Seven reasons why as a Christian, I am voting for President Donald J. Trump
As a Christian, I am unapologetically voting for Donald J. Trump. Although some argue that the Christian position must be in opposition to President Trump, I argue exactly the opposite.
First, Trump is the pro-religious freedom candidate. Some would argue that religious freedom is not of issue, but when government leaders shut down the in-person gathering of believers, it is clear that religious freedom is at stake. Since the most important thing that we can do while we are on this earth is to have a personal relationship with Christ and be free to worship, praise, and glorify His name, religious freedom is critical. Trump has demonstrated his commitment to the constitutional first amendment and stands to protect the rights of all to worship and gather. He appointed judges and justices that believe the church is essential and on May 22nd, before most pastors had the courage to do so, President Trump deemed houses of worship as “essential” and called upon governors to allow for places of worship to open. He stated, “In America, we need more prayer, not less.”
Second, Trump is the most pro-life president in American history. He is the first president to speak at the March for Life, and he holds the conviction that life begins at conception and advocates for protection of the unborn. If we are called by Jesus to love our neighbor, as we have been repeatedly told by leaders at Calvin, why would we not consider an unborn child our neighbor? If we cannot get the right to life right, how can we get any other issue right?
Third, President Trump has stood with the biblical nation of Israel and fostered peace agreements between previously feuding countries. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moved the embassy to Jerusalem, recognized the Golan Heights, pulled out of the horrific Iran Nuclear Deal, and signed a historic peace Deal with Israel and the UAE. Trump also recently announced another peace Deal between Israel and Sudan.
Fourth, Democrats have been saying for years that they will pass criminal justice reform, but it was Trump that got it done. Trump signed the First Step Act, criminal justice reform, that allowed for many prisoners to be successfully reentered into society after having been given long sentences for small crimes. This is the biblical principle of redemption at work.
Fifth, Trump is committed to combating human trafficking and child exploitation, supporting programs and resources that aide survivors, and holding traffickers accountable for their appalling actions. Plus, Trump’s administration recently put $100 million toward ending human and child sex trafficking.
Sixth, Trump passed tax reform that included tax cuts for working mothers and expanded paid family leave so that it is easier for mothers and fathers to grow their families while working. The option of having children is a biblical principle, as children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3).
Finally, Trump has surrounded himself with people of strong faith, including Vice President Mike Pence, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and pastors from around the country, just to name a few. He also has people pray over him regularly and believers from across the world have been and continue to pray for him, his administration, and for righteousness to prevail in this upcoming election.
But I get it, you may not like his tone or his tweets or his debate performance. Or maybe you wonder how God could use a three times married, twice divorced billionaire from New York to advance His kingdom as president of the United States?
But all it takes is to look to the stories of King David, Samson, or Cyrus to see that God can work through and use anyone to bring glory to His name. We can look at what he has done and ask ourselves, what is Trump contending for? He is contending for religious freedom, for the rights of the unborn, for the nation of Israel, for peace, for families, for this country, for surrounding himself with people of faith, and fighting against human and child trafficking.
Donald Trump is not perfect, but we as believers don’t appreciate enough what he has done in alignment with biblical principles. So when you go to the polls on November 3rd, think about the seven things listed above, pray and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment.
HLT • Mar 10, 2024 at 11:17 pm
Trump is nothing short of a false prophet. He spreads the lies that his supporters want to hear. He feeds off controversy and ran his administration and this country like a reality TV show. I fail to see God using him in any manner to further the Christian cause. If anything, Trump is the devil’s right hand. This emotionally immature man nearly ruined this country. We’re still living in the aftermath of his destruction. Democrat, Republican, Christian or otherwise, this man should NOT be allowed in any political office. Vote for someone else-anyone else.
Gary Hopkins • Feb 6, 2024 at 9:27 am
I grew up evangelical Christian. All my life I was told that “God gave Christians this nation” and that we therefore have an God-given obligation to alway vote, even if it is just for the lesser of two evils. Christians, accepting that, then scramble to come up with formulas for determining who the most evil candidate is so that they can vote for the other guy. But because it is impossible to know who will be the most evil in their lifetime, true Christians come up with different conclusions and end up, in various numbers, voting for every candidate on the ballots. But the one thing that is always certain when voting from this moral relativist perspective is that practically all Christians vote for someone who is evil and some of them mistakenly vote for the person who is the most evil. And that is what our legal positivist Christian leaders tell us is what God expects of believers. Lord help us all!
dan • Jan 1, 2024 at 5:17 pm
I am a born again christian of 30years, independent fundamental baptist,But you are decieved by the trump scam. he has never believed in those things. he was always democrat,and he is not a christian. As a gop candidate he has claimed the standard gop boilerplate, while they have become empty and corrupt seeking only power.
