Less unfit for power

In our Aug. 6 issue, we gave a page to Mike Huckabee on which he could disagree with one of our columns. Here’s a second in our occasional “My Turn” series. Bill Newton is a business-executive-turned-pastor and the WORLD board’s vice chairman.

To Editor in Chief Marvin Olasky and Chief Content Officer Nick Eicher: You and our editorial staff are gifts from God to our journalistic mission. Without you, we are void of our heartbeat and brain. Both of you know how committed I am to you and the rest of our talented editorial staff. Our members need to hear this because they need to see that committed Christians may disagree passionately and remain brothers and sisters in Christ.

That said, I disagree with your article in the last issue, “Unfit for power.” I am not a fan of Donald Trump. His business advice is worldly, arrogant, and self-serving. I cannot say to my grandchildren that they ought to emulate him in any way, except that he works hard and has provided products that consumers purchase. But Christians now have a simple choice: Which party and candidate will most positively impact America for the cause of Christ’s kingdom?

Compare the two parties’ platforms relative to the kingdom. Which party has a chance of promoting godly values? Which will promote religious liberty? Which will promote the Constitution? Read their platforms! Name a deficiency of Donald Trump—and I will counter with a barrage of demonstrated deficiencies that Hillary Clinton has shown us.

Marvin argues that we at WORLD called for Bill Clinton to resign and in fairness we must be intellectually consistent and apply the same standard to Donald Trump. I understand but disagree. Bill Clinton was president when he was impeached. He and Hillary lied, concealed information, hindered the investigation, intimidated witnesses, and blamed the whole thing on an imaginary “Right-Wing Conspiracy.” Trump was on his own time and not in a position of responsibility.

Will Hillary Clinton’s Supreme Court nominees promote morality? … Will abortion be less available? Will deviancy be dialed up or down?

Marvin says, “A Trump step-aside would be good for America’s moral standards in 2016.” How? Will Hillary Clinton’s Supreme Court nominees promote morality? Will the other 300 judges and more than 7,000 appointees in a Democratic administration encourage goodness? Will abortion be less available? Will deviancy be dialed up or down? Just where will this imaginary moral improvement come from? Look at Clinton’s record: Will she perform more in line with the Constitution than Trump? Think about Benghazi: She shaded the truth, lost lives due to unpreparedness, and protected herself while mistreating the victims of her incompetence.

Marvin quotes a great Christian principle, “Glorifying God by honoring His standards is worth more than political gain.” I agree. My question is, “How does empowering Hillary to be president glorify God?” One reason I can still love Marvin, Nick, and the entire editorial staff is that this election is not ultimate! Whether Hillary wins or Trump wins, God is still in charge. None of the candidates for president will actually turn the tide of ungodliness prevalent in our nation. Only God can!

I pray and plead that no member sense that, because I disagree with our staff passionately, this will cause hatred, anger, malicious thoughts, or the like. We all believe that “The truth will set us free.” In this instance there is no Scripture I know of that says “Vote for Hillary” or “Vote for Donald.” Therefore, none of us has a monopoly on the correct answer. I am a pastor because I believe that the solutions to our nation’s problems can only come from the bottom up. The heart of the problem is the human heart! Therefore, I want to impact one human being’s heart at a time and let the power of God’s Word do the work that only it can do.

In this election we have two unacceptable choices. The question is which unacceptable choice will further the kingdom positively, if at all. Al Mohler says we should not “allow a national disgrace to become the Great Evangelical Embarrassment.” The implication is that evangelicals will be responsible for Trump’s election, a conclusion that is a reach. My view is that we have already been an embarrassment in the last election when 8 million of us shirked our privilege to vote. We will do it again in this one if we endorse the election of one of the most evil persons ever nominated for president, in the name of principle.