Thoughts:
Is there room for diversity in the family of God? Jesus says there is.
Not just diversity of race. Not just diversity of the sexes. Not just diversity of culture. Jesus says there is room for diversity of personality and lifestyles, behaviors and choices.
Jesus compared insults directed towards John the Baptist with insults directed towards himself. Because John rejected earthly comforts to such an extreme, he was accused of being demon-possessed. Because Jesus sometimes embraced earthly comforts (and probably even more because he sometimes enjoyed them with misfits), he was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard -- basically, a party animal and hedonist.
Both Jesus and the Baptist focused intensely on pointing people to God. And while those who didn’t really know God rejected and insulted them both, Jesus said that they were both children of Wisdom. Despite their differences.
Fast forward through history... to Trump.
Ever since Trump entered the Republican primaries, Christians have been divided about our response to his candidacy. I was a Never Trump-er. Obviously, many others disagreed with me, including people I cherish and respect. Donald Trump is now our President. And believers supported him strongly in the general election, despite his many and obvious character flaws.
From my perspective as a Never Trump-er, his presidency has gone both far better than I expected (some of his policies/results) AND just as badly as expected (his lies and methods and vitriol). I am still concerned -- daily -- about how President Trump’s flawed character will impact the earthly country I call my home.
But I am more concerned about Jesus’ bride, the church, the children of Wisdom. We seem to have forgotten that Wisdom is proved right by all of us, despite our diverse choices and perspectives. At least, within limits. The limits are what we’re debating.
In December 2019, Mark Galli of Christianity Today wrote an article entitled Trump Should Be Removed from Office. This sparked quite the backlash from Evangelicals who either supported President Trump or at least had doubts that his actions deserved impeachment. Galli took the position that Trump should be removed “by the Senate or by popular vote next election”. President Trump was not removed by the Senate. We have yet to see how the election turns out, but he’s doing well in the primaries.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw several articles circulating among my social media circles. First came an article by Andrew T. Walker, an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS. Full disclosure: this is where I graduated with my M.Div. while joining the membership of a local Southern Baptist church, though Walker was not on the faculty while I was there). Walker’s article explored the various reasons why 81% of fellow religious conservatives voted for Trump in 2016. He had been in the Never Trump camp. But after the election Walker had come to understand (and pleaded with readers to understand) that it was overly simplistic to explain the strong evangelical support for President Trump by painting the religious conservatives who voted for him as racists, nativists, and nationalists. He expressed clearly that he could not defend any of the President’s immoral and sinful behaviors. In fact, he said that Christians who were doing so on cable news represented “the worst of religious conservatism”. He appealed to religious conservatives to maintain their integrity by holding President Trump accountable for lies and abuses, even if they voted for him again in 2020. I found myself appreciating Walker’s willingness to defend his evangelical family, even though he clearly has a hard time stomaching President Trump. I believe his article set a great example of what it looks like for Christians to recognize that wisdom is proved right by all her children. Though he had not voted for Trump, he could see reasons why other believers did. In fact, it sounded as though he might become a “Reluctant Trump” voter this time around.
In response to Walker’s article, Skye Jethani wrote an article challenging the notion that evangelicals--especially white evangelicals--voted for Trump reluctantly and had no other choice (again, full disclosure: Jethani is ordained by the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the denomination that supported my parents as missionaries in West Africa while I was growing up). I appreciated Jethani’s call to remember that believers are not trapped into voting for any earthly political party, even when major moral issues like the humanity of the unborn are part of one party’s platform but not another’s. I was encouraged by statistics he shared via David French that mark the decline of abortions to levels lower than at any time since Roe v. Wade. Jethani summarized and supported John Fea’s thesis that “white evangelicals did not pick Trump in spite of his character but because of it” (italics original to Jethani, I haven't had a chance to read Fea yet). He chided white evangelicals for this reasoning and, if he is correct, they deserve to be rebuked. He cited statistics from the Southern Baptist Convention’s research team at Lifeway that he believes support his position. Jethani pointed out that evangelicals could be making other choices even now, such as joining his former colleague Galli’s call to support Trump’s impeachment. And Jethani made a compelling argument that believers should not support candidates (in this case, Trump) who provide short-term wins at the cost of “systemic, institutional, and constitutional damage… which will have ramifications for decades”.
