Saturday Special: Can a Christian Vote for Donald Trump?

Current Events and Scripture in Election Season

Welcome to a Saturday special edition of When We Understand the Text. Looking at current events and responding to them with a solid understanding of scripture. Visit our website at www .utt .com. Here once again is Pastor Gabe.

Can a Christian Vote for Donald Trump? Pastor Gabe's blog for July 4th, 2024. In Daniel 2, 20 -22, we read that it is God who changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. This is a good reminder in any election season. Regardless of whom we vote for, God is ultimately the one who is chosen.

He removes kings and sets up kings. Toward the end of this article, I want to present these verses again in context and make an argument about who Christians vote for. But first, let me share what you have shared with me.

As things stand, the race for President of the United States is between former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden. That could change, especially as President Biden's mental state continues to decline.

But for now, these are the candidates. And neither of them are good candidates. Most evangelical Christians favor Trump, although some professing Christians will vote for Biden. Nonetheless, I wanted to focus on the Trump side of the argument, and I'll explain why I focused only on Trump and not on Biden when I asked the following question.

Donald Trump is pro-LGBTQ, pro-abortion, foul-mouthed, an adulterer, and a pornographer. He has said he's a Christian, but he doesn't bear fruit in keeping with repentance. How can a Christian vote for him?

Answer below, and I'll share comments in an article and on my podcast. I posted this on Twitter slash X, and the Honest Youth Pastor Michael Moore shared this with his 225 ,000 followers on Instagram.

I have pulled responses from both social media sites. And here is what you have said about whether a Christian can vote for Donald Trump. Arguments from the people. Fred Butler, a friend of mine in L .A., had perhaps the most liked answer in my responses.

He said, quote, several reasons. In spite of his character, he doesn't hate America and the normal people like myself. In spite of his personal moral failings, he would not actively pass legislation that forces moral people to violate their conscience at the threat of law.

Democrats have shown themselves over the past three years that they are a pedo party with the sexualization of children and absolutely evil with the push of sodomy and the trans agenda. I actually like to be able to pay for things, my electricity, gas for my car and to feed my family.

Then I am offended by the personal moral failings of a blowhard narcissist, unquote. Dan Coats, who works for the Babylon Bee, said something similar, quote, one candidate is a willing tool for the continuing destruction of all things Western, American and Christian.

The other candidate has flaws but doesn't seem to actively aim to undermine America as founded Western values and Christianity, unquote. Michelle Leslie said, quote, I'm not voting for him. I'm voting against Biden, unquote.

That's the reason I voted for Trump in 2020, because he wasn't Biden. I wasn't voting for Trump as much as I was voting against Biden. It's the same reason why I intend to vote for Trump in twenty twenty four, because it's a vote against Biden.

I believe I saw another commenter say, isn't the central reason we vote for someone because he's not the other guy? A pastor friend of mine, Bill Prater, said, quote, My life was better off four years ago.

No one will ever be elected president in this country who will hold up under serious biblical scrutiny, unquote. A plumber and day trader named AJ said, quote, Trump is not pro LGBTQ nor pro abortion in the same way that Biden and the Democrats are not even close.

I don't put my trust in politicians. A vote doesn't mean I am endorsing everything he ever said or did. That is a very unrealistic standard, which would make it impossible to vote for anyone, unquote.

Regarding my statement that Trump is pro LGBTQ, he is the first president in American history to enter office in favor of gay marriage. President Obama became that way after he entered office. So the first pro gay marriage president was the conservative candidate.

Last year, Megyn Kelly asked Trump, can a man become a woman? And he had a hard time answering the question. He could not point blank say no. Can a man become a woman?

In my opinion, you have a man, you have a woman. I I think I think part of it is birth. Can the man give birth? No, no. Although they'll come up with some answer to that also someday. I heard just the other day they have a way that now the man can give birth.

No, I would say I'll continue my stance on that.

Trump affirms all of the perversions in the LGBTQ acrostic. The only difference between him and Biden on this is he's not trying to force it down America's throat, nor is he persecuting Christians who won't go along with it.

As for being pro abortion in the presidential debate a week ago, Trump revealed plainly where he stood. He is in favor of the availability of abortion pills so mothers can murder their unborn babies at home.

He has said he will do nothing to block them. He has also said that he is in favor of murdering an unborn child if the mother was raped. He said that the abortion ban in Florida, which makes abortion illegal after the first six weeks of pregnancy, was a terrible mistake.

Now, Trump is not as radical as Biden. He rightly called out Democrats for allowing the murder of children in the ninth month of gestation or even after birth. Trump, by his admission, would not go that far.

