More Than Just #NeverTrump

Conservatives find themselves in a very awkward position this election year. We have been presented with two overly unqualified candidates (and yes, I did say overly unqualified) and bullied into believing that it is either or. Those that stand on the pro-Trump side claim that a vote against Trump is a vote for Clinton. Those who favor Clinton accuse us of wanting to start World War 3. I was astounded by the outcry against people like Ted Cruz who encouraged voters to vote for the candidate that they trusted to uphold the Constitution. Don’t worry about party affiliation (a sentiment echoed by the founders), don’t worry about the probability of them being elected. Just vote your conscience. Selfish, political, and petty is only the beginning of the accusations. Is that really such a terrible message? Vote your principles, vote your values, vote your Bibles. That a refusal to endorse someone that we feel in unfit to be the Commander-in-Chief of this nation would invoke so much vitriol is shocking, especially because so much of it is coming from the Christians.

Conscience is defined as the that which distinguishes between what is morally good and what is morally bad and prompts us to do the former and shun the latter. It is our Jiminy Cricket if you will, that gut instinct when we know that something is right or wrong. Our conscience is the still small voice inside us that tells us what is good. It is unconcerned with popularity and convenience. The relationship between the conscience and the vote is one that the founders of this United States of America took very seriously. They recognized that this system of elected officials, checks and balances, term limits, etc., was new to the world. We had a unique form of government, one in which the citizens had more of a say than ever before in history. Matthias Burnett, a pastor said,

“Consider well the important trust . . . which God . . . [has] put into your hands . . . To God and posterity you are accountable for your rights and your rulers. . .. Let not your children have reason to curse you for giving up those rights and prostrating those institutions which your fathers delivered to you. . .  Look well to the characters and qualifications of those you elect and raise to office and places of trust. . .. Think not that your interests will be safe in the hands of the weak and ignorant; or faithfully managed by the impious, the dissolute and the immoral. Think not that men who acknowledge not the providence of God nor regard His laws will be uncorrupt in office, firm in defense of the righteous cause against the oppressor, or resolutely oppose the torrent of iniquity. . .. Watch over your liberties and privileges - civil and religious - with a careful eye.”

That, my friends, is voting your conscience.

Why Clinton is out of the question is pretty obvious. Forget her horrible history as Secretary of State and in the NY Senate, the woman was under FBI investigation while she was running for office. The FBI conceded that she is indeed guilty of crimes and jeopardizing the safety of our nation, yet she remains un-indicted. As for Trump. . . I don’t know that there could be a less appealing candidate for conservatives to vote for. As a Christian and a conservative, there are issues that act as a litmus test for me and Mr. Trump just doesn’t pass.

1.   He is unclear on where he stands on abortion. Although very pro-abortion in the past, he claims to have changed his views. It can happen and if it has, praise God! However, he is very reluctant to take federal funding away from Planned Parenthood, which is confusing and leaves me wondering where he really stands. Why should my tax money continue to go towards funding a practice that I feel is immoral and to the for-profit organization that performs it?

2.   His position on Israel is similarly unclear. To be sure, Trump has made pro-Israel noises — and very loud ones. But as with so much else, the only consistency of Trump's remarks is their off-the-cuff and contradictory nature. At his AIPAC speech, Trump announced that he would both dismantle and enforce the Iran Deal. He has announced a policy of neutrality when it comes to aiding our most dependable ally in the region. Trump has also blamed Israel for the Middle Eastern conflict saying, "I don't know that Israel has the commitment" to make peace, and effectively exonerated the Palestinian side when he said that peace depends on "whether or not Israel wants to make the deal ...."

3.   Trump has a terrible record on free market issues. The only bright spot is his criticism of the Federal Reserve’s intervention in the debt market, but this is countered by his repeated support for bailing out Wall Street, the banks, the auto industry, and increased stimulus spending. Of particular concern is Trump’s belief that the government has the right to seize private property in the name of private economic development. This comes as no surprise, given his support for using eminent domain to profit his own company.

4.   Trump’s views of the Second Amendment are in cohesive. Particularly since the Orlando shooting, Donald Trump has staked out two wildly different stances on gun control. On the one hand, he has publicly appeared to back the Democrats' top gun control initiative in Congress while at the same time endorsing the possession of concealed weapons among people drinking alcohol in bars and nightclubs—a position that even the NRA admits is probably not a good idea.

Compound those issues with the fact that he is incredibly egotistic, lacks any kind of tact, and has not shown himself to be a man of character or integrity, I have not found Mr. Trump to be a conservative. I haven’t even found him to be a republican. And “nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust be men of unexceptionable characters. The public cannot be too curious concerning the character of public men,” so says my friend Samuel Adams. Of course no candidate is perfect. But should we not hold our public officials to high standards, those who make and enforce the law of the land?

Phew! Well, now that I’ve got that off my chest I can talk about what I really wanted to talk about in the first place. Of course, another Clinton presidency would be a travesty. But here’s a news flash. There are over 6 billion people in this world, many of whom would make a much worse president than Hillary Clinton. But do we sacrifice our conscience to prevent that, if our conscience so dictates? As Christians, we have a greater hope, a greater security, and a greater freedom than the government could ever give or take away. The one who rules the nations, who sets up kingdoms and disposes of them? Yeah, we know Him. He has used righteous and unrighteous men to establish His will. And He is able do more than we could possibly imagine. But it starts with His people getting serious about spiritual things. This election isn’t about politics. No election is. It’s about our character, our faith and our worldview. If we claim to believe that God calls us to live lives of integrity and purity, how can we think that anyone striving for less is qualified to run the country? If we claim that God is involved in the affairs of men, how can we think that He cannot or will not intervene here, if we do the right thing? If we claim to be the salt of the earth, how can we then refuse to preserve it? This is called hypocrisy. Our actions contradict our words and we make a mockery of the gospel. We must make a choice. We either believe that what the Scripture says is true across the board or we don’t. But we don’t get to have our cake and eat it too.

So ask me again why am and always will be #NeverTrump.

Because I believe that my job is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these earthly things, including the leadership that we really need to carry out the purpose and will of God, will be added. 

Because I believe that it is a mandate, not a suggestion, to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving to let my requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Because I believe that I am held accountable for the people that I endorse through me vote.

Because I believe that evil is evil, even if it is “the lesser of the two.”

Because I believe that God is able to use a teenager and a rock to take down an undefeated giant if only that teenager acknowledges that there is indeed a cause.

Because I believe that He can not only defeat the darkness, but that He gives us the courage to run into it with the light.

Because I believe that even if He doesn’t intervene, it is better to have a clear conscience before Him than man.

Because I believe that my worldview matters.

So if Trump lines up with your principles, if he does it for you, knock yourself out. But please don’t tell me that I am self-serving for standing on my principles or for living like what I claim to believe is actually true. Whatever happens, whatever the culmination in November is, vote your conscience. Vote as if your ballot determines nothing except the shape of your own character.