Dr. Wayne Grudem, professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona, publicly pulled back from his support of Republican nominee Donald Trump after seeing the shocking 2005 video featuring the business magnate boasting about his sexual aggression on women.
He condemned Trump and concluded that "there is no morally good presidential candidate in this election." He even called on Trump to back down from the race.
However, with his action Grudem found himself without a presidential candidate to vote for. Voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would mean supporting her "ultra-liberal policies," while voting for a third-party candidate to win is just pure "fantasy."
"My two options are actually this: (1) vote for Trump, or (2) help Hillary Clinton get elected," he wrote for Town Hall. "Once I put the choice in those stark terms, there is a good way to make a decision. Since I find both candidates morally objectionable, I am back to the old-fashioned basis on which I have usually decided how to vote for my entire life: Whose policies are better?"
The differences between Trump and Clinton based on their declared policies are far apart, making it easy for Grudem to decide who to vote for. He now says that he "must" vote for Trump because he supports the candidate's policy on the Supreme Court, abortion, religious liberty, sexual orientation regulations, taxes, economic growth, the minimum wage, school choice, Obamacare, protection from terrorists, immigration, the military, energy, and safety in cities.
Some Christians say they cannot vote for Trump because their conscience won't allow them, but Grudem asked how their conscience would let them help Clinton get elected.
Others say voting for Trump means they approve of his immoral treatment of women, but Grudem would beg to differ.
At the same time, Grudem does not believe a vote for Trump would lessen one's Christian credibility.
"The current chaos over Trump's candidacy (and Clinton's) is mostly because of character issues, and character will continue to matter in future elections, perhaps even more so because of this election," he said. "On the other hand, if you refuse to vote for Trump, how can you ever have credibility in the future when you say that the policy differences between candidates and between political parties matter?"