But he is not against abortion. He holds a pro abortion ideology. Nathan, the unworthy prodigal, said, quote,. Ours is a nation united in rebellion against God. As such, we are under his judgment and the leadership he has given us reflects that regardless of who we vote for.

Therefore, we cannot expect a godly leader without wholesale repentance that isn't coming anytime soon. Unquote. Jonathan, from northwest Florida, said he could vote for Trump because, quote, he's not a communist.

Brittany, a mom in America, said, quote,. Now do David and Solomon from the Bible, unquote. You mean the David who humbled himself before God and sought forgiveness versus Trump, who said that he has never needed to seek God's forgiveness?

The Solomon who is endowed with the wisdom of God versus Trump, who says he's the super genius of all time? Neither David nor Solomon were in favor of abortion or homosexuality. It is not too much to expect that a presidential candidate exhibit some decent human ethics that can easily be observed as rational, according to nature.

Dawn, an accountant from South Carolina, said, quote, How can Christians ever vote for anyone again? None are good. No, not one. A reference to Romans three, 10 through 12. If you're suggesting that we then should vote for Biden, you'll have to logically defend that position.

Unquote. I would never suggest that a Christian must vote for Biden. In fact, I have consistently said that no Christian can vote Democrat with a clear conscience. Being pro abortion and pro LGBTQ is central to the Democrat platform.

Democrat policies are responsible for the murder of thousands of preborn children per day. There is no Republican equivalent to this evil. Biden's central campaign issue leading up to this election is to codify into law the murder of preborn children at every stage of pregnancy.

He has outright said in plain English, that's what he intends to do. No Christian can vote for him and not be complicit in that overt campaign promise. Whereas with Trump, though he's not pro life, he's not advocating pro abortion legislation.

John from Fort Wayne, Indiana, said, quote, I hate it. Both candidates are so alike. I don't understand how we got here. Both men are pro abortion. Both are pro LGBTQ and both are really old. It's like our really liberal old guy versus you're not quite as liberal, not quite as old guy.

Unquote. Yeah, it seems only Biden's age gets talked about. But Trump is only three years behind him. If Donald Trump is reelected, he will leave office in twenty twenty nine older than Biden will be when he leaves office in twenty twenty five.

Think about this. The only living person older than Trump and Biden who has been president of the United States is Jimmy Carter. Both Trump and Biden are older than Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton combined.

OK, not really combined, but I just had to throw that joke in there. Our commander in chief should not be this old. That reflects on the ignorance of the American people that neither party has the sense to choose a younger candidate.

But there really should be a cab. Perhaps a candidate should not be older than 70 years and three hundred and sixty four days by the time he would come to an end of the term that he is elected for. So the oldest a person could run for office is sixty six.

My uncle was an air traffic controller and he could not serve as an air traffic controller past the age of fifty six. For the sake of the lives of the people in the hands of an air traffic controller, that is the oldest he can be.

Why would there not be a cap on the age of the leader of the free world? Carl from Louisiana said, quote, You have a choice. President Donald Trump or the dude who brought Sodom and Gomorrah to the White House, unquote.

I think you're giving Trump too much credit if you think that he wouldn't burn with Sodom. But it is true that no president in American history has been more openly accepting of the perversions of Sodom than Joe Biden.

Both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have conducted same sex weddings. The White House press secretary, Kareen Jean-Pierre, is the first open lesbian to serve in the position. Biden was the first to appoint to his administration a man who claims to be a woman, Richard Rachel Levine.

And he didn't just appoint Levine to any position. He made him the assistant secretary for health. How can a man who thinks he's a woman be an expert in health? Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, claims to be married to a man and they have adopted children.

Ned Price is the first openly gay State Department spokesperson. Ben LeBolt is the first openly gay communications director. Sam Britton, a drag queen who openly claimed to be gender fluid and spoke at sex fetish conferences, was appointed to the Office of Nuclear Energy.

There are many others, including federal judges. And let's not forget the fiasco that happened on the White House lawn last year when transvestite T .J. Rose Montoya celebrated topless with two other activists.

Even that was too far for the Biden administration, who banned Montoya from future events. Also last year, Biden flew the gay pride flag between the White House pillars with two American flags on the outside.

He positioned the flag of Sodom more prominently than the American flag. And let's not forget this year when Biden celebrated the Trans Day of Visibility on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This is but the tip of the iceberg on how sick the Biden administration has been.

But once again, don't think Trump is innocent. He was the first president to appoint an openly gay cabinet member, Richard Grinnell, who served as director of national intelligence. Trump opened the door which Biden turned into an open floodgate.

