We all wish there were better options, but that’s not going to happen before November. So instead, as the body of Christ—whether anti-Hillary, anti-Trump, or somewhere stuck in between—we can be thankful that Jesus Christ is sovereign no matter who is President. No matter how fundamentally transformed the United States might become, the Almighty is still on His throne and in the end He wins. If it sounds simple to you, then I’m sorry. But it is a simple truth that forms the basis of our Christian unity now and after the election votes are tallied.
Two imperfect candidates running for president was inevitable. We are all sinners after all. We get that. But two flawed candidates placing little emphasis on dignity for the unborn, religious freedom, limited executive power, national unity, or founding principles wasn’t supposed to happen. So can I just admit both choices make me depressed?
Not just the candidate choices, but the conflict they’ve created among my Evangelical friends and colleagues is taking its toll.
Anxieties over principles and priorities have created factions among faithful Evangelical brothers and sisters I know personally. Some of my friends are diehard Never Trumpers. Others are Never Hillary supporters. Me? I’m somewhere frustrated in between. I’m not nervous about the outcome of this presidential election so much as drained by faithful Evangelicals’ back-and-forth inner discord and the consequences our conflict could have after the election is over.
We are split. A recent Gallup poll found that 40 percent of Protestants favored Republican nominee Donald Trump and 35 percent held a favorable view of Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton, as reported by the Institute on Religion and Democracy’s Joseph Rossell.
After the election results, will Evangelicals whose candidate lost play the blame game with one another like disgruntled divorced spouses? I deeply hope not.
Maybe we should start thinking about how the aftermath of the election will affect our current divisions. Perhaps discussions can start among Evangelical leaders on how to reunite afterwards.
