By Tim Stratton and Josh Klein
We were recently disheartened to see Ron DeSantis and Nikki Hayley drop out of the presidential race. This effectively guarantees Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for 2024. Although I (Stratton) left the Republican Party during the George W. Bush era, I begrudgingly voted for Trump in 2016 and again in 2020 because I believed the alternative was so much worse. Although we both believe Trump is a deeply flawed person, as Christians and analytic theologians, we have a sense of moral obligation — a duty — to vote for Trump again in this next election and we are encouraging fellow believers to do likewise.
Why would theologians who strive to follow the Law of Christ encourage Christians to vote for an immoral man? Does this not seem hypocritical? We admit it might seem that way at first glance, but upon deeper reflection, we believe clear-thinking Christians will see why many feel this same sense of moral obligation to do what would otherwise seem to be unthinkable. A sense of duty to not just vote for the lesser of evils, but to cast a vote for Donald Trump in order to lessen evil.
This election is not a choice between a moral and immoral candidate but between two deeply flawed and immoral candidates. Their immorality is born out to society in different ways, one with abhorrent personal conduct[1] [2] and the other with abhorrent political and ideological conduct.[3] [4] The choice between two deeply flawed and immoral candidates filters down to, not simply the lesser of two evils, but the choice that would best lessen or limit evil.
Marxism and More
Marxism is one of the greatest ideological evils to infect planet Earth. This atheistic philosophy promises flourishing but historically only brings poverty, despair, and suffering to our fellow humans—our neighbors—around the planet.[5]
Donald Trump does not seem to have a “pastoral bone” in his body. He is not a nice guy, his character is subpar, and he clearly does not understand the gospel. Be that as it may, Trump abhors Marxism and he is committed to fighting against this infection that has brought so much suffering to the world.
With that said, if an American Christian is (i) aware of the evils of Marxism and (ii) sincerely believes that the modern-day Democrat machine is attempting to transform America from the Land of the Free into the Land of Marxism, then, to truly love our neighbors, said American Christian possesses justification for the belief that he has a moral obligation to cast a vote for Trump (even if he does not like his character or some of his policies).
Indeed, given what we know about Marxism and its history, we have this sense of duty to vote for the one person who can oppose it at the highest levels of government at this unique moment of history. It is a matter of conscience. We cannot vote otherwise.[6]
A possible rebuttal to this idea is that Marxism is not nearly the threat that many think it is in our American political system. That it is a boogie man with no real teeth. Our robust system of checks and balances will do the duty of holding back the agenda of Marxist ideology as it has for decades and, while certain bad actors (even, perhaps, the president) might be infected with the ideology, the robustness of our political system will hold it at bay. Indeed, there are those who might say that Trump invites a similar critique, especially in light of what happened on January 6th.
While we are certainly sensitive to these things, and they give us pause in considering Trump as a candidate, such a rebuttal fails to convince us for two reasons. The first is that Marxism has taken on new skin in the 20th and 21st centuries. Without delving into the entire history of the matter, the ideology of Marxism has been adjusted into something called Contemporary Critical Theory (for more on that see Critical Dilemma with Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer)[7] which orders society by the strata of oppressed-oppressor narratives and sees equity (equality of outcome) as more desirable than equality. And, in many instances conflates the idea of equity with equality, redefining what it means to desire equality. So much has this Marxist laden ideology seeped into our current governmental system that we saw President Biden make this statement upon his inauguration in 2021:
“Our Nation deserves an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda that matches the scale of the opportunities and challenges that we face.”[8]
An executive order that instantiates Marxist principles (based on Frankfurt School philosophies and Contemporary Critical Theories) such as equality of outcome and Critical Theory along with Intersectionality is a danger to our neighbor and to our country. The threat is much more prevalent than many think and as this ideology sweeps through the corridors of our federal government we find that words like “justice,” “equality,” and “freedom” receive shifts in their own definitions.[9] This enables those in power to usher in a new kind of government without so much as touching the constitution. The moral language of such ideologies creates an insidious undercurrent of support for abjectly evil policies. Ordering our country through the lens of “equity,” “anti-racism,” and the like, will only dismantle further the institutions of marriage and community and will further exacerbate racial tensions, not relieve them.