Messenger • Nov 5, 2022 at 8:09 pm
You can’t vote for trump and be a Christian.
Joan • Jun 11, 2023 at 8:20 am
in the USA, thankfully, I still can!
TLH • Mar 10, 2024 at 11:01 pm
Yes, you can but shouldn’t as a Christian. I’d throw away the Kool-Aid!
Marnny Smith • Jun 10, 2021 at 11:12 am
This is not a post in support of Joe Biden. I’m not advocating for any politician and I am wholeheartedly discouraged with the direction our elected officials are going on both sides of the political aisle. My concern with Trump centers more on his Christianity versus what he says is his policy. Is Trump a Christian or is he using our Christian passion to further his agenda? Would Trump stay strong on Christian policy concerns if they no longer benefit his agenda? Is Trump deliberately misleading Christians? So much of what Trump says and does is counter to what Jesus calls Christians to do and how to act. It is possible that Trump has accepted Christ but Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Growing up in NY, the Trump I see today is not different from the Trump of days past. In short – Trump gives my pause – great pause. In the words of James. ” Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” (James 1:26). Finally, I’m tired of trying to discern the lesser of two evils when I go to the polls – aren’t you?
Brian R • Feb 25, 2024 at 11:07 am
I do see what your saying. But God can use some very broken people to further his purpose. Look at David, Solomon and Paul. In Trumps case its very different, because we are judged by our fruits. Alote of his criticisms are things that he said. Mean tweets. Our Country was far better off under his leadership than Bidens.
Connie • Mar 15, 2024 at 6:34 am
Aren’t we all! The problem is, if you apply the same standards to Biden, you don’t get any closer to Godly. I say pray and be led by the Spirit before you vote. I’m tired of the lesser of two evils also. Only God knows who He will use and He doesn’t do things our way.
Lod • Feb 28, 2021 at 5:34 am
What did God do with the worshippers of the golden calf??????! They even made a real golden statue of this creature!!
Jonathan Fischer • Nov 12, 2020 at 8:09 am
I was actually just reading Ezekiel 25, and it may be relevant to this. Not endorsing anything about Israel’s rejection of Jesus, but also not rejoicing about their downfall. Not sure how much of this chapter is about the Church vs. the ethnic Jews, but may be relevant (I think Scripture teaches that the Church is the true people of God, but it also seems that He isn’t done with the ethnic Jews either–though they can only be saved through Christ, not through being born as Jews).
Jonathan Fischer • Nov 10, 2020 at 1:14 pm
Correction: “those who argue”, not “those two argue”.
Jonathan Fischer • Nov 10, 2020 at 1:13 pm
Stephanie, Thank you for writing; some very good points. I think sometimes those two argue that voting for Trump is anathema are conflating a vote with wholesale endorsement of all policies or one’s entire character. There are good reasons to vote for Trump (and not to vote for Biden), while never giving indiscriminate endorsement to him or any other politician. I do wonder about the Israel question though; is it actually a good thing to give support to Israel when they have generally rejected God? Though I do believe it is biblical to say that God has a plan to turn many in Israel to repentance and faith in Christ, and in Scripture even when the nation had rejected God, He did not forever abandon them. But that question does not negate the central point of your article. Thank you again for writing!
toni • Nov 5, 2020 at 2:59 pm
That is the good thing about the bible and Christianity…all you have to do to be saved is believe Christ is a savior…after that you can be a rapist, a whore monger. blasphemous, money changer in the temple of God and these so called Christians will find a way to justify their own racism and fear to support their need for authoritarian dictatorship…yeap…maybe they should read 1 Sam 8:18 and Proverbs 29:16…the other fallacy is as a christian you can do any sin you want when ever you want and you will be forgiven. What they forgive is that you will still be judged. Judgement is different for being forgiven, you can forgive someone a sin against you, but doesn’t mean you will let them into your house to steal from you again. Yet, I am so glad so many people hide behind god to be morally the same as Trump, because it drives the young away from Christianity…nones are now at 47% of the population and most of all those who identify as Christians only 20% actually practice Christianity…yeah, the fake religion is dying out due to the hypocrites who say they follow it.
