I can no longer keep quiet.
I’ve tried. I’ve tried through
subtle pastoral influence to challenge many of the current political
assumptions of fear, prejudice, and power-mongering. I’ve been very clear regarding my lack of
support for Donald Trump from the beginning.
However, I’ve not been this vocal until now.
Reading through Facebook, I encountered Dr. James Dobson’s endorsement of Trump and I can no longer keep quiet. I am burdened by the growing Evangelical
pressure to support Trump. I refuse to be
bullied into submission by respected, outspoken, and influential Evangelical
leaders, as though now that the Faith Advisory Committee for Trump’s campaign has
spoken, all other Evangelicals need to get on board. Ben Carson and Jerry Fallwell Jr., “I’m not
buying what your selling.”
I AM now angry.
I AM angry that somehow Evangelical leaders would attempt to
script Trump as the natural choice for Christian leadership in the
country. This makes absolutely no
sense. Support him if you like, but don’t
try to spiritually guilt-trip me into embracing a man whose rhetoric and
positions have consistently gone against my beliefs as an Evangelical
Christian.
DO NOT try to cast Trump as the clear choice for a candidate
with integrity.
DO NOT use your platform to bully us lesser pastors into
submission and suggest that a failure to vote for Trump would be somehow a collusion
with principalities of evil and darkness.
That is a blatant misuse of your platform.
DO NOT, in stating the names of those on the counsel,
attempt to use their positions and names to somehow justify your decisions. For one thing, as an Evangelical, I have
SUBSTANTIAL theological disagreements with Robert Jeffress and Jerry Falwell
Jr. and refuse to embrace their leadership as somehow binding on my practice of
faith.
DO NOT assume that my failure to support Trump is an
endorsement for Clinton. This ridiculous
suggestion made by both parties that somehow a failure to vote for their party
is giving the election to the other is a tactic of fear. That’s not how a democracy works.
I CAN vote for a third party.
I CAN write in a name.
I CAN opt to vote in all sorts of elections and yet protest
the presidential election because my conscience is clear that I cannot vote for
either candidate.
I CAN still have a say if I protest. I have voted in nearly all elections since I
was 18. I continually vote in local and
state elections. I pay taxes. I participate in local organizations and
agencies for the improvement of our communities. I served my country as a veteran. I support our law enforcement and try to
build bridges with those who’ve suffered the abuses of prejudice and injustice.
So DO NOT tell me that because I won’t get in line that I
somehow don’t have a say going forward.
You DO NOT get to make that call.
DO NOT use your platforms and hyperbole as a scare tactic to
the masses. It is precisely these
tactics that have led us to this mess and divisiveness in the first place. Playing on people’s fears with an “over the
top” rhetoric has driven those that could have bridged the divide out of the
election cycle leaving us the two most divisive voices…and YOU ARE playing
right into that.
I AM NOW ANGRY.
I will not let my congregation be controlled by the “elite Evangelicals”
who have somehow found their role in scripting a future I believe stands
contrary to the Kingdom of God. I love
my people too much for that.
I WILL NOT SUPPORT either candidate for the presidency of
the United States of America. I DO so as
an act of conscience and protest. I WILL
NOT BE BULLIED into a ridiculous corner by those that still want to use Jesus
and the Christian faith as the baptismal waters for political agendas.
I DO love my people and will continue to do so regardless
who they vote for, because I AM ONE KINGDOM MINDED and it’s not Ceasar’s or any
extension of power and dominance. I WILL
CONTINUE to spread the good news of the Resurrection of Jesus, the Crucifixion,
and the coming Kingdom of my Lord.
I WILL love those our systems alienate.
I WILL stand against injustice, challenge supremacy, and
question motives.
I WILL trust that God’s hand is more sturdy than the flimsy
palms of any political party.
I AM ANGRY…BUT I AM HOPEFUL!
Hopeful that followers of Jesus, no matter the outcome will stand
together in pursuit of God’s vision of the redeeming and healing of all things,
the embrace of the outsiders, the care of the poor and down-trodden, the
feeding of the hungry, and the empowerment of creativity and hope to make a
more peaceful future.
Dr. Dobson, I HAVE
respected you throughout this last 15 years of my Christian life and appreciate
the great difference you’ve made. BUT DO
NOT abuse this influence and play into the fears of the people. YOU KNOW WHO YOUR LORD IS! YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR HOPE LAY! DON’T put all your eggs into that tattered
basket. I have profound respect for
you. I’m glad you’ve been given a voice
but please be aware that you may be scripted into a story that you will one day
wish was never told.
