Random Thoughts on the 2016 Presidential Race

          I'm not going to engage in a lengthy debate or argument on the Presidential race, but I do have a few random thoughts to contribute. Before those, I will say this. I do not look to politics or the future of the United States as my ultimate hope; my hope is in God and in the Christ who saved me from my sins, made me his brother and servant, and whose grace, love, and forgiveness are the measure of my relationships with others. I do love the United States and its heritage of faith and freedom; I am proud of the ways in which we have blessed the world, despite mistakes along the way. People want to come here to share in that heritage, and I will do all I can to preserve and restore it, despite those who hate much of that very freedom, prosperity, and faith, assuming of course that God doesn't have other plans.

1. As we are called to love our enemies and not to judge lest we be judged, I believe hating Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or any other candidate or leader is unacceptable for believers. I also reject calling any of them evil (although I'm sometimes tempted by the President's choices); that requires seeing more than the outward appearance, and only God sees the heart. I thoroughly reject Clinton for both her criminal and grossly dishonest behavior and for her ideology. I have rarely agreed with Obama's actions as President.  I may not agree with Trump in everything, and he wasn't my first choice. I am not afraid of him, despite everyone who tries to portray him as Hitler, Mussolini, or some other oppressor.  I'm not saying I trust him either--I am cautious with my trust in candidates and politicians--but will give him the benefit of the doubt..  
2. Since it appears unavoidable that one of them will be President, I will vote for the better one (no not the less evil one!). I believe a strong leader who can function despite the politically correct attacks being made is good; we need to destroy the tyranny of political correctness. I believe a leader who will make every effort to deal with our out of control immigration system and virtually non-existent border is much needed, and no, it's not about race but security. It's time someone began working to reign in out of control spending, too, and start paying down the national debt before we drown in it. I prefer the uncertain choice he might make of justices for the Supreme Court over the certainly liberal choices that Hillary would make. Plus I believe Obamacare needs to go, as the Republicans promised but reneged in even trying to do. I believe Trump has valuable experience from which to draw as it relates to finance, spending, and trade; I believe he is capable of finding expertise in areas where he is not experienced.
3. Yes, I know Trump is loud and even obnoxious at times. He reminds me of the Apostle Peter, who often allowed his zeal to overrun his mouth. Yet Jesus chose Peter to lead the apostles; I'm thinking he wouldn't have gotten many of our votes, were that possible. For that matter, many of us would have rejected Jesus, who never condemned Caesar, Pontius Pilate, or Herod. Jesus was and is about loving, redeeming, and forgiving, not judging and condemning. A day for judgment will come, but for now we're here to show the loving, sacrificial Jesus to the world, the one who allowed a Peter to serve and then helped him become that man he wanted. I believe he can use Donald Trump; those who know him have much that is good to say about him. And he's too blunt to be much of a liar, and I like that.
4. I have little patience for Christians who judge public figures and celebrities they've never met and do not actually know. Much of what such Christians do is nothing more than gossip. It is not redemptive, nor loving, nor even kind. It makes us all look bad, and it does not serve God. Gossip is an attempt to make the gossiper look good, but of course they do not. I find the rabid opponents of Trump as disgusting as his rabid supporters. Neither give me an accurate or helpful picture of the man himself.
5. We are not choosing a king. Are any Americans like the Jews demanding a king as they did when God gave them Saul? By and large, I think not. Civic ignorance is leaving a door open to misunderstanding about the roles of the President, Congress, and the Court, and Obama has certainly set some undesirable precedents. Sadly Republicans and conservatives in Congress have been passive or worse. I urge you to put some effort into electing good members of Congress who will balance whomever is elected President, and, of course, liberally bathe the entire business in prayer.
6. Entirely too much of the garbage being believed and repeated is coming from Republican elites whose own dishonesty and failures have given rise to Trump's candidacy. We voted for those who promised to address what Trump is addressing; they did not. They did not even bother to explain or even show an effort. So the people are making a choice, one not popular with those same elites. Is there a risk that he won't follow through? In politics, there is always a risk, but those who lie and prove unfaithful will bear the responsibility for it before God. Still there is evidence to suggest there is a decent man under his brash exterior, one who loves his country, and one who is admired by those who know him well.  I also thought this article by Newt Gingrich was helpful.
7. If judging and condemning candidates isn't enough, people love to judge their supporters, too. Trump had no chance of winning, we were told over and over again, and yet he seems to have won the nomination. For those who regard him as a bad choice, the wrong choice, and worse, his supporters must also be bad, wrong headed, and any number of other labels. The same pundits now warn of dire consequences if Trump becomes President, so terrible that they will vote for Hillary or for no one. I am highly suspicious of those who make that choice and why. Others will stay home and not vote at all, thereby passively supporting Hillary. In other words, they will punish the country for daring to go against their wisdom and judgment. Do any of them recognize that their threats are not particularly admirable or persuasive?
   From a different angle, people will judge the candidate by the very worst of his or her supporters; that's like judging all Christians by the God Hates Fags group or by the pastor who gets caught in doing evil. Now if such outliers are openly and intentionally invited or fostered, that would be a different, although in politics, it would be unusual to turn away willing voters; rather their extremism would simply be ignored. After all, candidates ignoring voter wishes aren't unusual; it's how we got where we are in 2016.
8. We are not Israel, and we are not God's chosen nation. I believe the influence of God's people has led to God's blessing. I don't even know if it was a majority; often it is only a remnant of God's people whose faithfulness and prayer lead to his blessing and favor for the rest and even extending to the world beyond. Is there still a truly faithful remnant? Only God knows for sure. I am sure that many of the most vocal are not, not when they spout judgment and anger and neglect love and forgiveness. We will not be electing a holy man of God, unless he is remarkably quiet about his faith; too many would reject such a man. I was more impressed with the reserved character of Ronald Reagan than the openly Baptist Jimmy Carter, who was a big government socialist. So to you who are or would be the faithful, devote yourselves to prayer for the country, the candidates, and our elected leaders, now serving and yet to serve, instead of the endless attacks and dark predictions.
9. During much of my life, apocalyptic believers have predicted the end times. A Sunday School teacher once asked how many felt Jesus would return before the end of the millennium or even sooner. I said I did not feel that, but that my feelings were irrelevant. Neither the teacher nor the others agreed with me, yet here we are, some 45 years later. God's program will proceed on his timetable; till then, as long as I live, I will seek to be a restraining presence as one of his disciples. I will prophetically call believers to repentance and faithfulness, grace, forgiveness and love. I will challenge materialistic, narcissistic, and hedonistic values and behavior. When some will suggest that the government is taking away our freedom to worship, I will suggest that many of us have simply surrendered it, enjoyed an easy life of comparative wealth, and avoided any discomfort that might come from sharing and defending the Gospel and the Christian life. I wonder, over the years, how many believers came into contact with either Trump or Clinton and used the opportunity to benefit from their power and wealth rather than influence them with a loving experience of true Christianity? I wonder how often they see the hateful and dismissive attitudes of Christians now with little to recommend a change of heart?
10. One final thing...I believe Hillary is opposed to Christians and the Church, much like Obama has proven to be. I see no evidence to suggest that Trump is. I believe he respects Christianity with a Roman Catholic perspective but has missed some of the basics. Attacks or name-calling by Christians will not change that, but they could drive him away. Believe he is unsaved? Then pray for his salvation, pray for God to bring a trusted and influential believer into his inner circle, and pray to mold the clay into the man He desires and that we need. How dare anyone say, “Once a wolf, always a wolf”? You deny Jesus in those words, and you deny his power to change lives. I must be careful, because it's easy to overlook the same word applied to Hillary. I am disappointed to hear so many suggest that it's too late, for a particular person or for the United States. With God, all things are possible, and it's never too late!