Bill from Philadelphia said, quote,. A real Christian most likely would never have advanced to so high a stature in those Darwinistic shark infested waters in Washington. We must vote for the candidate whose platform and policies most align with our values and virtues.

Personally, I agree with just about everything he says. I don't belong to a political party, and I'm under no illusions about these guys being altar boys. And I don't know if the man is real or not, but he's been consistent so far and has weathered a rugged and difficult path.

We need a seasoned fighter who can't be bought or blackmailed or intimidated, unquote. Steve from Minnesota said, quote,. Ronald Reagan was a foul mouthed adulterer, too. Just saying in 2016, I didn't vote for Trump because I didn't believe he would do the conservative things he promised.

But then he did. So I voted for him in 2020, though I find his personal presence, arrogance and some of his choices contemptible, unquote. Brian said, quote,. It's so simple a child could understand it.

The other option is far worse and will cause far more harm to the church and my neighbor, unquote. That is a significant consideration as we are to love the church and our neighbor. Which candidate would be better for the church and for your neighbor?

I'll give you a hint. Not Biden. Amy Spreeman said, quote,. I am aware and I hate that all of this is true. I am praying about holding my nose and voting against the Biden administration, him or whomever they'll have running in his place and then speaking truth loudly about all the things Trump is pro that true Christians are not, unquote.

Razzie Berry from here in Arizona said, quote,. The job of the president is not to impose his own personal mores onto the country. His job is the leader of the executive branch and commander in chief, unquote.

Has there ever been a politician anywhere who did not impose their own personal mores onto his or her country? What do you see is what you get. A reformed brother from Mississippi said, quote,. It's a light touch of the brakes versus a continued flooring of the gas.

He won't stop the car from flying off the cliff, but he may buy us a few more years to do the Lord's work in calling a degenerate, idolatrous nation to repentance, unquote. Adam from Weston, Connecticut, said, quote,.

Our job as voters is to pick the best available option for our country. No purity test, unquote. Jay at American Torah said, quote,. He's all that and still better than any of the alternatives. It's definitely a sad reflection on the state of American culture, unquote.

Vanessa from Richmond, Virginia, said, quote,. Because we're not electing a pastor, we're electing a president, unquote. Joshua from Cleveland, Ohio, said, quote,. It's amazing how so many Christians have regressed to the I'm not voting for a pastor line as if the person's character did not matter whatsoever when, for instance, the Israelites were choosing a king.

The civil magistrate is a position ordained by God and the institution of civil government, which is also ordained by God, submits to its head Jesus Christ. The president's character is vitally important, unquote.

Indeed, it is. If a man will cheat on his wife, what makes you think he cares about you as an American citizen? How do you know he can be trusted with vital and secret information? How he loves his wife and kids is the first test of his moral character.

Tyler in Texas said, quote,. Pro abortion. He appointed three pro life Supreme Court justices. Remember when Roe v. Wade got overturned because of that? How is getting Roe v. Wade overturned pro abortion?

Unquote. Roe v. Wade was overturned only in the sense that abortion laws were punted back to the states. Abortion was not outlawed, and the number of abortions that occur in the U .S. have not declined.

Trump is not pro life. He never has been. See above any pro life accomplishments has been the Lord's will for a brief moment. Grace has been shown from Yahweh, our God. Ezra nine eight. Rob from Kennewick, Washington, said, quote,.

We're at war and we need a wartime general. I wish we had others to choose from, but all our politicians committed to their donors. Trump is not and has a track record of keeping his campaign pledges.

Remember promises made promises kept? He got Roe overturned. U .S. Embassy moved to Jerusalem. Abraham Accords. Peace around the world didn't start wars. He's against the woke and CRT garbage. Economy and border.

Who would be better at fighting for these things? Unquote. David from Dothan, Alabama, said, quote,. Is pro abortion an exaggeration? Is he currently an adulterer? I have to admit I'm ignorant about him being a pornographer.

Please educate me on that. But yes, he's pro LGBT and it's sickening and he's certainly foul mouthed. Those two points are indisputable. Unquote. I believe I've sufficiently answered the pro abortion question.

Is Trump currently an adulterer? Of course he is. He's on his third wife. Has he ever been sorry for that? In addition to posing for the cover of Playboy, Trump owned casinos, which included strip clubs.

Long before the Access Hollywood tape surfaced, he was known for being a playboy. His past interviews with Howard Stern and the way he talks about women in those interviews are repulsive. Frankly, I don't know how anyone can be this clueless about his very public antics.

