Congratulations, Mr. President, on the stunning events of yesterday’s election. You shocked the world.
Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows that not only did I not vote for you but I expressed in the strongest terms my belief that you were not qualified to be president, that I was disgusted by your behavior, disagreed with many of your positions, distrusted your sincerity even on positions we held in common such as the pro-life position, and generally disdained your personality, deportment, and conversation. Sir, I determined last summer that this day should not come and that I would speak out strongly against your candidacy, regardless of what anyone said about it or thought of me for it. I have done that and do not regret my stand. I followed my conscience before my Lord and have been a consistent, relentless, inexorable voice of negativity about you and your candidacy.
That all ends today.
America has chosen you as president, but my Bible tells me something even more significant. The God who is sovereign over human affairs sets up one and takes down another. I have not changed my mind on anything I said or anything I believed, but according to Romans 13, you have been placed in authority by God and I must now show proper respect and honor for your office and you, the man who occupies that office. Though you were not the man I would have chosen for the Oval Office, the American people and the God I worship have spoken.
That does not mean that all you do is of God. God raises up some leaders to bless a people and others to punish them or as an act of judgment. Whether you are a blessing or a judgment on our nation is yet to be determined. I pray that my fears will be allayed and you will prove to be a mercy of the Almighty on this nation I love so much.
My duty before my God is clear.
I am not going to offer you advice or give admonitions today. Frankly, after all I have said in criticism of you it would be crass for me to give you advice. You do have my commitment that I will seek to fulfill my biblical responsibilities as a Christian, as a pastor, and as a man of God toward the duly elected president of the United States.
I am commanded by God’s word to respect you and to submit to you as a servant of God (Romans 13). As an American citizen, I will continue to feel free to disagree with your actions and even to respectfully express that disagreement. I will seek to do so in a much different way than I have during your candidacy. Never again, as long as you are president, will I engage in the kinds of pejorative and derogatory criticism I did during the election. I will seek to respect your office and you as the office holder as I am commanded to do.
I will be praying for you, Mr. Trump, that God will bless you as president. I have some concerns about your faith, your reluctance to admit your need to repent and admit your sin, and some of your statements about the faith. I have concerns about some of your views. And I have to believe you are walking into a relentless buzzsaw of stress and pressure. As passionately and faithfully as I have criticized you, I will pray for you over the next four years.
- I pray that God will bring you to real and deep faith in him.
- I pray that God will show you the beauty and joy of repentance and the spiritual renewal it brings.
- I pray that God will reveal to you the power of dependence on the sovereign of heaven. We only win by losing, by dying to self and living to Christ. I pray God will show you that.
- I pray that God will give you a deep desire to know the word of God and to live your life according to all it teaches.
- I pray that God will give you a heart for the unborn, for the helpless, for the refugees and outcasts, for those whom life has damaged and abused, for people of every race and background.
- I pray that God will bless your family – I can only imagine the struggles you will face living in the fishbowl of the White House.
- I pray you will listen to the wise voices around you and learn to ignore those voices that speak deceitful words of darkness.
- I pray that you will fulfill your commitment to protect religious freedom, individual freedoms and the constitution of this great country.
- Sir, I will pray for you – your health, your inner peace, your joy, and your wisdom day by day.
Mr. President-elect, I have stood strongly against you – as strongly as I have ever stood against any politician in my life. But now that America has spoken and God has seen fit to elevate you to this noble place as the 45th president of the United States, you have my prayers, my support, and my hopes that you will so far exceed my expectations that I look back at my opposition to you as a season of foolishness.
This is a great nation and and it needs greatness in the oval office. I pray that you will rise to the occasion and be the man we need. May you succeed in your leadership beyond even your supporters’ expectations and hopes.
God bless president-elect Donald Trump.
Obviously, if things change, this post will disappear, but it seems only a matter of time until PA, or Michigan, or Arizona, or one of those states is called and things are finally settled.
Feel free to discuss the race, but we would do better to begin our efforts at reconciliation instead of seeking to skewer one another.
One thing I learned – I’m giving up any hopes of being a prognosticator.
I have to admit that watching MSNBC is pretty fun – these guys will need serious therapy.
Amen to that!
I was certain my write in vote for John Kasich was going to turn the tide!!
I knew I was only going to bat .500 since I didn’t want either one of them to win, but I think the huge issue that comes out of this race is this: Small town America still has power to shape the country. That is definitely a positive outcome, even if not 100% positive.
Would any of your piece be different if Hil had won?
Guess Russell Moore shouldn’t be checking his inbox for a White House invitation anytime soon. Falwell the Lesser gets the early visit to the Lincoln bedroom.
