Should American Christians want their President to be Christlike? As the election draws closer, the answer from evangelicals may not be as clear as you'd think.
A recent piece from the New York Times explores evangelical support for Donald Trump, which though not universal is impressive. A mid-August Pew survey has support for Trump over Hilary Clinton at 63-17 among 'white religious conservatives'.
The article suggests evangelical support for Trump is rooted in at least two things: a commitment to an ideology of strength over weakness, and a desire for power in American society. The article goes on to suggest that for many conservative Christians, strength and control are what is needed to save a nation they perceive as being at a crisis point, in grave danger of further moral decline under secular liberalism, and a loss of the Christian voice in America.
For those who want influence in government and a tough stance on social issues like abortion and religious liberty – Donald Trump is seen as their only hope. There is much at stake, as Trump supporter Gary Bauer says: "It's time to roll. It's time to run down the aisle and save Western civilization."
For others though, Trump's moral character is self-disqualifying. As one vocal Trump critic, Alan Noble writes:
"Trump has boasted of infidelities, profited off gambling, mocked the handicapped, cheered and offered financial assistance for his supporters who fight protesters, supported abortion (until his fortuitous change of heart before the election), called for war crimes against innocent people, demonized minorities and immigrants, knowingly played upon racist fears, promoted open racists through social media, promoted conspiracy theories, and crudely treated women."
Despite this, Trump's popularity remains. His indiscretions are recognised, perhaps not applauded, but Trump is nonetheless seen by many as the man Christian America must vote for. Alternative voices, such as Russell Moore, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, retort that such allegiance reveals the Christian Right's rhetoric about 'character' to have been empty. It proves that, as critics had argued: "evangelical social action in America is not about religious conviction but all about power."
Far from denying that criticism, though, some Trump supporters are embracing it. Dallas Baptist pastor Rev Robert Jeffress went as far as saying that Christians shouldn't even look for a Christlike candidate. Were such a candidate to run, Jeffress said:
"I would run from that candidate as far as possible, because the Sermon on the Mount was not given as a governing principle for this nation...Nowhere is government told to forgive those who wrong it, nowhere is government told to turn the other cheek. Government is to be a strongman to protect its citizens against evildoers. When I'm looking for somebody who's going to deal with ISIS and exterminate ISIS, I don't care about that candidate's tone or vocabulary, I want the meanest, toughest, son of a you-know-what I can find, and I believe that's biblical."
Is this Biblical? Such a view interprets Jesus' teachings as being directed only towards individuals and particular situations. It assumes Jesus only cares about 'personal morality' that doesn't apply to the rest of life. It's almost as if we should believe in peace and forgiveness, but not on a national scale.
If Jesus isn't relevant to a government, that will shape health, education, social equality, justice and law. At what point does Jesus' teaching become relevant to our lives? If the kind of character-formation that Jesus taught so much about isn't relevant to the leadership of a country that claims to be 'one nation under God', then is Jesus relevant at all?
It's obvious how tempting the offer of Trump might be. He has promised to protect 'silenced' Christians, and many believers are deeply concerned about significant social isues. Trump has promised evangelicals that "if I'm there [the Presidency], you're going to have plenty of power." Trump supports his claim by assuring evangelicals that "we're going to be saying 'merry Christmas' again."
The Gospels give us the famous story of Jesus' encounter with Satan in the wilderness. Jesus is offered the splendour and authority of all the kingdoms of the world, if he will only bow down and worship Satan. The humble wandering Galilean is offered great power for a simple bow, but he turns it down.
No, Trump is not Satan. Yet what this story illustrates is Jesus' attitude to the pursuit of power. His whole life ran against it - he was God, he had power and glory, but he gave up that power in the name of love. When he was struck, he didn't retaliate to show people who was in charge. He bore suffering for our sake. He then calls us to imitate him.
When James and John confront Jesus amidst a power squabble over who will one day sit at Jesus' right hand, Jesus rebukes them. The Gentiles may lord their power over one another, but "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10.23-45)
Jesus presents another way to live, a way that transcends our human power struggles, seeking the good of others before our own.
That's not often convenient or appealing, but it is what Jesus taught and how he lived, a life that lead him to death. For the Gospel writers it's in this weak, pathetic death that Jesus is most glorified. God uses weakness to shame the strong, he uses foolishness to shame the wise. Jesus shows us a new way to be human; it not just a nice idea, it's a radical ethic which has the power to transform the world. Unconventional as it may be, weakness is essential to what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Where does that leave us? Donald Trump, a reality-show businessman with no experience in political office, is now months away from taking the highest office in the land. Trump is a walking metaphor, a gleeful ambassador for ambition, aggression, and pride – some Christians seem to be quite happy about it.
Faced with a ballot, are Christians obliged to make the best of a bad situation, to choose 'the lesser of two evils'? What if we were to reject the terms handed to us, and to change the conversation? To represent an alternative witness to the world around us? A number of evangelicals who feel disenfranchised by Trump are attempting to do just that.
Jesus calls us to give up power, because that's what he did. To not seek revenge, because that's what he did. To love our enemies, because that's what he did. This is the call to discipleship, and it is hard.
Forget power and control. Jesus shows us a beautiful life found in weakness and suffering, not comfort and strength. We want control, but that was never our job. As the old song goes, "he's got the whole world in his hands." Do we believe that?
