Trump’s character is not the issue. Why I can't take the character charge seriously
Special Note: These points came from a recent debate on re-electing President Trump. The opening statement can be viewed here, and the full debate here. Take note of the demeanor of those debating. It speaks volumes.
The upcoming election is causing increased division among Christians. It leaves many people confused when some Christians denounce Trump and elevate Biden. Their reasoning goes something like this: “How can you vote for Trump based on his character?” But the real question we should be asking is, “What direction is the country heading spiritually speaking? For now, I’ll address the character question.
Obviously, character is important, but, if a man has decent character according to some, yet believes in infanticide and in euthanizing the disabled, do we look at his character over his policies? Of course not. God doesn’t judge a nation based on the character of one man, but He may judge it based on the spiritual health of her people. Policy often speaks louder than character (although ideally, they should match).
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The President is hated, not because of his character, but because of what he stands for. He is a disruptive force. If the abortion industry, George Soros, most of the media, ANTIFA, and Hollywood are on your side, are you sure that you’re on the right side?
I don’t want to hear about someone's “character” when they think it’s okay to kill a child, even at nine months, and they reject the “born-alive” bill. I’m not concerned with nice tweets when they promote real hate, support sexual perversion, and want to burn down our cities . . . and on and on it goes. What about the last administration who thought it was fine to allow grown men to use restrooms with girls? This is why I can't take the character charge seriously; there is too much hypocrisy.
The media is targeting his character because it’s all they have. One fake narrative is that the President is a racist. For example, when he said, “I’m not talking about neo-Nazi and white nationalists; they should be condemned totally,” the media turned “they should be condemned totally” into “they are very fine people.” What about the media’s character — what makes lying and manipulating ok?
Many, from Herschel Walker to Ben Carson and Kayne West — and also activists such as Clarence Henderson and Bishop Harry Jackson — all know that he is not a racist. As a matter of historical fact, people like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson never said he was a racist until he became the Republican nominee. However, Joe Biden was friends with segregationists and supported the busing of Blacks. He called Black people “super-predators” and wanted to lock them up in the 1990s via the Crime Bill.
Many of us have a lot of grace for President Trump and Joe Biden (like we do for all people). We have all made mistakes, posted things we shouldn’t have, and said things we regret. A Christian isn’t perfect; he is someone who is forgiven and who tries to reflect God’s grace to others.
This debate is not about character, it’s about right and wrong, truth and error, light and darkness. If character is the primary reason to vote for or against a candidate, would the nay-sayers vote for Mike Pence if he was running for the Presidency? You’d be amazed at how many would still say “no.” This is a spiritual battle we are in, and those looking through the right lens, the biblical lens, can see that. Hear a sermon clip here about a horrible and astonishing thing being done in our land.
Let the Facts Speak for Themselves
Donald Trump is a hard-nosed businessman from New York. We all knew this in 2016. Why are many surprised now? But let’s take a look at what he has done from a biblical perspective — this is the true way to gauge success.
1) From China to Russia, and from foreign and internal terrorism, Trump is a terror to those who do evil. Based on Romans 13:3, he is not “Pastor-in-chief, but “Commander-in-chief.” He is also working hard against socialism and globalism. For more on this, read my article, A Biblical View on Borders, Socialism, and Healthcare, here.
2) While the other candidates remain silent, Trump is taking a strong stance against human trafficking and perversion. By the way, did you know that stricter border control has dropped human trafficking by 96% in those areas? Open borders would be like me telling my kids to leave their windows open in case a stranger wants to come in for a warm night’s sleep.
3) Trump is earnestly seeking Godly counsel and listens to them carefully. God’s wisdom is being sought. One pastor said, “He is the only President I have met who really wants to know what the Bible says.” James Dobson, who was opposed to Donald Trump initially, changed his mind after spending some time with him and seeing how Mr. Trump’s kids loved their father. Dobson said, “That spoke volumes; you can’t make your kids love you.” Dobson also commented that Trump is “the most pro-life president that we have ever had.” Ironically, those close to Trump don’t have the same issues with his character as those who don’t know him.
4) Trump supports prayer in schools and in the White House, as well as Bible studies. He understands that “Separation of Church” is a myth; you can’t separate God from government. That is profound.
5) Trump is protecting the unborn from those who applaud killing them. He is also helping minorities in many ways, including positive prison reform by allowing God to be allowed in our prisons again.
6) Trump has appointed solid Supreme Court Judges, and he respects our military and law enforcement officers. He sees the beauty in America's sovereignty, not in globalism or socialism, both of which will ruin our nation for our kids and all the generations to follow them.
7) Trump supports religious liberty. Are you aware that Trump got behind pastors like me, Jack Hibbs, and others when we opened our churches on May 31st after the COVID regulations shut them down?
I hope you caught that: The DOJ sent the governor a strong warning against interfering with churches. That’s the only reason the governor complied. With the wrong person in office, the voice of truth calling the nation to repentance will be silenced, and that’s exactly what they want. At some point, we need to realize that not everything is a conspiracy theory — some things are true.
Who is on Your Side?
I conclude with a powerful analogy: The head of a neighborhood watch program, who took the late-night watches, had previously had an affair years ago, but he watched over the neighborhood diligently each night. Each week he invited church leaders into his home to pray for him and to seek their advice. He often stood against others on the committee who wanted to enact policies harmful to the neighborhood. He was occasionally gruff and impulsive, and sometimes his words were crass and offensive. But wouldn’t you still want him leading your neighborhood watch program?
When it’s all said and done, we need an answer to the question that I opened with: If the abortion industry, George Soros, most of the media, ANTIFA, and Hollywood are on your side, are you sure that you’re on the right side?
I don't know about you, but I am voting for the side who is not burning down our country.
Special Note: With this being the most important election in our lifetime, we made my book, One Nation Above God, available as a free download here. This is a great resource to share with family and friends who are on the fence, and for those questioning America's past.
Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles. Shane's sermons, articles, books, and radio program can all be found at shaneidleman.com or wcfav.org. He is the author of Feasting & Fasting, If My People, Desperate for More of God, and Help! I'm Addicted. Follow him on Facebook at: facebook.com/confusedchurch. You can also follow Pastor Shane on the new free speech platform Parler https://parler.com/profile/ShaneIdleman/posts.