Shocking. Plodder’s reductionism of last night: Clinton fatigue won the day for trump.
I had planned to write a piece like this regardless of who won. It would have been different, I am sure.
To be honest, as I watched returns last night I found mysl
…elf nodding off?
Greg, you almost owed me a new keyboard. The coffee I spewed when I read your comment barely missed!
I wonder if Russell Moore will write a note similar to this? In and out in 2-3 hours with little to no interaction.
http://www.russellmoore.com/2016/11/09/president-trump-now-church/
This is a good response.
“The 2016 presidential election is now over, and, in what very few could ever have imagined, Donald Trump is elected President of the United States.”
What very few? This election was not a squeaker. Trump beat Clinton soundly in the Electoral College. It looks like Clinton will have only won 16 states when all is counted.
“The most important lesson we should learn is that the church must stand against the way politics has become a religion, and religion has become politics.” says the SBC’s political lobbyist.
Typical Moore..
Great article by Moore!
I haven’t read it.
Moore is misguided, and is wondering around in right field…”The sort of conservatism that many of us had hoped for—a multiethnic, constitutionally-anchored, forward-looking conservatism—has been replaced in the Republican Party by something else.” Says who?
Its been replaced by neo-nationalism/ or Nationalistic populism…whichever term you prefer.
President-elect Trump’s acceptance speech was an outstanding speech full of humility and grace. The media is in mourning this morning.
Moore, a fuller quote:
“The most important lesson we should learn is that the church must stand against the way politics has become a religion, and religion has become politics. We can hear this idolatrous pull even in the apocalyptic language used by many in this election—as we have seen in every election in recent years—that this election is our “last chance.” And we can hear it in those who assume that the sort of global upending we see happening in the world—in Europe, in the Middle East, and now in the United States—mean a cataclysm before which we should panic.
Such talk is not worthy of a church that is already triumphant in heaven, and is marching on earth toward the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ. Will we face difficult days ahead? Yes. The religious liberty concerns will continue. The cultural decline we have warned against is now part of every ideological coalition in the country. But the question we must ask is who “we” are.”
He’s right on this.
Dave,
To clarify my position this morning, between Russell Moore’s *post-election Trump reconciliation article* and yours here, I sincerely prefer the prayerful and conciliatory tone of yours. Well done, and I mean that.
I want to echo Rick’s statement, Dave. I think Moore’s article was typical Moore politics as usual, while yours came across genuine, especially since we all know your distaste for Trump. Thanks for the article.
Agreed. Dave’s letter has a more humble slant to it, providing a good perspective we should have this morning. Dr. Moore should have consulted with Dave before he drafted his piece ;^)
Gracious words, Dave. May every American Christian, in pulpit and pew, take the same position this morning. We have all embarked on a new journey together.
To be clear. I do not regret my stand against Trump – I did it out of principle and conviction. I am doing nothing here that is different than what I have done in the past.
Though blogging wasn’t around, I never publicly engaged in ridicule against Bill Clinton, and I encouraged others to be more careful in guarding their words. I have avoided ridicule against Obama publicly and I’ve refused to engage in the kind of nonsense like “He’s a Muslim” and other nutjob type things.
What I’m doing here is no reversal.
I will admit there is one difference. In the past I’ve not been faithful to pray for Clinton or Obama, and I want to be more faithful in that with this president.
Please forgive me if I gave the impression you were reversing your policies or being wishy washy. Deeply held convictions do not change overnight. I do not believe for a moment that either you or Moore have changed your politics.
The “change” or “reversal” I noticed was simply one of tone and posture in addressing President-Elect Trump today compared with the tone and posture used when he was merely Candidate Trump.
And let me reemphasize that I truly appreciate and applaud your present tone and posture. In fact, I believe it is exemplary.
Very principled and gracious words. I appreciate them and find them helpful.
Very good post Dave.
Well . . . that seems to sum matters up pretty well.
I know this won’t be popular but I’m inclined to cut the media some slack here. At least a little They are human beings just like the rest of us. I couldn’t help but be moved by Van Jones’ reaction to the Trump victory. White America has spoken, and that’s fine. A lot of people, especially in rural areas, have been anxious about the potential for lost freedoms, a move away from traditional values, and the skyrocketing costs of healthcare, and felt shut out of the political process. But I can’t help but feel that there are a whole lot of non-white Americans out there who feel like their country has just become a much unfriendlier place. I hope they are wrong. I think it behooves us all to try to make sure they are wrong.