Scot • Nov 3, 2020 at 5:59 pm
Dave Cremer,
No American disagrees with your additional points, not Biden, not Bernie, not Pelosi, not high school students, nor atheists. All Americans support the police, many just have higher standards of behavior. To imply there are Americans who don’t value the practice of religion, except Trump, is disingenuous and you’ve forgotten only Trump insisted practitioners of a different religion be banned from coming to America. Pax tecum
Scot • Nov 3, 2020 at 5:48 pm
That you think today’s Geographical Israel is the same as the Biblical Israel indicates you have an adolescent understanding of the Bible and Calvin. Pax tecum
Ethan • Nov 2, 2020 at 6:35 pm
Stephanie, thank you so much for your thoughtful writing. I know that as a fellow Trump supporter on a college campus we can feel as though we are extremely outnumbered and looked down upon. I think that you should be extremely proud of the bravery that you had to write this article. I am very excited to get out there and vote for Donald Trump tomorrow! We all need to pray and understand that God has a plan and even if Donald Trump is not that plan, it is his plan and he is in control of everything.
J. Andrew Gilbert • Oct 31, 2020 at 8:57 pm
I think thinking of Trump pushing to re-open churches during a global pandemic, as the epitome of “religious freedom,” a harmful and reductive way to understand religious freedom.
Besides the comments of others on this post, I believe that everyone is capable of worshiping, praying, and singing from the comfort of their houses. Even in doing so, thanking God for giving them the ability and safety to stay home. The church began, and grew and expanded, as a lot smaller meetings in houses of friends. To define worship solely as what you do at church is to ignore how our faith grows and moves into all areas of our lives.
To me it’s difficult agree that Trump did any good by pushing for churches to reopen and that that has anything to do with religious freedom.
Matthew Van Winkle • Oct 31, 2020 at 8:48 pm
takes.
David Cremer • Oct 31, 2020 at 8:07 pm
Thanks for sharing Stephanie! I’m a Christian too, and I agree wholeheartedly with your 7 points. I’ll share 7 more!
8. Donald Trump thinks America is special and worth preserving– he doesn’t want to see America torn down. (In contrast, the rioters are happy to tear it down themselves!)
9. He defends our police officers, who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. (Criminals don’t like this!)
10. He cares about freedom of speech for everyone, not just those who agree with him. (Facebook and Twitter don’t do this!)
11. When larger American businesses were outsourcing their labor and their factories, Trump implemented policies that brought jobs, factories, companies and more back to America. (Over 200 car factories came to Michigan in the last 3 years! Before Trump, no car factories came in the 40 years previous, but were leaving the country!)
12. He believes everyone should have the right to exercise their own religion, not just the religions he likes. He is even working to implement this around the world! (The Trump administration has repeatedly defended millions of Uighur Muslims in Chinese prison camps, 700,000-plus Rohingya Muslims violently driven out of their homes in Burma, tortured Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia, and countless other beleaguered minorities—including persecuted Christians.)
13. He follows due process. During the fiery riots this summer, Donald Trump did not force the national guard into the cities to stop the rioting, throwing bricks at windows, looting business and homes, etc, because that is the state’s right and responsibility to enforce or not enforce. (He did it when the states asked him for help, and all the Red governors did and were at peace in no time, but the Blue governors were too busy defunding the police to ask Trump to send in law enforcement, so their cities literally burned for months.)
14. He says poor kids are just as smart as white kids! (I’m just kidding– that’s what Biden said.) Trump has a sense of humor! He is by far the most hilarious president we’ve ever had. Try a sampling of his humor. Just listen to 15 minutes of a MAGA Rally or The Apprentice (without being priggish of course), and you will totally be laughing your head off by the end of it.
I have to stop here, otherwise I won’t get to my homework tonight. If you already voted for Biden, you can still take it back and change it to Trump– that’s allowed here in Michigan!
Kristie Pung • Oct 31, 2020 at 1:12 pm
Very well written and solid points you’ve shared, Stephanie. I fully agree with you and have already voted for Trump for the same reasons. I’m encouraged by how you’re making your choices and orienting your life according to the Bible. It takes so much courage to stand up and speak up for the truth these days – especially in a college setting. I applaud you and wish I could give you a big hug! Those of us who seek, follow, and obey God and His Word know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge according to Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 1:7. And we know that there are many who do not value God’s Word, His precepts, and His commandments. These people will criticize you for your beliefs and faith. They are incapable of understanding and accepting the value of what you’ve shared because their eyes are blinded to the truth. Keep sharing the truth and the wisdom God has given you! The world needs you whether they know it/believe it or not. Every courageous act on behalf of the truth inspires more of the same! It will draw hate from the haters, but it will also encourage fellow believers to stand up and speak up.
Julie Fennema • Oct 31, 2020 at 11:11 am
I agree wholeheartedly with the seven reasons you will vote for a Trump. I will also be voting for Trump and I pray that God will continue to use him for His glory and to help America wake up!