After reviewing the Lifeway statistics that Jethani cited, I believe that they actually support Walker’s position better than Jethani’s (if you care to know why, feel free to ask me). In other words, I'm not convinced that most white evangelicals picked Trump because of his character, which is Jethani's conviction.
Not just diversity of race. Not just diversity of the sexes. Not just diversity of culture. Jesus says there is room for diversity of personality and lifestyles, behaviors and choices.
Jesus compared insults directed towards John the Baptist with insults directed towards himself. Because John rejected earthly comforts to such an extreme, he was accused of being demon-possessed. Because Jesus sometimes embraced earthly comforts (and probably even more because he sometimes enjoyed them with misfits), he was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard -- basically, a party animal and hedonist.
Both Jesus and the Baptist focused intensely on pointing people to God. And while those who didn’t really know God rejected and insulted them both, Jesus said that they were both children of Wisdom. Despite their differences.
Fast forward through history... to Trump.
Ever since Trump entered the Republican primaries, Christians have been divided about our response to his candidacy. I was a Never Trump-er. Obviously, many others disagreed with me, including people I cherish and respect. Donald Trump is now our President. And believers supported him strongly in the general election, despite his many and obvious character flaws.
From my perspective as a Never Trump-er, his presidency has gone both far better than I expected (some of his policies/results) AND just as badly as expected (his lies and methods and vitriol). I am still concerned -- daily -- about how President Trump’s flawed character will impact the earthly country I call my home.
But I am more concerned about Jesus’ bride, the church, the children of Wisdom. We seem to have forgotten that Wisdom is proved right by all of us, despite our diverse choices and perspectives. At least, within limits. The limits are what we’re debating.
In December 2019, Mark Galli of Christianity Today wrote an article entitled Trump Should Be Removed from Office. This sparked quite the backlash from Evangelicals who either supported President Trump or at least had doubts that his actions deserved impeachment. Galli took the position that Trump should be removed “by the Senate or by popular vote next election”. President Trump was not removed by the Senate. We have yet to see how the election turns out, but he’s doing well in the primaries.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw several articles circulating among my social media circles. First came an article by Andrew T. Walker, an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS. Full disclosure: this is where I graduated with my M.Div. while joining the membership of a local Southern Baptist church, though Walker was not on the faculty while I was there). Walker’s article explored the various reasons why 81% of fellow religious conservatives voted for Trump in 2016. He had been in the Never Trump camp. But after the election Walker had come to understand (and pleaded with readers to understand) that it was overly simplistic to explain the strong evangelical support for President Trump by painting the religious conservatives who voted for him as racists, nativists, and nationalists. He expressed clearly that he could not defend any of the President’s immoral and sinful behaviors. In fact, he said that Christians who were doing so on cable news represented “the worst of religious conservatism”. He appealed to religious conservatives to maintain their integrity by holding President Trump accountable for lies and abuses, even if they voted for him again in 2020. I found myself appreciating Walker’s willingness to defend his evangelical family, even though he clearly has a hard time stomaching President Trump. I believe his article set a great example of what it looks like for Christians to recognize that wisdom is proved right by all her children. Though he had not voted for Trump, he could see reasons why other believers did. In fact, it sounded as though he might become a “Reluctant Trump” voter this time around.
In response to Walker’s article, Skye Jethani wrote an article challenging the notion that evangelicals--especially white evangelicals--voted for Trump reluctantly and had no other choice (again, full disclosure: Jethani is ordained by the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the denomination that supported my parents as missionaries in West Africa while I was growing up). I appreciated Jethani’s call to remember that believers are not trapped into voting for any earthly political party, even when major moral issues like the humanity of the unborn are part of one party’s platform but not another’s. I was encouraged by statistics he shared via David French that mark the decline of abortions to levels lower than at any time since Roe v. Wade. Jethani summarized and supported John Fea’s thesis that “white evangelicals did not pick Trump in spite of his character but because of it” (italics original to Jethani, I haven't had a chance to read Fea yet). He chided white evangelicals for this reasoning and, if he is correct, they deserve to be rebuked. He cited statistics from the Southern Baptist Convention’s research team at Lifeway that he believes support his position. Jethani pointed out that evangelicals could be making other choices even now, such as joining his former colleague Galli’s call to support Trump’s impeachment. And Jethani made a compelling argument that believers should not support candidates (in this case, Trump) who provide short-term wins at the cost of “systemic, institutional, and constitutional damage… which will have ramifications for decades”.
