A TRUMP PRESIDENCY by David L. Miner

It would appear to many, especially the political pundits, that Donald Trump may very well be the Republican Candidate for President of the United States of America. And the Internet gives all of us plenty of opportunity to like or endorse or reject or hate the man. In doing any of the above, I suggest that Conservative Christians have the hardest job in many years of deciding which of the above options we should pursue.

Is God calling Conservative Christians to refuse to vote for Trump? Can Conservative Christians endorse Donald Trump and look God in the eyes at Judgement? And can Conservative Christians support or vote for a man with the moral and spiritual failures that Trump clearly carries with him? And can Conservative Christians reject Trump's candidacy when knowing that action will result in less votes for Trump, when every vote for Trump cancels out a vote for Hilary Clinton. In other words, withholding a vote for Trump will almost assure four more years of Obama's Socialistic and ungodly policies? Is this the future to which God is calling America?

I have heard people claim on Facebook that the Bible requires Believers to reject Trump for President. I have heard people claim on Facebook that Believers would be in sin to support Trump for President. I even read a comment by one Facebook post that anyone who supports Trump for President would burn in hell. Horse feathers!

What is REALLY facing Conservative Christians in this Presidential Election?

There are several things we can agree on; at least MOST of us can agree on.

Trump is not a true Conservative. I think everyone knows that.

Trump is not a true Christian. I think everyone knows that.

Trump is a POPULIST. I think everyone knows that.

By, definition, a Populist is someone who adopts the values and perspectives of what is popular at that time.

So what has Trump adopted that is popular at this time?

Sean Hanity had an interview last night (05/06/2016) with Newt Gingrich, where Sean listed a string of more than a dozen policies or goals which Trump has claimed he will pursue as President. He then asked Newt, “Which of these things are not Conservative?” Newt admitted that all but one were indeed Conservative goals or policies. Newt commented, “I am not sure I could call building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico truly Conservative, but I would say that most Conservative Americans support the idea.”

The point was clear: Trump was undeniably pursuing a Conservative agenda.

As I see it, the issues which you and I must decide in our own hearts and minds concerning the 2016 Presidential Race fall into 3 categories.

First, are we going to hold Trump to a spiritual ruler – a standard to which America has never held any presidential candidate before? Are we going to reject him because it seems his walk with God is clearly lacking? Is this a requirement that we have applied to all elections in the past, and that we are planning to demand of all candidates in the future? Or is this a requirement for ONLY Trump and for ONLY this election cycle?

But know this: If Conservative and Evangelical America is going to hold Trump to that spiritual measure, then Trump will surely fail. But so has every other candidate in our past, and so will every other candidate in the future. Further, that measuring stick is not allowed by our Constitution. Which then begs the question: Can anyone who is truly Conservative, in the sense of our Founding Fathers, endorse a measuring stick that so clearly violates our Constitution? Can we reject Trump based on an unConstitutional requirement and then quietly go back to calling ourselves Conservative or Constitutional Americans?

“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” [Article 6, Clause 3, U.S. Constitution]

It is a clear violation of our Constitution to require that Trump be a Conservative Christian or we should not vote for him.

Second, can Americans trust a Populist? Will a Populist hold the course in the face of a tide of resistence and disagreement? There is no question about the fact that most and maybe all truly Conservative policies and perspectives are not supported by our current political leaders in Washington, Republican or Democrat, or by many Americans within the States. And there is no question that pretty much ALL Conservative promises made to Conservative Republicans by Republican leaders have been dishonored by those leaders for many years. This is the primary reason why so many Republican voters are endorsing Trump over other good and not so good Republican candidates.

TRUMP COMES FROM OUTSIDE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY! And a lot of Republicans really like that! Since we already know from years of past history that we cannot trust our Conservative Republican leaders to deliver on their Conservative Republican promises, can we trust that Trump will?

And third, are there policies and perspectives which were NOT on Sean's list and are held by Trump but which ARE NOT conservative, or which are unacceptable to Conservatives?

So will Trump keep his promises when pretty much all other Republicans in the last generation have failed to keep theirs? Or will Trump, once lected, run off into some sort of Liberal or crazy direction?

To answer that question, one must either have the Gift of Prophecy or a crystal ball. Which, naturally, has not stopped most Conservatives from already declaing the answer.

But since most Conservative Christians have neither, we have fallen back on the only thing we have left to us – Trump's record.

And to discover Trump's record, all we have to do is visit Facebook.

But can we really get Trump's record from Facebook? For example, we can read on Facebook that Trump University failed. And when we read about that failure, it is almost always in a “news release” that claims some sort of moral or legal failure on the part of Trump caused the failure. Of course, Trump has the legal and moral responsibility for anything that occurred through Trump University. On the other hand, Trump runs several hundred major corporations, and several hundred more smaller business ventures. So where could he POSSIBLY have found the time to personally run Trump University? Naturally, the negative judgement many of us have already concluded presumes that anything and everything NEGATIVE that occurred in Trump University is true and accurate and was personally conducted by Trump himself. IF WE HAVE NOT jumped to that conclusion, then we have decided to wait and see what, if anything, a court of law concludes is truly Trump's actions for which he must pay a penalty.

