Does the Support for the Presidency of Donald Trump Hinder Efforts of Racial Reconciliation?
John Piper recently said that evangelical support for the presidency of Donald Trump is hindering efforts of racial reconciliation. That could, in fact, be true. However, if it is true, it does not mean that it is morally wrong to support Donald Trump. There are many things that evangelicals support that can damage reconciliation with other groups. For example, saying that homosexual relationships are wrong hinders efforts of reconciliation with the homosexual community, who often will not even have a discussion with that as a starting point.
The assumption by those such as Piper that supporting someone who is "reckless" like Trump is wrong begs questions. Which recent presidential candidates have been "worthy" of evangelical support? Establishment dynasty candidate George W. Bush? Mormon Mitt Romney? Late-term abortion lover Hillary Clinton? Who determines what makes a candidate that evangelicals should support? Should the candidate be free from sin? That would disqualify everyone. Many do not like Donald Trump because of his poor decorum. In fact, it appears the mainstream media spend most of their time reporting on the decorum of Trump. Most politicians are masters of outside appearances. That is all that matters to most of the media. When searching for the truth, one must look beyond the outside (Matthew 23:35). We know that everyone is sinful on the inside (Romans 3:23). The darkness of the world becomes more apparent with every sexual abuse allegation that is coming to light.
That does not mean we should vote for anyone because we are all sinners. However, the attitude that we should smugly judge others for their candidate choices is preposterous.
There is a multitude of reasons evangelicals voted for Trump. Many white evangelicals have real problems and were dissatisfied with the establishment, despite what the mainstream media wants you to believe. Trump had more votes from minorities than Mitt Romney did. Did supporting Mitt Romney hurt the witness of evangelicals? Many minority voters were able to see past the false narrative that Donald Trump is a racist and voted for him. Trump repeatedly disavowed the KKK, and the media continued to report that he did not. Trump was praised by Jesse Jackson for work with blacks in the 1990s. You won't see the media make much mention of it.
Voting and supporting someone does not mean endorsing everything they do. That is silly. As Bernie Sanders once said, "I can't be held responsible for everything his followers do." Similarly, we can't be held responsible for everything Trump does. We had imperfect candidates to choose from, and they will do imperfect things.
The evidence that Donald Trump is a racist is not exactly clear-cut. I do not believe it is true. I believe I am standing for the truth. That may hurt my witness. Standing for truth can do that at times. If you don't believe it is true, that is your right, and you could even be correct. It's hard to tell in a post-truth world, where it's difficult to trust most sources. I will keep standing for my convictions and assisting minorities and all people, as any Christian is commanded to do.