This is how supposed scholars like Ibrim X Kendi can say, without batting an eye, that “The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.”[10] Kendi is asserting that the only way to fight racism is with more racism. His view is absurd, unbiblical, sinful, and racist, but these are the types of people Biden is platforming and listening to in order to restructure government and society. Indeed, Biden has tacitly and actively endorsed this movement within his administration.[11] [12]
The second reason this objection fails is in response to what happened on January 6th. We might agree that the actions of the former President and his lackies between November 7th 2020 and January 6th 2021 were awful, and even if we were to grant that January 6th were an attempted coup (something of a dubious claim in and of itself)[13] to wrest away governmental power from a duly elected president, that does not make Donald Trump more dangerous than Biden for several reasons.
The first is that he failed, miserably. Not only did Trump fail (if indeed that was his goal), his followers spent years in prison and fighting legal battles because of their actions. Trump had members of his own party disavow him and vote for his impeachment.[14]
It seems evident to us that Trump, even if he has these bents towards authoritarianism, would be held accountable by his own party. We have no such confidence that Biden’s party would do the same to him concerning the nefarious foreign dealings with his son or his ushering in the aforementioned Marxist based ideas like D.E.I and Critical Theory. Biden has already used D.E.I., Intersectionality, and Critical Theory to fill multiple cabinet positions (Rachel Levine [trans-“woman”] – Secretary of Health, Kamala Harris – VP, Sam Brinton – US Department of Energy, Pete Buttigieg – Secretary of Transportation). None of which checked very many boxes of qualifications for such positions other than their Intersectional identities. The Democrat Party also applauded Biden’s executive action on D.E.I., Equity, and Critical Race Theory .
It seems to us that in voting for Trump you may be lessening evil if only by ensuring that if Trump does attempt some sort of ideological or militaristic takeover (something that seems highly unlikely), he is not likely to succeed because he does not have the lock-step support of his party like Biden enjoys.
Loving Neighbors
Here’s a relevant analogy to support our case:
I (Stratton) have a couple of friends who used to train in mixed martial arts (MMA) with me. They are really big and powerful guys. These men might not always have the best character and they often use very foul language, but they respect me, they love me, and they would fight for me.
Suppose I’m on the road (which is often the case) and my wife calls me and says that a stalker is threatening her. In an extreme scenario like this, I have a moral obligation — to my wife and God — to call one of these uncouth beasts who can and will physically protect her before I call my pastor (nothing against my pastor — he is awesome)!
I think America is in a similar extreme situation.
Consider the words of Christian philosophers J.P. Moreland and Norman Geisler:
“…to permit murder when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To allow a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch an act of cruelty to children without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. In brief, not resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his wife and children against a violent intruder fails them morally.”
With these words in mind, consider the following:
To permit Marxism when one could have attempted to prevent it is morally wrong. To allow abortion when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch the “transing” of confused children (against the wishes of their parents) without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. (The list could go on and on when considering the platform of the modern-day Democrat Party.)[15] In brief, not resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his neighbors against the violent intruder of Marxism (and so much more) fails them morally.
Love Always Protects
The benevolent, selfless love that we ought to have for our fellow humans is discussed often in the New Testament. Consider this famous passage from the “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13. The characteristics of one who loves his neighbor are listed:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Donald Trump might not exhibit most of the traits described above, but he will protect your neighbor from the multiple evils advanced by the Left. Like the crude MMA fighter who is willing to fight to protect my wife if I call upon him, we ought to call upon Donald Trump to fight for our neighbors. We are not voting for a pastor, but for a fighter — a protector of your neighbor!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian and pastor who actively opposed the Nazi regime during World War II. He believed that evil should be confronted and fought against, rather than ignored or tolerated. The following quote, although it cannot be found in his writings, is often attributed to Bonhoeffer as it seems to capture the manner in which he lived (whoever said it, it rings true):
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
And not to vote is to vote!
These words — and definitely Bonhoeffer’s actions — suggest that he believed that it is important to not only speak out against evil, but to act against it. Bonhoeffer exemplified this, and in the name of love laid down his life to oppose an evil government (John 15:13). If this godly example of a man is willing to bring physical violence against an evil government, the least we can do is cast a peaceful vote against an evil government. I (Josh) do realize that someone on the other side of the aisle might declare they used Bonhoeffer’s reasoning to vote against Trump rather than for him. That they see Trump as the abjectly evil candidate in this scenario, not Biden, but hopefully we have shown why this might not be the case and why the opposite could be true.
