For Whom is a Christian to Vote

This has been an interesting presidential campaign. Except for a few “true believers” on each end of the political spectrum, very few people are the least bit pleased by the candidates put forth by the two major political parties. As is quite common, those who are enthusiastic backers of the candidates are pretty irrational with a bad case of “selecta-hearing” and a willingness to believe the unbelievable. I understand that. Been there; done that.

The responses to the first debate held no surprises. The left leaning major networks (Please don’t bother denying that obvious fact.) all declared Hilary the obvious winner of the debate. The right wing news media (Can you say FOX news?) gave it to Donald. The opinion from an observer who doesn’t care for either of them (That would be me.) is that Hilary was the hands down winner. A calm delivery and the command of many facts gave her my nod.

I have been intrigued reading several Facebook posts and blogs written by Christians enumerating the many reasons why a Christian should not (could not) vote for Donald Trump. I have also noted that nothing much has been written about the possibilities of Christians voting for Hilary Clinton. Since many of the posts and blogs were written by respected Christians, I am guessing that their unspoken point is that it is okay for a Christian to vote for Hilary.

My take on the whole deal is that no Christian could comfortably vote for either candidate. There are several reasons why I feel this way. I am going to share some concerns I have, not as an expert but as an observer.

1.      Neither candidate shows any signs of being a practicing follower of Christ. Before you bother to call me judgmental: I am neither judgmental nor stupid. Jesus said, “You shall know them by their fruits.” I am not listening to their words, I am looking at the fruit of their lives – how they have treated people and it is ugly. The Donald is rude and mean to people in public. Hillary is rude and mean to people behind the scenes. (Many books have been written by those who have worked closely with the Clintons that point this out.)

2.      Both candidates are amoral, if not immoral. They lie without flinching. After listening to Hilary reply to questions about the reports of FBI Director James Comey of the many falsehoods contained in her testimony in her interview with the FBI, she seems to show herself to be a pathological liar. She lies when the truth sounds better. Even when directly confronted with what Comey said, her take is we must have misunderstood what he meant. Without flinching, Donald has shown a strong inclination to just run over people and if anyone disagrees with him he is more than willing to attempt to verbally destroy them. I have little knowledge of the laws involved, but many very intelligent and informed people have made the point that if they had done some of the things Hillary has done, they would be, if not in prison, would have lost their jobs and security clearance. She seems to assume she is above the law. And there is little doubt that many of Donald’s “successful” business deals have been destructive to others, and yet, he points to those deals with pride.

3.      For many years it has been my opinion that if anyone desires to be the President of the United States, they are suffering from severe psychological problems. I continue to believe that and am completely serious about it.

4.      Both show obvious signs of megalomania. Trump by what he says: Clinton by what she does.

5.      Both are sexists. Again Trump shows his sexism by what he says and Hillary by how she treats women.

6.      Both are racists. This I know because I have been to classes and learned that if you are white, you are racist.

To say I am disappointed by the choices we have is an understatement. I am downright angry at the Democrats. I would love to be a part of the electorate that elects American’s first woman President. That would be awesome. But vote for Hillary? I just can’t do that. What a bummer.

These are both seriously flawed candidates. I certainly wouldn’t vote for either one of them because I am a Christian. The question I must ask myself is; can I vote for either one of them in spite of being a Christian? So far my answer is no. They are both frightening, self-seeking, possibly dangerous, untruthful and showing no discernible relationship with God. Unfortunately, America is up the proverbial creek and someone has misplaced the paddle.

Copyright © 2016, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved

Bill McConnell is the Interim Minister at Norwood Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a Church Transformation consultant and a Christian Leadership Coach. He is a frequent speaker at Church Transformation events. His latest book on church transformation is DEVELOPING A SIGNIFICANT CHURCH and is available at Westbow Press.

He can be contacted @ bill45053@gmail.com. Connect with him on Facebook @ William T. McConnell or on Twitter @billmc45053 or visit his Amazon Author Page @ Amazon