Evangelical Christians Divided Over Trump

n david · #1 10-10-2016, 10:08 PM

"""Beth Moore doesn’t spend much time on politics."""

"""But something changed for Moore after Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president of the United States, was caught on tape bragging about his ability to sexual assault women. When Trump said, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the ........... You can do anything,” Moore had had enough.

“I’m one among many women sexually abused, misused, stared down, heckled, talked naughty to. Like we liked it. We didn’t. We’re tired of it,” Moore said. She also had a word about evangelical leaders still supporting Trump: “Try to absorb how acceptable the disesteem and objectifying of women has been when some Christian leaders don’t think it’s that big a deal.”""

"""Increasingly, moderate and conservative Christian women are speaking out about Trump’s brand of misogyny and divisiveness, and condemning support for the nominee or silence about him from male evangelicals."""

"""“When Christian women like Beth Moore choose to publicly speak about their own experience with sexual assault, it signals to me that they do not feel heard or understood by fellow Christian leaders who continue to support Trump,”

“Moore and others are saying to their fellow leaders, the one-in-six statistic”—of women who have experienced sexual assault—“includes me. When will you believe me and stand up for me?”""

"""Dr. Russell Moore—head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and a leading conservative Christian voice against Trump—says he is hearing privately from women like Groves and Moore all the time.

“I have heard from many, many evangelical women who are horrified by Christian leaders ignoring this as an issue,” Moore told me. He says these women leaders have “spent their entire life teaching girls to find their identity in Christ and not in an American culture that sexualizes and objectifies them”—and they are now disgusted that evangelical men are not standing up and speaking out. Nish Weiseth, popular Christian blogger and author said that when it comes to Christian men still supporting Trump, “Disappointed seems like too soft a word. It’s devastating.”""

"""“Trump’s offense is not only against a gender. His assaults on women are direct assaults against the image of God on earth.” Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, the pro-life African American Christian leader, brought it back to scripture as well, noting that evangelical leaders are failing to “stand up, as Jesus did, against every form of racism and bigotry on open display almost daily by Donald Trump.”""

"""As Katelyn Beaty said, “my hope is that more Christian men will stand up for their friends, wives, daughters, coworkers, and siblings in Christ and refuse to align themselves with a leader who is and will continue to be bad news for half the human population.”""

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-bad-news.html

n david · #2 10-10-2016, 10:11 PM

I posted in another thread that the Christian leaders who continue to defend Trump disgust me, and that it's these leader's casual response to things like the Trump tapes which is a big reason for sex scandals which have plagued churches.

Evang.Benincasa · #3 10-10-2016, 10:22 PM

What UPCI church?

What Apostolic Church?

n david · #4 10-10-2016, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

What UPCI church?

What Apostolic Church?

I know many minister on FB, some personal friends, others connected to friends of mine who have been defending Trump's most recent scandal.

One posted to FB how it's easy for people to get mad over Trump's locker room talk, but wait until Judgment Day when God exposes our conversations.

Most have accepted the lie that Trump's bragging of committing sexual assault is par for the course among worldly men and too much is being made of it.

These are Apostolic ministers. Some UPC, others not affiliated.

Scott Pitta · #5 10-11-2016, 01:43 AM

I have seen the same thing from rather conservative Apostolic friends. I am politically neutral, but I find Trump repulsive and dangerous.

I do not understand why believers would defend such vile behavior. We are a society in transition and part of the confusion is what role and what party, if any, believers should identify with.

deacon blues · #6 10-11-2016, 06:00 AM

What Trump said eleven years ago in a private conversation on a hot mic is indefensible. However, I am believer in redemption. Trump apologized, said he regrets it and is embarrassed by it.

You all who won't support him for the purpose of keeping Hillary out of power just don't get it.

Hillary Clinton's level of corruption and dishonesty is titanic. She risked national security for personal political cover. She has routinely lied to the American people. She peddled her influence as Secretary of State to foreign entities. She believes in open borders which would be devastating to our country. She represents all that is wrong with the political establishment and Washington DC.

Donald is far from ideal, but he is despised by the establishment. They can't control him. They can't keep the status quo in charge. We all know there isn't much difference between Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. We have watched the GOP compromise again and again with liberals. It's because once you're ensconced in Washington, a debilitating effect transpires. One becomes more and more liberal and status quo. Very few Republicans stay true to their conservative ideals.

Trump poses are far lesser risk than Hillary. With Hillary we know what we are going to get. With Trump its worth the roll of the dice. We only have two choices---Hillary or no Hillary. As Donald has asked over and over---"WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOSE?"

I know there are many principled reasons to no vote for Trump. But principles present themselves in various degrees. Personally being repulsed by Trump is understandable. But understanding the gravity of the vast network of corruption and deeply troubling lack of integrity and character on the part of Hillary is enough for me to vote for Trump.

deacon blues · #7 10-11-2016, 06:18 AM

What Donald said was appalling. But try to put what we are facing into context. Do you really want to give up potentially THREE SCOTUS seats, and a continually weak economy, and a continually weak foreign policy, and a continued liberal agenda promoting abortion, gay rights, LGBTQ rights, gun control, status quo for public education, continued assaults on religious liberties because on something someone said in a private conversation eleven years ago???

Perspective. Historical perspective. Understand history. Learn the lessons of history. Understand what's at stake. Get off the high horse and understand the difference between a regrettable snapshot of someone's life and decades of corruption and power grabs aimed at eroding the very fabric of our tradition and history.

Four years from now, when our economy is worse than it is now, our healthcare is worse than now, our military is worse, along with our standing in the world, the Supreme Court cemented as a liberal court for generations, and more lies and corruption of the Obama/Clinton apparatus have been exercised for another term---don't you think Donald's five minute conversation eleven years ago will seem like chump change???

deacon blues · #8 10-11-2016, 06:22 AM

Think of all of the reasons people cited to not vote for McCain because he wasn't ideal. Think of all of the reasons to not vote for Romney because he wasn't ideal.

WAS IT WORTH IT? Have eight years of Barak Obama been worth taking a "principled" stand against the GOP because they didn't nominate your ideal candidate?

deacon blues · #9 10-11-2016, 06:30 AM

How many Democrats broke ranks as the lies and corruption of the Clintons came pouring forth from the Benghazi hearings, the email scandal, the Clinton Foundation debacles? None.

Democrats understand in order to gain power or hold on to power they must keep a united front. Republicans fail to understand this. Conservatives fail to understand that in order to have influence, we must coalesce with others that aren't as conservative. We will never have a completely conservative government. There aren't enough of us.

So either accept we will never win positions of great influence and power, or get a bigger picture view of what is at stake and be willing to join hands with someone who doesn't agree with you 100%.

Aquila · #10 10-11-2016, 10:59 AM

You know, Trump's words and actions were bad enough. If played right, he could have brushed it off. But he doesn't have the cool headed temperament to do so. And he's in a full emotional meltdown in front of the entire world. LOL

The Republicans clearly picked a terrible candidate. This proves something.... with Trump one is rolling the dice, gambling, with who he is, his emotional stability, he's temperament, and frankly, the nation itself. With Hillary.... we know what we're getting. So, an argument can be said that Hillary is the safest candidate. And I think that is playing out before our very eyes.

As for the SCOTUS.....

We need a SCOTUS that will affirm our individual rights as individual citizens. We need a SCOTUS that will overturn Citizens United. We need a SCOTUS that will abolish corporate personhood.