After reviewing the Lifeway statistics that Jethani cited, I believe that they actually support Walker’s position better than Jethani’s (if you care to know why, feel free to ask me). In other words, I'm not convinced that most white evangelicals picked Trump because of his character, which is Jethani's conviction.
But for now, that’s not the point. The point is that both Jethani and Walker are children of God displaying the wisdom of God, even though they seem to be at odds with each other. Both of them clearly call Christians to follow Jesus over any political party. Both of them clearly rebuke Christians who defend Trump’s corrupt speech and behavior (especially if those same Christians would have rebuked a Democrat for the behaviors they defend in Trump). They differ as to how catastrophic Trump’s presidency has been and will be, but want the same things out of Christians:
- Put Jesus first.
- Don't ignore inconvenient truths, and definitely don't whitewash them.
- Walk with integrity.
- Hold fellow believers accountable.
- If you're going to hold politicians accountable to high moral standards, then do so even when they're on your political team.
Walker was willing to give white evangelicals more benefit of the doubt than Jethani. But this same wisdom was flowing from both brothers. Both were issuing a warning in line with God’s word to Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isa. 5:20).
So if wisdom is proved right by all God’s children, does that mean anything goes for believers?
No.
Another article I read shared news of a more alarming public dispute. According to Bonnie Christian, a small (but powerful and vocal) group of Southern Baptist leaders is trying to have Russell Moore removed from being president of their Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). For what? For criticizing President Trump. I do not know Russell Moore personally, but when I attended SBTS it became clear that he is the kind of man who is in the habit of being as faithful to Jesus and to the Bible as he knows how to be.
Let's go back to the concept we started with: Wisdom is proved right by all her children.
That’s harder to see here. If Bonnie Christian’s article is correct, a small group of Southern Baptist pastors and leaders is attacking Russell Moore for being faithful. If she’s correct, they’re calling Trump’s visibly and audibly horrible character (Luke 6:45) good, and they’re calling Moore’s visibly and audibly good character evil. For what? For daring to comment on their chosen politician’s flaws, even as he prays for the good of our President and our country. For doing exactly what they should be doing.
When we cross the line and start confusing good and evil, calling good ‘evil’ and evil ‘good’, we have stepped outside the bounds of wisdom. We may still be God’s children, thanks to the outlandish grace we receive through Jesus. And we may still display God’s wisdom in other areas of our lives. But in whatever areas we call good ‘evil’ and evil ‘good’, we display folly. Not wisdom.
So to the extent that these spiritual leaders continue to promote Jesus as the one true God and hope in people’s lives, they are acting in wisdom. To the extent that they gloss over our President’s public disrespect for humans made in God’s image, they are not acting in wisdom. To the extent that they challenge Jesus’ people to seek God’s guidance in their voting and to trust Jesus with the results, they are acting in wisdom. To the extent that they oppose and persecute brothers and sisters whose faithfulness to truth threatens their own access to political power, they are not acting in wisdom. To the extent that they humbly confess their sins and seek God’s grace, they are acting in wisdom.
I hope and pray that Bonnie Christian is mistaken. But if she is right, we need to pray for these men the same thing we pray for ourselves. May we all call evil ‘evil’. May we call good ‘good’. May we know the difference because we have been redeemed by Jesus and have received his Spirit. May we be charitable towards one another as followers of Jesus, trusting that wisdom can be proved right both through brothers and sisters who voted for Trump and through brothers and sisters who voted against him. May we trust that Jesus can redeem both Republicans and Democrats. May we trust that God will do good through people who aren’t good, and may we trust that Jesus will do good through fellow believers even if we disagree with them.
Posts