Consider another thought experiment: Suppose, in a possible world, Hitler was running for President against Donald Trump. Further suppose that Hitler’s policies were great and that he was a really nice guy, except for one thing . . . he still was committed to the holocaust and killing all the Jews. Would we say, “but what about January 6th?” Would we say, “but his Tweets are so mean”? Would we say, “but Trump is a narcissist?” Would we appeal to any of those excuses in an attempt to justify not using our full force to stop Hitler’s holocaust?
By no means!
We would know that we should not abstain from the vote. We would know that we should not vote for a third party with no shot to keep Hitler out of power. We would know that we ought to vote for Trump to lessen evil. We would cast our vote for Trump, not because we support his character, but because he is the mean body guard who fights to defend your neighbors from Hitler’s holocaust (even if he does the right thing for wrong reasons).
Arguably, Marxism is worse than Nazism. Marxism has killed far more people than Hitler ever did.[16] We must be just as opposed to Marxism as we are to Nazism. They are both evil! They both hate your neighbor. With our neighbors in mind, we are personally convinced that to vote for a third party or to refrain from voting at all is to open the door for worse evil. It seems to us that we are rationally justified, personally convicted, and morally obligated to oppose evil with all of our power (one vote per person and a relatively small circle of influence).
We are not going so far as to say that you have a moral obligation to agree with us or that you must also have a moral obligation to vote for Trump. It is perfectly reasonable to conclude that our choices are not between an immoral man and Hitler or Stalin but between two very flawed candidates that will have limited effectiveness in their governance. Perhaps you are on the other side of the debate and believe that Donald Trump is a bigger threat than Biden for other reasons. In fact, I (Josh) will say that I am struggling more than I did in 2016 or 2020 in voting for Trump primarily because of his hubris and what seems like outright blasphemy from him and some of his supporters. Trump is not a moral man at all, but he is, as far as we can tell, the only option to vote for who would limit evil (even if for the wrong reasons or by accident) rather than increasing its prevalence as we believe a Joe Biden led administration would do.
With that said, we believe our case provides justification for those who might be on the fence and deliberating if Christians are justified to vote for Trump in 2024. We will cast a vote for Trump and hope and pray that you join us as we are convinced that the stakes are quite high considering the ideological takeover of our cherished institutions. But, if you reach a different conclusion, please know that although we think you have weighed the issues incorrectly (those who disagree probably think the same thing about us), we will not jump to the conclusion that you are an immoral or ignorant person. We humbly ask you to extend us the same courtesy in return.
No matter what happens, we need each other.
Conclusion
Let us not sugar coat the fact that Donald Trump is an immoral man. Let’s not pretend he’s a nice guy. Be that as it may, he furthers (for the most part) moral policies, whereas Biden is an immoral man who is beholden to the furthest left flank of the Democrat machine and will further (and has furthered) mostly immoral policies.
With all of this in mind, Christians have a moral obligation to love our neighbors. Because we truly love our neighbors, we must use our full power to protect them and fight against Marxism as well as all the other evils advanced by the modern-day Democrat machine (see, The Parable of the MMA Fighter and His Neighbor). Thus, Tim Stratton and Josh Klein will not abstain from voting, nor will we vote for a third party candidate who has no realistic shot at winning. No, we believe that we have a moral obligation to vote for Trump (even though we are often repulsed by the man).
We understand that others may not feel this obligation or even pull for a candidate like Trump. We personally understand the visceral reaction to Trump’s hubris and narcissism especially in reference to himself being “chosen by God” in a recent political ad. With that in mind our encouragement, if you would have it, is to at least put as many barriers in Biden’s way as possible on election day. Vote down the ballot for the politicians who oppose those who push gender ideology on kids, those who support Critical Theory style policies focused on equity rather than equality, those who support abortion on demand and seek to instantiate abortion into the federal constitution,[17] those who seek to advance abhorrent fiscal policies that damage the livelihoods of our neighbor,[18] those who desire to federally mandate acceptance of transgender ideology[19] [20] those who maintain disastrous foreign policies that lead to instability throughout the globe and, in particular, the Middle East[21]and those who demand fealty to D.E.I. initiatives[22][22] and much much more. You have one vote and a circle of influence. Use your power wisely because to whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).