Kate Scheltema • Oct 31, 2020 at 11:03 am
Stephanie, I think this is a well thought out and truthful article. I agree wholeheartedly with you and commend your bravery for stepping out especially in an academia setting. I can only imagine how difficult this was and probably will be going forward. Please know that you are supported and loved by many many others around you but also recognize that many will not speak out in support for fear of hateful responses, friend and job losses. The struggle is real but know we are here! As for those pushing back with unjustified fear tactics, we know the truth and we won’t back down. Trump 2020
Thom de Boo • Oct 31, 2020 at 10:19 am
These are arguments we’ve all heard many times. One can go to Charlie Kirk’s Facebook page to see a video with precisely the same arguments. To quote Michael Keller, pastor in New York City and son of Timothy Keller, in a sermon last Sunday, “Christians should surely take a political stance, but the church may never be political.” Jesus came to earth with all the power of heaven, yet he did not come as the political hero everyone expected him to be. Whenever someone says they’re the only Christian option, that is inherently Un-Christian. Instead, a Christian must live in the political circumstances with grace and love, sharing compassion and the gospel to all. Religious freedom never stopped Paul and Silas from worshipping, did it?
We are blessed to live in a Democracy. So our calling is to vote for who best represents the Christian value of compassion. I’m not here to make a case for Biden, I’m here to say these “Christian” arguments are not Christian.
Religious freedom must not be confused with the right for Christians to do whatever they want. Religious freedom is the liberty for everyone to believe what they want. With a Muslim ban, inflammatory rhetoric towards other religions, and policies that benefit Christians over others, is Trump the religious freedom candidate? No.
The Supreme Court has been conservative for 49 of the past 50 years. There have been several conservative presidents since Roe v Wade. Has it ever been overturned? No. I agree with the author that the sanctity of life is an inherently Christian value. The irony of the author to support a historically pro-choice candidate is concerning. Speaking at the March for Life? Trump has no actual, unpolitical regard for human life! Why must a Christian support a candidate who dehumanizes others in his rhetoric, who reinstated the federal death penalty, who beat others to go to a church (yeah that’s Christian), who let 230,000 people die to cover up his bad policy, and who is fighting to take away health care from millions of people? I’m pretty sure Jesus believes these lives matter. Is Donald Trump pro-life? No.
Then there is the state of Israel. Just as an FYI, Israel was created in the 1940s. Respect and honor for Israelis is of course very important, but to have reservations about the modern state is far from anti-Semitic or anti-Christian. The whole New Testament is about Gods rescue plan expanding from the Jews to the Gentiles, aka us. God’s Kingdom invites all of us to his New Jerusalem, nowhere in the Bible does it say that advancing that Kingdom involves moving the US embassy to the Old Jerusalem, therefore endorsing the harm modern-day political (not spiritual) Israel is bringing to Palestinians made in the image of God.
A Christian shows compassion to this world. They love their enemy. Donald Trump makes it very clear what he thinks of his enemies. His lack of compassion should make any serious Christian reel. And it is true, God uses broken people to advance his Kingdom. He uses you and me. Realizing we have been saved by this grace, we can show Trump the same grace. We cannot, however, defend all his offenses to the sanctity of human life with thin arguments that have nothing to do with the gospel message. Grace is not a vote.
Stanley DeVoogd • Feb 21, 2023 at 10:23 am
I’m a Calvin College grad. Thanks Thom for your perspective. I agree with everything you say.
Anthony Contreras • Oct 31, 2020 at 9:46 am
Donald Trump also has 26 Sexual Assault Allegations against him. As a member of the Jesuit Catholic faith, Cura Personalis teaches us to care for the whole person. Trump is not someone who is caring for the whole person. Whole person only applies to him when it comes to White Americans. Not people attempting to live better lives and come from torn nations through immigration. Families have been separated. Also, the racial disparities in this nation has been a direct result of his inaction to take responsibility for the whole people who should receive justice. There are over 230,000 deaths from covid. Care for the whole person can only defend so much of his actions. He does not care for anyone but himself. Selfish, Greedy, Misogynistic, Xenophobic, and Homophobic. Trump is not the candidate for us.
Mica Walter-Rooks • Oct 30, 2020 at 1:10 pm
Viewing the election solely through the lens of Christianity is a dangerous thing. You say you wish for religious freedom, and that Trump is a candidate for religious freedom, yet the prayer he is referring to is Christian prayer, many of the policies he supports are based almost solely in Christianity. His anti-choice stance is a fantastic example of this, as the vast majority of scientists disagree with anti choice rhetoric and many other religions permit complete freedom in choice or choice in some cases. If you cannot see how a candidate will harm people due to the obstacle of your own interests, I, a non-Christian who was raised to actually understand the application of Christian values, will pray that your own God opens your eyes to the suffering people have endured as a direct and indirect result of a Trump presidency.