I am pleased to have voted for Mr. Trump. He is far from the model or preferred candidate. But I am elated as his victory, and the possibility it brings.
He was convictional, even against strong odds. He had Republicans, Democrats, the media, multi-national corporations, Wall Street, and some conservative religious leaders against him.
He had no political experience. He spent a lot of his own money.
The people of this country want a different direction. That’s what they voted for.
The irony of this is that Mr. Trump’s first act will probably be to give conservatives and evangelicals something that no other candidate on the Republican side could have given them – a good pick on the Supreme Court.
Beyond that, it will be interesting to see what Trump does. One thing’s for sure. I don’t expect him to pander or act neutered.
Dave, I am glad that you followed your convictions.
I am also glad that other sincere Christians voted for Trump. And if the reports are correct, evangelicals came out big for Trump. That was because they did not like the current direction of the country. They were voting for the best chance they had.
While I agree with each sentence in Dr. Moore’s piece, I think that the overall tone sounds lecturing. Yesterday’s vote was not about nativism or racism. We need to see beyond that.
This was about people being concerned about the present and future of their country. We should not use language that, even unintentionally, suggests otherwise.
I think there’s a genuine concern about nativism and racism that was always part of the Trump movement. There were several streams of Trump voters.
*The alt-right movement. They scare me. They have a nativist, racist bent. They really do. And they were a powerful force in the Trump movement. I’m not saying Trump will govern FOR them, or that everyone who voted for him supports that, but to ignore the dangers of racism in the Trump movement is foolish.
*The anti-Hillary movement. Trump wouldn’t have beaten someone less despised than Hillary.
*The “save the court” movement.
*the “vote pro-life” movement. Somewhat the same as the save the court movement.
There were some others, but these were the ones I encountered.
All of that to say, nativist and racist elements among supporters of Trump are a real concern that should not be discounted.
To the extent there are Nativist and racist elements among the supporters of Trump, they are present among the supporters of Clinton and the Democrats, even more so, because their racism is a matter of policy.
And no one is telling Democrats today that they need to watch out for their nativists and racist elements.
This is a rhetorical trap that conservatives often fall into.
For example, Dems make special and specific racial appeals to groups – on the basis of race.
You will be hard pressed to find Trump appealing to race. His appeals were never racially based. They were based on preserving constitutional democracy and the rule of law and jobs for all. All races were welcome.
Dems also oppose voter ID laws which are designed to prevent fraud by people who should not be voting in US elections. How do the Dems oppose these laws? Not by appealing on behalf of groups from outside the US. They appeal on the basis of African Americans. And the argument goes like this – “Blacks don’t drive cars. They don’t have drivers licenses. Blacks are too stupid to get ID cards that states issue for free to people who don’t drive.” And on and on.
Dems in big cities keep the African Americans and other racial minorities trapped in bad schooling.
Dems also support groups that have aborted large numbers of unborn African American children. So much so, that many of these abortion providers are located in the African American parts of town. Margaret Sanger was very explicit in her desired to see the growth rate of African American decline through the use of abortion.
I could go on.
But there is a difference in noting that some voters who are not progressive on racial issues support a particular candidate for a variety of reasons, and then projecting onto that candidate the attitudes of some who may support him.
Clinton just a couple of hours ago and lots of pundits last night were stating or implying that Trump and those who elected him have some nativist or racist agenda or that the election was about that.
That is a rhetorical device meant to diminish Trump’s victory and future status.
Evangelicals should not be fooled by this or join the chorus.
There seems to be little point in continuing this. I think Trump pandered to nativist and racist elements in his campaign and my hope and prayer is that he will not do that as he governs.
Trump pandered to nativist and racist elements in his campaign
No question. To many Trump supporters (certainly not all), Make America Great Again means Make America White Again. I’m not sure Trump even believes that, but he adroitly exploited some people’s fears over the browning of America.
Just read the best political stat ever!
If a county has a Cracker Barrel, Trump won 76% if the time.
If it has a Whole Foods, he only won 22%.
That is an indication of rural vs. urban vote.
It’s pretty obvious that urban voters are more liberal.
That’s like saying if a county has a fine art museum and a symphony, it voted for Clinton.
If it had a gun range, it voted for Trump.
Cracker Barrel or Whole Foods is indicative of Bubbaville vs. Bubbleville. Personally, I got rather tired of the media slash on “uneducated” rural voters. I have known several “uneducated” folks who have achieved remarkable success in life. The problem with so many of the highly educated is that they don’t have lick of common sense.