Please don't assail me with a litany of faults, failures, and arguments that “prove” Mr. Trump is the next Hitler. Nor is he the Antichrist whom, when he comes, I expect to be loved and celebrated. I've been paying attention and doubt I have missed much if anything said about the man. Frankly I'm tired of seeing the accusations and “I told you so”s. I fear many Christians are showing a very unattractive view of God's people and not bringing glory to the person and name of Jesus. Some often ask, “What would Jesus do?” I don't believe he would attack and condemn, even as he spoke the truth with love. You think you see a bad man. You do, right here. I am a bad man, one redeemed by the grace, love, and forgiveness of Jesus, paid on an instrument of torture.  It's hard to acknowledge one's own faults and point out the faults of others.  It's hard to condemn and, at the same time, preach the love of Jesus.

To be honest, I am weary of the negativity, especially from Christians. Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” I don't see anywhere that we are to preach gloom and doom, to proclaim that leaders are evil, or act as Old Testament prophets of an undetermined future that only God knows. I've always thought that the United States held a unique place in God's economy, where we the people chose our leaders while God sovereignly appointed them. We know from the Bible that God has used less than admirable people to accomplish his will, and that gives me great peace about our future. I don't think our country needs our political insight; most of us aren't that insightful. Our country does need Biblical apologists for truth who know how and will make the case for the superiority of Biblical values, not by quoting verses that others don't recognize as truth, but by demonstrating the merits of those very ideas. That's what the founders did and why their influence has lasted this long. We need a new generation of such men and women who are well read, thoughtful, and coherent communicators who are, above all, loving, patient, strong in faith, but gentle in demeanor. Our culture has become one of broken faith, alienation, self-absorption, and desperate loneliness, one I believe is hungry for the love, fellowship, and community that should be the Church. Sadly Christians who are rabid supporters or opponents of Bernie, Hillary, or Trump will never reach those hungry Americans.