Respectfully,
Pastor Jeff Stark
Hopeful/Protesting Pastor
#3rdwaylife
I have voted in every election since I was 18. As an woman I take my right to vote very seriously as it was not all that long ago that females were not allowed this right. This is the first time in my life I have considered not voting because as a Christian woman I can not support either candidate and still have a clear conscious.For the first time in my life I wonder if my lack of vote would speak louder than my vote. My heart is breaking for this wonderful country that I love so dearly, but I know the change we need and hope to see comes from us as individuals and the difference we make in each others lives and communities as CHRIST followers - not as democrats and republicans.
ReplyDeleteAmen!!!!!! I was just talking to Aeromie yesterday about how I can't vote in good conscience as a follower of Christ! And I to have been trying to wrap my head around the evangelical support of Trump! I will not cast a vote for either nominee and stand in protest also.
ReplyDeleteNo one candidate can possibly be in agreement with everyone all the time on every single topic. Just as each of us is unique and having our own opinions and beliefs, so too will our candidates. This is the way it has always been. In the past, it seemed easier to vote along party lines. But now we've seen behind the curtain of both parties and we don't like either of them 100%. And it can't be unseen either. My kids used to say "don't hate the player, hate the game". We don't hate the sinner, we hate the devil. This race (and our state government and our Federal congress) is showing us how the game is stacked. But we busy ourselves over the candidates - distracted by the political circus and hocus pocus - and forget to get real answers to real issues. And we'll come away with a winner instead of solutions and progress. But too many have fought and sacrificed for my right to vote (and to share my opinions)...just so I can complain about my choices and then not vote?? Not to vote feels like a sign of resignation to me. And I'm not quitting. I will vote. But then we must hold those elected accountable, demand better from them, make them earn their keep and keep their promises. We must also acknowledge that one person won't be able to do it all. Even one agency can't do it all. And we need to step up on a personal level, on a local level and give back of our time and ourselves. In a way that we would hope our candidates would. Let us lead by example for our kids, our families, our neighbors, and our communities. Put kindness and human decency back into our vocabulary and back into practice. Our lives are really only improved by our own choices and with the help of each other. I know that one candidate won't have all the answers for all our perceived problems. I will choose the one for me that seems like the most sincere. And I will vote. And then I believe the real work must be done day to day by all of us. Just as we sin every day, but we don't stop praying - voting is a prayer sent up for those who came before us and those we are raising up today.
ReplyDeleteSadly one will win either way. Then we, the people, will wonder how we got into this mess...yet again.
ReplyDeleteI've had thoughts about not leaning either way and I've never been involved in a political campaign until this year. Regardless if I choose to vote for neither, one of those two will be the next president of our country. That being said, I am leaning heavily towards Trump if I had to choose between the lesser of two evils. Regardless if either claim to be Christian, I would suspect neither one are actively pursuing God. Much like other presidents who claimed to be Christian I believe it's just a political tactic to get votes and there's a good possibility we haven't had many, if any, active Christians as president of this country. This country has been taking a huge nose dive in the past decade and I feel like Hilary won't offer anything different to the presidency. Trump on the other hand doesn't show the characteristics of a career politician. This is my opinion and I'm not saying I'm right and anyone else is wrong. God is the most important place to set our sights. God bless brothers and sisters.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad state of affairs the American people find themselves in. Our great nation has been subjected to self-aggrandizing rhetoric for most of last week and the coming week will be just as painful to watch. The players may change but the game will not.
ReplyDeleteIt is not for me, or anyone but God above, to pass judgement on a candidate's integrity, righteousness, or motives. Each of us have sinned and disappointed our Heavenly Father, including the candidates.
I have not decided how my vote will be cast in November. I have decided it will not be for Mr Trump or Mrs Clinton. I don't really care how much a person knows until I know how much they care. In my humble opinion, the whole electoral process is a self-serving dog and pony show, designed to instill fear and loathing of anyone that has a view that is different from yours.
Interestingly, the author has claimed to have voted in almost every election since he was 18 years old. I wonder which Presidential candidate he voted for in 2012, 2008, 2004, 2000, 1996, 1992, 1988, 1984, 1980, 1976, 1972, etc? Exactly which Presidential candidate did Pastor Jeff Stark ever judge to be "Christian enough?"