This country was built on the backs of the blue-collared and, boy, did they set the country straight this week! Millions of folks in fly-over Americana for the first time in recent memory now have a glimmer of hope for the future. Across the amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesties and fruited plain, we woke up on Wednesday morning to rejoice that God had shed His grace on us. From sea to shining sea, the real America outside of Bubbleville is rejoicing if you have ears to hear.
And while we are on the subject, consider the following billionaires who only had a high school diploma:
Mark Zuckerman (Facebook)
Bill Gates (Microsoft)
Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder)
Steve Jobs (Apple)
Steve Wozniak (Apple co-founder)
Larry Ellison (Oracle)
Harold Hamm (Oil & gas entrepreneur)
David Green (Hobby Lobby)
Dave Thomas (Wendy’s)
Several CEOs of Fortune 500 companies
… and the list goes on
Besides having great ideas, all of these folks knew how to work. If education is not accompanied by perspiration, it doesn’t get you far. By the way, Trump only has a lowly B.S. degree in economics … and is now the most powerful man on the planet! I think I will pray for him.
There’s no question that the so called “elites” have looked down upon rural, uneducated America. But it goes both ways. A lot of people in Bubbaville have a great deal of scorn for and a feeling of superiority over city folks, or the educated. I had a friend (now deceased) who taught at a small, backwoods Christian school. He told me of students who would be pulled out of school 6 months before they graduated because their family didn’t want them getting all uppity.
Sometimes God chooses an unlikely person to accomplish His will; Jephthah, John Baptist, Simon Peter, etc. Folks who may be a little crude and don’t fit our refined ways. Maybe God enjoys shaking things up every now and then. God can strike a mighty blow with a crooked stick.
And maybe Jerry Falwell, Jr., Robert Jeffress, Franklin Graham and many other evangelicals were not so wrong after all.
Time will tell.
But I am convinced Trump will give a much, much fairer hearing to freedom of speech, religious liberty, pro-life issues and other Christian concerns, than Hillary.
Pray for wisdom for Trump and Pence.
David R. Brumbelow
If you sell your birthright for a pot of stew I don’t think it proves you wise or “not so wrong” just because you got the pot of stew.
Now I realize what I just said is debatable. Many will say that Jeffress, Falwell Jr., and Graham didn’t sell out. But what I’m attempting to say is that for those of us who believe this is precisely what they’ve done just because Trump won it doesn’t mean that they are now relieved of any moral culpability for their support.
Again…I’m not really looking to rehash another discussion about whether Christians should or shouldn’t vote for Trump. That ship has sailed. He is elected. I will respond accordingly. All I’m saying is that just because Trump won doesn’t mean that some of us don’t still believe Falwell, Jeffress, and Graham have erred.
No one sold out here.
This is politics, and it’s just a difference of opinion.
“Folks who may be a little crude and don’t fit our refined ways. Maybe God enjoys shaking things up every now and then. God can strike a mighty blow with a crooked stick. ”
I am always a bit perplexed at the lack of “evangelical” pastors and bloggers who make that argument for Trump would say that if Hillary had won and rejected it for Obama…
I keep asking myself – do we really believe this cherry picked/biblically sourced rhetoric about “God using flawed candidates and presidents”, or do we only believe that about flawed candidates and presidents we happen to like??
Similarly – all the social media talk from “evangelicals” about “God being good” and “God is good all the time” because Trump won – I wonder how many would be touting, with the same amount of joy and relief, the unchanging timeless goodness of God today had Hillary won?
Just a few nuggets for thought….
We have constantly showed, I’m afraid, that our political affiliation too completely governs our hermeneutics and our application. If I’m willing to apply 1 Timothy 2:1-2 and other scriptures when a Republican wins, but refuse when a Democrat does, there’s a issue.
“I wonder how many would be touting, with the same amount of joy and relief, the unchanging timeless goodness of God today had Hillary won?”
60,515,264
LOL.
Somewhere between zero and that number I am sure….betting its way closer to zero though….that someone would post or think “President-elect Hillary Clinton, God is good all the time.” Like they have for Trump.
I saw very few “conservative evangelicals” argue that we should vote for a democrat because “God can take a crooked sticks and hit a straight lick!”
I saw very few “conservative evangelicals” argue that Hillary could be God’s plan for America and we should overlook her flaws and support her.”
Conservative evangelicals clearly believed that God could take a man like Trump and bless us but refused to say the same about Hillary – is God not powerful enough for that??
I heard lots of objections from “conservative evangelicals” though when people suggested that both Hillary and Trump might be vessels of God for judgment upon America….sure that was believed about Hillary but not for Trump.
” … people suggested that both Hillary and Trump might be vessels of God for judgment upon America….sure that was believed about Hillary but not for Trump.”
