The presidential election is only a few weeks away. In the last Langstaff letter, I shared what I called the 5 C’s of how a Christian should vote:

  • Conscience
  • Character
  • Competency
  • Concepts (Vision & Values)
  • Choice

I also pointed out that neither Republican nor Democratic parties fully embrace Christian values. Today I want to share my decision on WHO I will vote for and, more importantly, WHY I am voting that way.

I will be voting for Donald Trump for President, and this is why.

CONSCIENCE

Paul, in Romans 14 (NASB), declares, “Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.” So forget about what others might do or tell you to do; one has to be fully convinced in his own mind. This touches on issues that cut across our conscience of what is right and wrong and in harmony with God’s word. I have strong convictions about abortion, with over 60 million abortions since 1973 (lifenews.com), especially in the African American community. Consequently, from a conscience point of view, I can’t vote for someone who supports abortion, especially late-term abortion up until the moment of birth.

There are other issues, but this one is the biggest “conscience” issue for me. Donald Trump has been the best Pro-life President in America.

CHARACTER

Character is important, but not decisive, especially when it refers to actions in the past, particularly prior to becoming President. President Donald Trump has many obvious flaws, but it is amazing to observe how many people who opposed him in the 2016 election now stand with him in spite of his flaws. Take for example, this comment by Daniel Pipes, a columnist for the Washington Times and a former university president.

“If I don’t say so myself, my #NeverTrump bona fides are pretty impressive. Trump and Cruz: guess which one I worked for. I watched in dismay as I helped the Ted Cruz presidential campaign, seeing Republican primary voters select Donald Trump out of a field of 16 viable candidates and make him president-elect. I signed an open letter committing to ‘working energetically to prevent the election of someone so utterly unfitted’ to the presidency and wrote many articles lambasting Trump. I left the Republican party on his nomination and voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson in the general election. After the election, I hoped for Trump’s impeachment and President Mike Pence. In 2016, two matters primarily worried me about Donald Trump: his character and his policies.

The character issue included unethical business practices (Trump University), egotism (“I’m really rich”), litigiousness (3,500 lawsuits, or one every four days), bigotry (against Judge Curiel), and vulgarity. His policies worried me even more: I saw unbridled impulsiveness and worried about neo-fascist tendencies (thus my nickname for him, Trumpolini). . . 

Nearly four years later, Trump’s character still troubles and repels me. If anything, his egotism, disloyalty, and bombast exceed those vices when he was a mere candidate.

But, to my unending surprise, he has governed as a resolute conservative. His policies in the areas of education, taxes, deregulation, and the environment have been bolder than Ronald Reagan’s. His judicial appointments are the best of the past century. His unprecedented assault on the administrative state proceeds apace, ignoring predictable howls from the Washington establishment. Even his foreign policy has been conservative: demanding that allies contribute their fair share, confronting China and Iran, and singularly supporting Israel. Ironically, as David Harsanyi notes, a potential character flaw actually works to our advantage: ‘Trump’s obstinacy seems to have made him less susceptible to the pressures that traditionally induce GOP presidents to capitulate.'”(danielpipes.org)

So, I in no way approve of Trump’s attitude or his speech, especially some, not all, of his tweets. Nevertheless, he has, in spite of his flaws, done more than many previous presidents and also more for the good of America. I am prepared to look beyond his flaws.

COMPETENCY

Trump, in spite of the unfounded criticisms of him, has been a very competent president. He has been given little or no credit in the mainstream media for what he has achieved.

Let’s spell out some of what Trump has accomplished in four short years. Matters related to:

  • Abortion/ProLife
  • Religious Freedom
  • Supreme Court Justices
  • Immigration/Build the Wall/Border Security
  • Military
  • Justice in Relation to Prisoners
  • Law and Order
  • Middle East Peace Initiative/Iran, etc.
  • China Policy
  • Standing Against Socialism/Globalism
  • The Economy/Trade Agreements/Energy Independence
  • And so on…

Trump has kept his promises and done what he said he would do, more so than most, if not all, presidents before him.

Concerning the Covid-19 epidemic, Trump has not been as good as he says he has, but he has not been as bad as his critics claim. His closure of flights from China undoubtedly was a positive move. Also, it should be noted that this all began when Trump was being impeached. Let’s face the fact that no one around the world has been able to master this virus, and people are looking for the arrival of a vaccine. Remember this, no one is alive today who has ever had to deal with a global epidemic like this one. So let us hold off being Monday morning quarterbacks.

CONCEPTS

There are many concepts one could mention here but let’s look at one issue – Israel. What a difference Trump has demonstrated in comparison to previous administrations. Many past presidents have talked about moving the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but they never did. Trump did it and, in turn, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of modern-day Israel. I rate this highly, and this, too, leads me to vote for Trump.

CHOICE

I dare to suggest God might have a choice in this election, so let me tell you what I experienced in this regard. On September 29th, 2016, almost six weeks before the 2016 Presidential Election, I was asleep in bed when my wife woke me up to tell me that one of our congregation, a Minneapolis Police Officer, was in the hospital after an accident when he was responding to a police call. His wife, who had called us, said she would call back to let us know what was happening, so I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for the call, half asleep. As I did, the Spirit of the Lord came down on me, and I received a prophetic word. The word was: “First, Hillary won the first debate, but Trump will win the election. Second, it may not turn out the way people think it will. Third, It will be a mixed blessing as there will be good things, but there will also be chaos and confusion.” At that time, Hillary Clinton was well ahead in the polls, and I wasn’t sure if it was from God or my fleshly ideas. Well, that word turned out to be true even in regard to the chaos and confusion.

In 2019, not sure exactly when I felt I received a word about the 2020 election. It was very short, “Trump will win the election in 2020, but he will not complete the four years.” Now I don’t know what the second part might mean. It could be one of many things: he resigns because of illness, an attack or assassination attempt, another impeachment, a terrorist attack, an accident, and so on. I don’t consider myself a prophet, and if I am wrong about this one particular word, I will acknowledge it.

Simply put, I am voting for Trump because I believe he is a man God is using in America today, and he needs to have another term as President.

LAST WORD

As well known Christian author and commentator, Micheal Brown put it, “As a Trump supporter, I’ve said repeatedly that four more years of Donald Trump will not solve America’s problems” (tristatevoice.com). Trump is not our Savior; Jesus is. But I believe he has been chosen of God to be the man in the moment and to do great things to “Make America Great Again.”

I am voting for Donald Trump.

Let me finish with a comment by the great American revivalist and theologian Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards wrote, “When God has something very great to accomplish for His church it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people” (Edwards, 1832).

Church, it is time to pray, so let us do it.

REFERENCES

https://www.lifenews.com/2020/01/10/61628584-babies-have-been-killed-in-abortions-since-roe-v-wade-in-1973/

http://www.danielpipes.org/19529/a-reluctant-but-unhesitating-vote-for-donald-trump

https://tristatevoice.com/2020/07/28/let-the-president-do-his-part-and-the-let-the-church-do-its-part/

Edwards, J. (1832). Edwards on Revivals: Containing A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northhampton, Massachusetts, A.D. 1735 : Also Thoughts on the Revival of Religion in New England, 1742, and the Way in which it Ought to be Acknowledged and Promoted. United States: Dunning & Spalding.