Stay reasonable (Isaiah 1:18) and love your neighbor (Mark 12:31),
Tim Stratton and Josh Klein
Post Script
A note of clarification: This essay is not meant to be incendiary. We have dear friends who reflect the love of Christ much better than we do. They are also brilliant scholars. We love these brothers and sisters in Christ, but they disagree with us. They think we are wrong; we think they are wrong. One thing’s for sure: one of us is making a misjudgment in the use of reason (which is what the Free-Thinking Argument is all about). Be that as it may, we are all devoted to loving each other — and thinking the best of the other. We are simply making a case as to why we believe our dear friends are making a mistake while actively deliberating upon this matter. That is to say, we believe our dear friends have “crunched the numbers” (as it were) incorrectly and put too much emphasis on things that are not of primary importance and not enough weight on the matters that will help their neighbors flourish.
To reiterate the main point above, if an American Christian both (i) understands the evil of Marxism, and (ii) sincerely believes the Democrat Party is ushering in Marxism (intentionally or unintentionally) then this American Christian can have a justified belief that they possess a moral obligation to use their full power to peacefully oppose the Democrat Party at this weird moment in history.
Although some strange counter-examples might be crafted to show that voting in hypothetical elections in certain possible worlds could be immoral, given everything said above, it seems that in the actual world in which we find ourselves, American Christians who meet the criteria of the above two points can possess a moral obligation to not only vote in the next election, but to vote for Donald Trump. At the least, they cannot be accused of being irrational or immoral by voting for Trump. If, however, an American Christian is either unaware of the evils of Marxism (not to mention all the other evils advanced by the modern-day Democrat machine), or does not believe the Democrat Party is ushering in Marxism within our borders, then this person does not have a moral obligation to vote in this next election.
With that said, in the actual world there could still be a few examples of Christian Americans who fulfill the two necessary conditions above, but are still not morally obligated to vote for Trump in an effort to defend against Marxism. For example, suppose a single mother is working paycheck to paycheck, putting in seven days a week, ten hours a day. She might not have this obligation to stand in line and vote because she is providing for her kids. Let’s make this counter-example even more extreme and suppose that if she stops working, someone may starve, become homeless, or get killed. The provision of immediate needs (which is what I am referring to as a moral obligation to vote for Trump), plausibly supersedes other moral goods, even if she believes there are political powers trying to usher in Marxism. This does not seem to be a too-far-fetched example, given the current economic climate of “Bidenomics.”
With that said, however, given certain ceteris paribus conditions, like having the knowledge and opportunity — and not having strange overriding obligations — then it seems to be a moral obligation in regular cases, at least for the American Christian who knows the evils of Marxism (philosophically and historically) and sees Marxist ideas to be a threat to our land (not to mention the world). That’s the way we see it, and that’s why we cannot vote otherwise.
Finally, we want to reiterate that our hope is NOT in Donald Trump or the Republican party. If Trump is defeated we will not weep or wail, nor will we be in despair. We will serve our Lord faithfully just as we have when Barack Obama was in office, and just as we have over the past three years under Joe Biden. Be that as it may, as long as we have a choice, the best option for the future governance of our nation is, as we see it, clear.
Responses to a few Objections to Trump
One of the difficulties in this cycle is that there is plenty of mud to sling. From Trump’s various court battles, including a recent civil case that held Trump liable for sexual assault. While a majority of these cases are mostly without merit (or so it seems to us), the sexual assault case is particularly concerning. And while Trump’s sexual history is despicable, and the likelihood that he committed disgraceful acts against women is very high, this specific case, in particular, is odd. The jury dismissed the rape charge so the idea that Trump was convicted of rape is erroneous, but maintained some sort of sexual assault charge to the tune of a five million dollar payout. There is more to this case than meets the eye in that regard. Regardless, a candidate with such a troubling sexual past — including a sexual assault allegation from the 90s — ought to be difficult to vote for. We understand! Unfortunately, Trump isn’t the only one that has been accused of such behavior in this presidential race. Joe Biden has also been accused of sexual assault in 1993 by a woman named Tara Reade. It is likely that if Tara sued Biden in the same manner as Carroll did she would have likewise received a similar settlement. This does not excuse Trump’s behavior, but it does highlight the fact that we have two very bad options before us.