If the mighty blow with a crooked stick has judgment on the other end of it, either candidate would have worked. But, maybe God is a complementarian after all.
“God can strike a mighty blow with a crooked stick. ”
Print it and stick it on your refrigerator folks! Brother Brumbelow has summed it up well. I guess God figured a Republican crooked stick would work better than a Democratic crooked stick this time around.
I suppose it is still up for question, though, exactly what God is using this “crooked stick” to accomplish…
If the other side won.
No, I don’t believe in their case God would be using a flawed person to accomplish His will in advocating partial birth abortion, government funded abortion, same sex marriage, etc.
I believe, however, in some ways God may greatly use Trump because he leans in the right direction, and will hopefully accept some sound advice from Pence, Falwell, Graham, Jeffress, etc. Though flawed, some believe Trump is a changed man; hopefully that is true.
And no, I don’t think they sold out; they did what they believed out of honesty and conviction. But I was mainly referring to their voting for Trump in the general election, not the primaries.
David R. Brumbelow
You kinda miss the point. God often raises up leaders, as he did Nebuchadnezzar (read Habakkuk) to judge a nation. I’m not assuming that Trump has been raised up as a blessing. Maybe his election is to be a tool of God’s judgment on this land.
But either way, whether God uses him to bless or to curse the land, we must respect him and must pray for him.
If Hillary had won, we would still have been responsible to respect her as the president and to pray for her (not the imprecatories, either).
To do otherwise is to subject the purposes of God to that of a political party.
No, I made the point I intended to make.
David R. Brumbelow
I’m sure you did. You missed the point of scripture though.
Scriptures about respecting our leaders and God’s sovereignty are not applicable only when the GOP wins.
The liberal news media, and the political “experts,” and the pollsters need to get our of New York City and Washington, DC, sometimes. If they did, then they would have seen the high level of anger of the working class, who were tired of seeing their factory jobs going to Asia and Central America, due to bad trade deals. They would see just how sick and tired the middle class are of political correctness. They would see just how upset people are about liberal laws, and Obamacare, and gun control. And, they would see that Evangelical Christians really do want babies to stop being killed in their mother’s wombs.
I really do believe this election was an backlash vote from the middle class; the working people.
Now, my prayer is that President Trump will carry thru with his promises to nominate Pro-life Judges to SCOTUS, and that he will make new trade deals that will bring our factories back to the United States, so that people will have jobs available.
David Worley
PS. You wrote a great article, here, Dave. Thanks.
Here’s a great Tweet, as well, on this issue.
Retweeted Anthony Bradley (@drantbradley):
If your Christianity only engages elites, college grads, artists, “creatives,” urban professionals, etc. you won’t understand why Trump won.
I recently had the opportunity to visit the White House with my son, TJ, to meet President Obama.
While there, the POTUS told me what the high water mark of his presidency has been. He also told me he had found out that what was his greatest moment as POTUS was also why a billionaire like Donald Trump was seeking the presidency of the United States.
He said, “Dr. Scott, I know why Mr.Trump wants to be the next POTUS. I responded, “That’s interesting, Mr. President. Why does he want to be POTUS?” “Well, Sir,” the President replied, “He wants to be POTUS for the same thing that has been the high water mark of my presidency. Every year after the National Championship game,the POTUS gets to meet the most powerful man in the United States of America, Coach Nick Saban.”
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
Lol
Here is another thing to consider. If the “Electoral College” had a FOOTBALL team, the CRIMSON TIDE would beat them like a bass drum.
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
I believe the Electoral College is leading the Big 10 West by two games.
Dean Stewart,
If they meet us in the play-offs, they are toast.
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
Hey Dave Miller!
Today would be a good day for IOWA to play the best FOOTBALL game they have ever played. GO IOWA — beat MICHIGAN!
It is time to watch ALABAMA defeat MISSISSIPPI STATE. Are You Ready! Of Course You Are!!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!
A. Don’t get your hopes up.
B. I don’t plan to watch.
One more thing I’ve been wrong about recently. I was expecting a 52-7 blowout, but my boys got the win!
Son was watching…sent him to do chores. “That game is over already.” Early 3rd quarter.
It’s over.
Tonight, though, great football returns as the Hogs take on the Bayou Kittens from LSU.
More importantly, the Battle of the Ravine is happening.
Israel: We want a king.
God: You really don’t.
Israel: Yes we do.
God: It won’t end well.
Israel: We still want one.
God: OK. His name is Saul. Have fun.
Israel: H’ray! A king!
God: Don’t say I didn’t warn you.