Posted Jun 16, 2020 by Michael L. Brown

Many of us who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 had serious misgivings about him as a person and a candidate. Yet it was either Trump or Hillary Clinton, so our vote for Trump was effectively a vote against Hillary.

Now, in 2020, the stakes are considerably higher. As expressed by George P. Bush, “Trump is the only thing standing between America and socialism.”

That’s why many voters will support Trump again, even if they are put off by some of his tweets and public statements. In their minds, it’s either Trump or Antifa, either Trump or chaos on our streets. In that light, the choice becomes simple.

We’ve seen how bad things can get with Trump in office. What would happen if he was not in office? What would happen if socialist-leaning Democrats ran the country? What then?

In my new book, Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test?, I lay out the evangelical case against Trump, explaining why many Christians could not vote for him in good conscience. For these evangelicals, our association with Trump has hurt our witness and damaged the cause of the gospel.

As expressed to me with great passion by an evangelical colleague (he voted Republican for years until Trump), “He has set back, no he has utterly destroyed the credibility of the evangelical world. Who respects evangelicals because of Donald Trump? NO ONE. Who feels more attracted to the gospel because of evangelical fealty to Donald Trump. NO ONE. Is this undeniable and massive good?”

This is all laid out in my book, detailing the case against Trump as clearly as I can. It is a powerful case, indeed.

But then I lay out the pro-Trump evangelical position, one which basically says, “We needed someone to stand up to a one-world government movement. To face down Iran and China. To fight against Islamic terrorism. To push back against extremist elements in our own country. To stand for our religious liberties. To fight for the lives of the unborn.

“So what if he makes stupid statements and sends out nasty tweets. We’re dealing with massive issues of national and global importance here, and Trump has been the man for the job.”

This is similar to the reasoning of Middle East expert Daniel Pipes who penned a June 4 editorial titled, “A Reluctant but Unhesitating Vote for Donald Trump.”

He first listed his Never Trump bona fides, which were impressive indeed: “I watched in dismay as I helped the Ted Cruz presidential campaign, seeing Republican primary voters select Donald Trump out of a field of 16 viable candidates and make him president-elect. I signed an open letter committing to ‘working energetically to prevent the election of someone so utterly unfitted’ to the presidency and wrote many articles lambasting Trump. I left the Republican party on his nomination and voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson in the general election. After the election, I hoped for Trump's impeachment and President Mike Pence.”

Yet now he will be voting for Trump, encouraging others to do the same. As he explains, “Nearly four years later, Trump's character still troubles and repels me. If anything, his egotism, disloyalty, and bombast exceed those vices when he was a mere candidate.

“But,” he continues, “to my unending surprise, he has governed as a resolute conservative.”

And so, “Slowly but inexorably over the past three years, my approval of the policies has outbalanced my distaste for the person. Finally, knowing that Joe Biden will represent the radicalized Democrats in November, I conclude that I will do my small part to help Trump get re-elected by writing, giving, and voting.”

Today, as we see just how radicalized the Democrats have become, with “defund the police” becoming the latest mantra, we understand how high the stakes have become.

I personally know Christians who voted for Trump in 2016 but told me they were not going to vote for him again. (They did not plan to vote for Biden either, so they would sit out the presidential elections or cast a third party protest vote.)

They were too repulsed by his character and felt that he often made a mess of things with his words. And, as much as they appreciated the good that he did, they felt that the damage to the nation outweighed his positive contributions. He was too divisive. Too destructive. He degraded us more than he helped us. Because of that, they would not vote for him in 2020.

Now, as our cities are on fire and angry mobs stand ready to cancel our freedoms and demand
conformity, these same voters are confronted with a stark reality. In short, it could well be that Donald Trump is the last line of defense again a radical, leftist takeover of our government, the likes of which we have never seen.

This will push many a reluctant voter, like Daniel Pipes, firmly into the Trump column.

It could be as simple as that.

(For the question of how evangelical Christians can vote for Trump without destroying their personal witness, see my 10-point strategy in Evangelicals at the Crossroads.)

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Lightwalker posted a comment · Jun 19, 2020
I would remind everyone of the fact that Yeshua chose to manifest himself to Israel while they were under the rule of a foreign oppressive government, and yet he never marshaled or mobilized grass root support to challenge, replace or over throw the Roman occupation. In fact during the Sermon on the Mount he told those who were following him to do more than what was required of them by an oppressive law, when he told them to walk 2 miles instead of the 1 mile that a Roman soldier could compel them to do. (Matthew 5:41) Neither did he attended or hold liberation rallies to debate the legality of paying oppressive taxes. On the contrary he told those that questioned him on the lawfulness of the tax to pay their taxes with the statement “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” found in Mark 12:17. Jesus Didn’t Have a Political Agenda And As His Followers You Shouldn’t Either Christians are not called to change public policy or to drive political agendas but we are called to seek that which is lost, and to preach the message of repentance and salvation; which once they take hold in the life of the convert, accomplishes the very thing it did not seek to accomplish. For if men and women are the moving pieces of our governmental machine will not that machine’s direction be changed once the hearts, minds and souls of those men and women are transformed? During our Lord’s first coming, he was singularly concerned with the people of his day repenting of their sins and seeking the kingdom of God rather than restoring their national sovereignty or freeing them from the rule of a tyrannical government. Yeshua came to accomplish the will of God and he understood clearly that the reason the nation of Israel was under the heel of oppression was due to the fact that they had turned from following the righteousness of God and as a consequence of disobedience, found themselves living in a world where the choices of how to govern their lives, finances and religion were no longer in their control. Ps 81:11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of m So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. Over and over again in the scriptures the principle that God uses oppression to turn His stiff -necked and rebellious children back to Himself is demonstrated. Psalm 78:1-64 Ezekiel 5:7-8 Deuteronomy 32:16-29 Jeremiah 7:12-16 Romans 2:8,9 The only hope that exists for those now living in the once great Republic of America, is to understand, that no matter how many concerned citizen meetings they attend, or how many We The People petitions are signed or created; the gradual and persistent erosion of America’s national and individual freedoms, liberties and rights shall continue to be taken away and at an ever increasing pace, until the light of the truth is shined upon the fact, that it is God who has allowed all these things to happen, because of the moral and ethical corruption of those who profess to love Him. Jeremiah 6:8-19
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A._catholic posted a comment · Jun 19, 2020
"Social Anarchy" is not the greatest enemy- the greatest enemy is Pres. Trump's abuse of power . Pres. Trump used police with gas and rubber bullets to disperse a peaceful protest, during which police who assaulted two Australian reporters who were simply doing their job; all for a photo op. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBPJNohU7xE Even the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff apologized for his being there. https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-general-apologizes-for-being-at-trump-church-photo-shoot-11591885273 Pres. Trump's untruths, his attempting to be above the law are a far greater threat than any "Social Anarchy".
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Pickle posted a comment · Jun 18, 2020
800,000 butchered, slaughtered, black, innocent, unarmed men, women and children in Rwanda while Bill Clinton lied, saying he simply didn't know. He Knew. The murder of our brother George Floyd sickens me. Head pinned to the ground with a knee on his neck, calling out for his mom, hurts, bad. Want to curse. Makes me cry out to GOD, WHY? 800,000 murdered in Rwanda. 800,000 murdered. Who cries for them?
Swkh310 posted a comment · Jun 18, 2020
I’ll go with social anarchy.