And very few have decided to wait...

On Facebook we can read about literally dozens of moral failures in Trump's past and possibly present life. But again, almost all these “revelations” come from people who are clearly against Trump. And often these “revelations” can be examined and found false or misleading. In fact, I personally have exposed a number of these “news releases” to be false articles from websites that declare their writings to be false.

It is certainly true that Trump's life does not measure up to any conservative moral litmus test. But perhaps Facebook is not a wise or accurate source for our education about Trump's past and present life...

On the other hand, Trump is clearly guilty of many moral and spiritual failures. And Trump has compounded the problem for not apologizing for any of them. Nor has Trump, according to his own words, pursued God's forgiveness. And if you have watched, like I have, the many news conferences where Trump has addressed these past sins without repentence, you have probably concluded that Trump does not have the walk with God that you would prefer in the White House.

NEWS FLASH PEOPLE: NO CANDIDATE in memory has had the walk with God that we Conservative Christians would prefer in the White House. And the last Conservative Christian there – Jimmy Carter – was a political disaster.

In defense of their views, many Believers claim Biblical principles and even Bibical mandates as a reason to reject Trump. These arguments usually fall into one of two categories: 1) that God has called us to appoint spititual leaders over us, or some variation on that theme; or 2) that we would in some way be endorsing ungodliness if we vote for Trump, or some variation on that theme. So let's address those views.

It is true that God has called us to submit to, support, and even pray for our political leaders. But it is simply not true that God has called us to appoint political leaders who are spiritual or godly. And when I have asked these people to provide a Scripture verse or two in support of their claim, not one of them has done so.

In fact, just the opposite has been true. Several have forwarded to me a few Scripture verses that just might apply here.

"If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” [John 12:47, NASB]

“For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?” [I Corinthians 5:12, NASB]

The truth is, each and every verse that offers or mandates Biblical principles, apply to our personal lives. The Bible doesn't demand that unbelievers live godly lives. And the Bible does not recommend or mandate that Believers elect only godly men or women to be President of the United States of American in the 21^st Century.

It would be GREAT if we did appoint a godly man or woman as President. But in this race, at least, that is impossible. The truth is, we will see either Trump or Clinton in the White House next year. One or the other. Those are our only two choices. No one else can possibly garner the votes in the general election to win the Presidency. So which one would you rather see in the White House?

Some among these conservative Christians have suggested that we should vote for a third party candidate instead of Trump. Well, think about that one for a moment. Certain of these Republicans have put forth a canidate that they deem a better choice than Trump. But this is a problem. If a conservative Christian voted for this Republican alternative, or even for the Libertarian option, then these same conservative Christians are guilty of hypocrisy. They say, “I can't vote for Trump because he does not walk with God. So I will instead votre for an alternative to Trump, who does not walk with God.” Sorry, people, but this option does not work. Logically or spiritually. And even if some justify themselves and proceed to vote for a third option, they will succeed in placing one of the two primary options in the White House anyway. And if enough Conservative Christians vote for a third candidate, ANY third candidate, then almost certainly the next President will be Hilary Clinton.

The second group believes they would somehow be endorsing sin and ungodliness if they vote for Trump. If this is truly a concern for these people, then they obviously have never voted in the past in any federal election. Because all the options in almost every federal election, and most State elections, has offered only normal, everyday, sinners as options. In fact, it would better suit these people and their beliefs if they totally abstain from politics. Fortunately for America, most of these people do not believe they have the option to refrain from politics. What was that comment by one of our Founding Fthers? “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph if for good people to remain silent.”

It is time that Conservative Christians realize that their spiritual measuring stick is a violation of Scripture.

It is time that Conservative Christians realize that their spiritual measuring stick is a violation of our Constitution.

It is time that Conservative Christians realize that their spiritual measuring stick is not wise.

And there is one more issue facing America, which is perhaps the most important issue of all. Under Obama, America has become the most Socialist it has ever been. His Administration violates its Constitutional limitations frequently. Democrats are unashamed in promoting either a self-described Socialist or a closet Socialist for President. Congress passes legislation which violates the Constitution regularly, and almost no one within Congress ever raises the Constitutional violation as reason to vote down the legislation.

If America experiences another four years with a Socialist in the White House, America will see what Socialist Bernie Sanders promises: a revolution. The next President could very well overthrow our Constitutional Republic and create a Socialist government to replace it. And if you listen to what BOTH of the Democratic Candidates promise, that revolution is coming.

So this election is not JUST about which candidate you like. This election is not JUST about which candidate is walking with God. This election is not JUST about Republican versus Democrat.

This election is about the future of our Great Nation. Will America continue down the slippery slope into Socialism? Or will Conservative Americans take America back and allow our new President to move us back toward a Constitutional government?

We KNOW which direction Hilary Clinton has promised to take us. And we know which direction Donald Trump has promised to take us.

This election is not about which candidate to elect. This election is about WHICH DIRECTION does America choose.

It is NOT a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. It is a matter of being just exactly what Jesus called us to be - wise as serpents and gentle as doves.