He is every bit as bad as Bill Clinton. Give it 20 more years and the Republican candidate will probably be as bad as Biden, unless God has mercy on us and turns the hearts of this nation. John from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, said, quote,.

Because Trump doesn't hate traditional America. And although he has done many things wrong in his personal life, he is the only one running for president right now who could fix the political mess over the last few years.

Unquote. Well, maybe, as John Calvin has said, when God judges a nation, he gives them wicked rulers. Trump may not be the solution to anything. It could also be that God has positioned Trump to bring judgment on this nation.

Time will tell. Aaron in Monroe, Louisiana, said, quote,. He is the most likely candidate to leave the church alone to do her work. Unquote. Sarah from Wilmore, Kentucky, said, quote,. Yes, I will be voting.

Every believer should if they care about others. We will be given two choices. Any other choice is really a vote for one of the two. Between the two choices, I will choose the one who mostly aligns with biblical values.

I do not expect this man to be my savior, pastor or mentor. We have seen four years of each candidate. One clearly has benefited the USA more than the other and more closely aligns with biblical values.

Unquote. Mark from Palisade, Colorado, said, quote,. I have decided that I will not be voting this year. Whatever happens, my trust and hope is in Jesus. I cannot vote for a single one of these candidates in good conscience of my faith.

I am tired of being told I have to choose the lesser evil. Unquote. Matt from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, said, quote,. Now do Biden. Unquote. I thought about that. I thought that maybe next week I would present the same question again, but make it about Biden.

Can a Christian vote for him? But the answer is no, for reasons I have stated earlier. If there's a question as to whether a Christian can vote for Trump, given his ungodly character in politics, then there's no question that a Christian cannot vote for Biden.

You cannot vote Democrat and not vote for all the anti-human and anti-God politics the party platform stands upon. A Christian cannot vote for Biden with a clear conscience, given all the wicked legislation he has vowed he will pass.

But can a Christian vote for Donald Trump with a clear conscience? Arguments from the Scriptures. In Daniel 2, after the Jews had been exiled into Babylonian captivity, several Hebrew men were appointed to the service of King Nebuchadnezzar.

Among these young men was the prophet Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, or as they are commonly known, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. One night, the king had a haunting dream he could neither interpret nor even remember.

When none of his wise men could tell him the dream, Nebuchadnezzar considered them useless and ordered to have them all killed. But Daniel and his friends consulted the Lord their God, who revealed to them the dream and its interpretation.

In Daniel 2, 20 -22, Daniel praised God, saying, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. We, as Christians living in this world, are also living in exile, 1 Peter 1 .1. Like Daniel and his companions, we are to be subject to the ruling authorities, Romans 13, 1 -5, even serving those ruling authorities in service to the Lord.

Many ruling powers have been as Nebuchadnezzar, evil, selfish tyrants. And yet Daniel and his friends served that wicked king in order to save their friends, even pagan, unbelieving friends. And to serve their God.

Here in the United States of America, we don't live under a king or an emperor. We are a constitutional republic, or as Abraham Lincoln called it, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

A responsibility is given to the public to decide between nominated candidates whom will be our elected representatives and heads of state. These nominated candidates are chosen by sinful people. How did we come up with these two degenerate men?

Because they are a reflection of the American populace. Most of the people on the political left are like Joe Biden. And whether or not you agree, most of the people on the right are like Donald Trump.

For better or worse, these are our choices. Now, which do we choose? As a matter of wisdom and understanding, for the sake of one another, we must choose the better of the two. To vote third party does nothing.

To not vote for the more beneficial candidate is an uncontested vote for the worst candidate. If these two candidates stand until November, the wisest choice between them is to vote for Donald Trump. Again, this is a matter of wisdom.

I'm not trying to bind anyone's conscience and say you have a moral obligation to vote for Trump. I agree he is a wicked and godless man. If voting for him would compromise your conscience, then don't vote.

I will respect that. But you must also respect why a brother or sister feels they must vote for him. Romans 14 1 says do not quarrel over opinions. Please don't forget your own local elections. Sometimes I think we place too much stock in who will be president of the United States, paying not enough attention to the local races.

You can make more of a difference locally than you can federally. But I'm unable to run through everyone's local elections. I've presented some principles that you can apply in other voting decisions.

Ultimately, God has already decided who will be removed and who will be set up. Christ is seated on his throne, and he is not up for reelection. No matter what happens, we must serve the Lord. Salvation for America will not come through any of our elected officials.

It is only through Jesus Christ. Use the freedoms you've been granted to preach the gospel, that all who hear may turn to Jesus Christ and escape the judgment of God that will come upon this wicked nation.

As always, pray for America.