This leads us to policy issues:
- Trump undermined border policy for political expediency!
Actually, Trump did no such thing. All he said was that we already have laws on the books that work; just enforce or reinstate them.
- Trump’s Tariff plans will torpedo the economy!
Paul Krugman (no friend of Trump or the Right) states that Trump’s Tariffs will likely have little effect on the economy, but also believes they won’t lower the deficit as Trump claims. It is worth noting here that Biden’s economic policies have seen costs nearly double for commodities and food in four years.
- Trump will abandon our allies!
This is nothing more than fear mongering. Besides Trump’s supreme court picks, his foreign policy was likely the bright spot of his administration. No new wars were started under Trump (for the first time in a long time), he brokered peace deals in the Middle East that almost no one thought possible. Trump has not said he would abandon Ukraine, but that he would seek an end to the war, which is necessary at this point in many ways.
We recognize that many won’t see these issues the same as we do and, that this list is far from exhaustive. With Trump’s shortcomings and moral failures in mind, hopefully this article provides a window into why some may not see these specific issues as deal breakers when it comes to a vote for president in November.
Notes
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-melania-stormy-daniels-affairs-marriages-timeline-2018-3
[2] https://time.com/6192383/donald-trump-knew-jan-6-hearings/
[3] https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-mountain-of-evidence-reveals-joe-biden-abused-his-public-office-for-his-familys-financial-gain%ef%bf%bc/
[4] https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2024/02/15/fbi-informant-biden-ukraine-indicted-false-statements
[5] Kengor, Paul, Ph.D./ Knowles, Michael J. The Devil and Karl Marx: Communism’s Long March of Death, Deception, and Infiltration. Saint Benedict Pr, 2020.
Courtois, Stéphane, and Mark Kramer. The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression. Harvard University Press, 2004. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor, et al. Crime and Punishment. Modern Library, 1950.
[6] We want to be clear that although we believe we would personally be in sin to do anything other than cast a vote for Trump in 2024, we are not seeking to bind the conscience of one who has reached a different conclusion. We are simply making a case that a Christian can be both rational and moral while casting a vote for Trump in this election.
[7] https://youtu.be/QKH_TYu0krw
[8] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/
[9] https://www.whitehouse.gov/equity/
[10] Kendi, Ibram X. How to Be an Antiracist. One World, 2023.
[11]
[12] https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/01/19/rachel-levine-transgender-biden-hhs-pick/
[13] While Democrat politicians and pundits often use the term “insurrectionist” to describe Trump, he has never been formally charged with insurrection. Neither have any of the rioters of January 6th. Moreover, as law professor Jonathan Turley observes, if it was an insurrection, it’s the only one in the history of mankind in which none of the insurrectionists had weapons.
[14] https://www.npr.org/2021/01/14/956621191/these-are-the-10-republicans-who-voted-to-impeach-trump
[15] Although each of the following alone provide justification to be a “single-issue voter,” here are a cumulative case of reasons to oppose anyone representing the modern-day DNC:
- abortion
- transing (mutilating) confused kids
- violating parental rights
- the LGBTQ+ agenda
- appointing Leftist judges to SCOTUS
- weakening the American military
- open and non-secure borders
- prosecution of peaceful Christians singing hymns in protest of abortion (11 years in prison)
- infringing the 2A
- critical race theory, D.E.I., and Marxist ideology
- unstable foreign policy
- Assault of Free Speech
- bad economy
- etc.
[16] https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/05/05/karl-marx-communism-death-column/578000002/
[17] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/18/joe-biden-to-ask-congress-to-codify-roe-v-wade-abortion-protections.html (click here)
[18] https://fp1.com/bidenomics-are-hurting-the-middle-class/
[19] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/30/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-advances-equality-for-transgender-americans/
[20] https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5
[21] https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-foreign-policy-doom-loop-south-china-sea-world-war-iii-b9ece5fa
[22] https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/2839222/biden-stands-by-dei-diversity-priorities-politics-shift/