to act out their worst hatreds and prejudices in the most violent and destructive ways. Donald Trump will still be with us, and so will his influence through his supporters. We must stand against him and his influence tomorrow and every day thereafter.
In the 1930s, too many – including in the U.S. – were reluctant to stand up to Hitler and his genocide carried out against the Jewish people. Those who supported him or simply were silent have never been able to live down the shame attached to their names. In the 1950s, many were reluctant to stand up to the demagoguery of Joseph McCarthy as he destroyed the reputations and lives of hundreds of good and decent people. Again, the names of those who failed to stand for principle are shamed forever.
Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good [people] do nothing.”
Our character as Christians and our character as Americans – these are what is at stake here.
Fellow Christians, will you stand up and be counted against the evil and danger that is Donald Trump? If you fail to do so, what will your name mean to future generations?