To Evangelicals Who Think Hillary Is Deplorable
I have researched all the other "Scandal Gates" that have also exonerated Sister Hillary. Knowing what I do about how the system works, I have no doubt that if Hillary was as "corrupt and untrustworthy "of a person that her opponents have accused her of being, you can bet that by now, they would have found something to indict her on. If you dig deeper on the email server inquiries, you would find that any of her unintentional mistakes do not justify the exaggerated negative perceptions that have been leveled towards Secretary Clinton's judgment and character and brand her as being corrupt.
I say this based on my own experience of working with congressional offices, the state department and embassies for 15 years. In my communication with dozens of these offices, I was regularly given a private email address to use by my contacts in these various offices because of security filters that blocked emails sent to their government email address. As a middle aged woman myself who finds technology intimidating as I am juggling overwhelming demands for my attention on most days, I can honestly say that I can understand how the email server drama came about and likely would have made the similar mistakes if I had been in Secretary Clinton's position. If I had been the target of almost 25 years of the hating Hillary operatives, I can't say that I would not have handled my responses any better either.
In my unique journey in WDC circles, much has been given to me and I believe that much is also required of me which is the motivation for sharing this. All my life, I have tried to help people who are being bullied and treated unfairly. Hillary Clinton has been bullied for far too long, even by fellow Christians while I have stayed quiet as I watched a small but very vocal group of American evangelicals continue to criticize her character and even question her faith and salvation. I can't just sit back and not speak out about what I have seen and know to be true about this public servant, devoted wife, mother, friend to many and yes, to me and millions of evangelicals around the world, she is Sister Hillary, our sister-in-Christ.
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That is why I am speaking out now as I continue to see quotes by well-known evangelical pastors who have congregations, television and radio audiences in the tens of thousands if not millions that proclaim that Hillary is "evil" and Donald Trump is "good". Although she has never been charged with anything that is illegal or indicted on any criminal charges, they convict her anyway and call her a criminal, one of the most corrupt politicians of all time and a lethal threat to our democracy.
These are very serious statements for any follower of Christ to make based on what has been gleaned from the media, individuals, and organizations whose motivation can be questionable at best and in many cases are just mean-spirited and self-serving. This kind of public witness is contrary to everything Jesus taught us about how to treat one another, even someone we consider to be our enemy.
Couple this with evangelical pastors and those in other leadership roles, most who have never met or tried to meet Hillary or even made a good faith effort to research and verify these accusations and judgments. They then use their influence as spiritual leaders to encourage unbiblical ways to handle disagreements among believers and encourage stirring up strife and hindering unity in the Body of Christ.
Many of you reading this may be thinking that Hillary cannot be a Christian because of her political policies on abortion and same-sex marriage? If you believe that the Bible is the holy inspired inerrant word of God, you cannot add to God's word and determine if Hillary, President Obama and yes even if Donald Trump is a true believer based on their political views on abortion or same-sex marriage. We are saved by faith, not works lest any man should boast. You nor I ,cannot know any other person's heart, mind or will. These two controversial issues and how someone views them in the political arena are not litmus tests for salvation.
Many evangelicals like to think they can conclude who is saved and who is not by the "fruits of the Spirit" listed in the book of Galatians . I ask you what kind of fruits of the Spirit has the world seen in "Christian America" during this election? In those who oppose Hillary, how much love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness is seen in Christians who are insisting on "American First"? What I have seen has been better defined as strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, arrogance, hate and a lack of mercy that are condemned by Jesus.
As blessed as we are to live in America where God has shed His grace on Thee and Me, we need to remind ourselves that the halls of Congress, the Supreme Court bench and the Oval Office belong to the State, not the Church. Love and patriotism for our great nation does not justify the idolatrous state of affairs that some evangelicals have created in the political arena today. If we look at how Jesus interacted with government and the culture when He walked on this earth, it is very different from what the moral majority voices are proposing as their idea of what faith in the public square should be. Hillary's opponents may consider themselves the moral majority but their goals that confuse church and state are in a spirit-filled minority if we strive to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow the example He sets for us.
If you have never voiced a sincere heartfelt prayer for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, please start doing this each day. If you can't sincerely do this, ask God to help you have a heart that can pray for His blessings on them and their families and for God to be gracious to them, as He has been to you. Ask God what He would want you to learn from this unusual election that would enable you to have more of the mind of Christ and live with an eternal perspective that seeks to do Christ's Kingdom work through and by the power of the Holy Spirit and not through political parties, elections and government offices. There is nothing in a Christian's political engagement or love for our country that justifies the hateful words and deeds that Hillary Clinton has been subjected to for the past 25 years. Even if you could never see yourself voting for Hillary Clinton, if you are a follower of Jesus, you cannot be a member of anyone's Hate Club, including Hillary Clinton's.
Deborah Fikes is the former advisor to World Evangelical Alliance and former board member for the National Association of Evangelicals. She and her husband founded BASIC Ministries which has been actively engaged in strengthening evangelical churches and assisting with humanitarian aid in South Sudan for the past 13 years.