ReplyDeleteFor that matter, has he applied the same litmus test to every political office he voted for all of his life, including governors, congressmen, senators, county commissioners, school board members, coroners, tax collectors, etc.?
I suppose Jimmy Carter, being a declared born again Christian and a Baptist Sunday School pastor, probably got the pastor's vote.
The pastor probably did not vote for Ronald Reagan, known in Hollywood by his nickname "40-minute Ronnie" because of his famous sexual escapades with young actresses.
Maybe President George W Bush, who cooperated with the neocons and the military industrial complex to bring death and destruction to other countries for profit and influence might have received the pastor's support.
And perhaps the elder Bush, as a member of the Skull and Crossbones society earned the pastor's vote? Or perhaps the Mormon Romney? Does anyone even remember if McCain believed in God?
Of course, Hillary is a Christian Methodist and she has a committed Catholic VP, even if he has pledged to support abortion. Perhaps the Pastor will vote for Hillary.
But he certainly can't vote for Trump because Trump was "thrice" married. FYI, he was married three times. But the hateful Trump Christian leaders purposely created the "THRICE MARRIED" wording because it sounds much more King James-like, and carries with it a Biblical connotation of Old Testament sin. Of course, Jesus himself spoke (in the red letters in the Bible), saying that if you so much as lust in your mind, you have committed adultery. And given that 50% of our pastors have pornography issues, it is probably a pretty fair assumption that they have committed serial adultery. Donald Trump has now been with Melania for over a decade. That places him in the top 50th percentile of marriage longevity in the USA. He is 70 years old. His womanizing days are over. I think we're safe now that he's settled down. But I wonder if the Pastor ever lusts in his mind? He's probably lucky that only God knows the answer to that question.
To David Servin I say this respectfully: I don't hear Pastor Jeff saying anyone isn't "Christian enough". He is pointing out truthfully that Donald Trump is "a man whose rhetoric and positions have consistently gone against [his] beliefs as an Evangelical Christian". It is one of the most basic responsibilities of our shepherds to protect their sheep - us! - from wolves, especially those who don't even bother with the sheep's clothing. That said, there is a monumental difference between voting for a candidate who is not who I would have chosen nor "completely" lines up with my beliefs, and voting for someone who stands proudly as the poster child against nearly E V E R Y T H I N G I stand for. This is comparing apples to oranges.
ReplyDeleteNo one is perfect, of course, but I wonder what your sarcastic list of presidents and their weaknesses accomplishes. What is your point? As for Trump being a womanizer, he is hardly done with that - AND you left out the 26 other major concerns about his character, his qualifications, his professionalism, his vulgarity, his integrity, his loyalty, his honesty, and his maturity. Still, this article isn't about not voting for Trump, it's about the personal freedom - and responsibility - to vote how one sees fit. I'm not sure how that became a soapbox for you to attack pastors - none of whom would deny that they are grievous sinners saved only by God's grace... grace that is freely available to you as well if you want to talk about something REALLY important.
Trump is a sheep dog, not a wolf. They share many characteristics, but totally different motivations. Hillary is actually a wolf. She wants to completely destroy Christian theological influence on society per the Saul Alinsky model. She is tough, unrelenting, and tenacious about leading the sheep down her path of destruction. Trump, as a sheep dog wants to protect the sheep from the wolves. He wants to make sure that our freedom, liberty, and yes, even our practice of Christianity is preserved and protected.
DeleteKelly, your 26 major concerns are YOUR interpretations of the man Trump. Other Christians do not agree with your analysis, as is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the evangelical Christian voters are responsible for propelling Trump to his current position as our nominee.
Maybe, Kelly, you are in a position to look down at Trump as a sinful failure representing everything you are against. I'm not in that position myself. Unfortunately, I've probably been a much worse sinner than Trump during my lifetime. In fact, I am a bit envious at some of the fruit that Trump has produced and the number of lives that he has impacted in a positive way.
But, you are correct. Every person has the freedom to vote the way they see fit. I wasn't attacking pastors, and indeed, I devote most of my time to ministry myself. However, in the same way that we all are free to vote as we see fit, I also felt it was fair to discuss my feelings in response to Pastor Jeff's presentation of his feelings. Fair enough?