As Fench points out, Moore never condemned anyone personally for supporting Trump, and he recognized that there were people who genuinely agonized over their choice to vote for him. But he refused to excuse the Trump cheerleading that went on in many Southern Baptist churches, and indeed in Evangelical churches as a whole. As French pointed out in his article I posted yesterday,
“It’s almost as if Trump said what he needed to say to win the election, without regard for the truth or the consequences. Imagine that!
There was far too much sheeplike behavior in churches during this election season. (I know, I know–this isn’t the first time I’ve said this.) Pastors basically told their congregation for whom to vote instead of challenging them to think through the issues themselves. I am proud to say that at our church we were challenged from the pulpit to think biblically without either candidate’s name ever being mentioned.
So here are the two articles. Neither is particularly long, and both will repay thoughtful reading. I will quote one takeaway line from the David French article:
Moore did not condemn individual Christians who walked into the voting booth and made the hard choice to support either major-party candidate for president. Instead, he made the point that in excusing or rationalizing Trump’s actions – especially his sexual misconduct – Christian leaders were harming the church’s witness for the sake of short-term political gain.
He was right.
While political races are undoubtedly important, the church’s business isn’t politics, and even short-term political wins can be long-term spiritual losses
“Do the Souhern Baptists Convention’s Resolutions Contain a Partisan Caveat?
“A pastor to evangelical Trump voters: I believe you are not racist, but how will you combat hate?”