Faith RethinkFaith RethinkFaith RethinkFaith Rethink
  • About Peter
    • About FaithRethink
  • Essays
    • Follow
  • Media
  • Store
  • Contact

Why Evangelicals are crossing party lines this election: #1. Leadership Matters

    Home American history Why Evangelicals are crossing party lines this election: #1. Leadership Matters
    NextPrevious

    Why Evangelicals are crossing party lines this election: #1. Leadership Matters

    By Peter Watts | American history, Self-made project, Servant project | Comments are Closed | 25 October, 2020 | 7

    The official election day is getting closer…

    and over 56 million American citizens have already voted (as of today, October 25th) because some states have opened their polling centers early nationwide as well as the uptick in vote-by-mail. In addition to this, a growing number of Evangelical Christians (who largely vote for Republican candidates) are crossing party lines this election. Why?

    This week I will present a new reason everyday why this switch is happening. Because of the toxicity of the political climate in America right now, I will intentionally pay close attention to the tone of my words while also keeping honesty and forthrightness at the center.

    Alright, deep breath…

     

    Trump and Trumpism

    Many Christians are now acknowledging that a vote for for President Trump will have dramatically negative effects on our country and our Christian witness in this world. To get at this, I will look at four political policies and practices of Donald Trump and contrast them with what these Christians are saying is a more Christ-like ethic. You may disagree with them, and that’s ok. I will follow each section with a few questions to consider.

    Let’s get to the first category.

     

    Leadership Matters

     

    Controlling Leadership versus Servant Leadership

    It has been argued by many current Trump supporters that the president gets things done. They voted for him because he isn’t a career politician. He doesn’t play by the rules of political correctness. He says what is on his mind, and you can take it or leave it. They believe that this no nonsense-get-things-done attitude is what makes him great. He was a businessman for most of his life, so surely he will help the American economy grow and flourish. He is politically conservative so he will work with the Republican led Congress to pass their economic and social policies. To date, he has appointed three people to the US Supreme Court, one of which is yet to be confirmed by the Senate.

     

    While his policies meet the standards of Conservative Republicans in Congress and many conservative voters nationwide, his bombastic and rash form of leadership has raised more than a few eyebrows among a growing number of conservative Evangelicals. From his vitriol and racist comments about immigrants to his handling of race protests following the murder of George Floyd (beginning with his “Law and Order” speech at the White House Rose Garden), from the vulgarity and indecency of his language toward women and women in power to the way he mocks people with mental handicaps, from his persistent name calling and public defaming of anyone and everyone (even those who have worked for him) who raise questions about his choices, Trump’s leadership has led many Christian Evangelicals to wonder why a man with this temperament and language should remain President of the United States.

     

    Which of you pastors and Christian leaders believe the best way to lead your churches is to bulldoze over your staff and the church congregations you serve simply to “get things done?” And if anyone pushes back, should you turn to name calling and public defamation to manipulate the situation? If it is ok for our president to lead in this fashion, then why isn’t it ok for teachers, child care workers, doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, bank employees, or pastors to act this way?

     

    The answer for most of us is that it is not ok. So why is it that Trump gets a pass?

    The reality for a growing number of Evangelicals is this: how a leader leads is just as important as what a leader is leading people to do or their accomplishments. It’s not enough to just “get things done.” The way a leader leads and gets things done is just as important as how he or she get things done.

     

    As with every President, Donald Trump has claimed to be a Christian. He once said of himself on the 2016 campaign trail, “I’m a good Christian.” If that is true, if Donald Trump is a Christian, then shouldn’t this claim raise the stakes a bit for Christian voters? While no one assumes a president will be a perfect person or even a perfect Christian, the manner in which Donald Trump characteristically leads lacks the humility we would hope to find in a follower of Jesus Christ.

     

    I leave with the following questions:

    What does it mean to be a good leader? What does it mean to be a president who leads well?

    Would you prefer a leader who just “get things done” no matter how it’s accomplished? No matter how controlling? No matter how much he or she bulldozes over or defames others?

    Or would you prefer a leader who practices humility? Who is quick to listen to others, even if they disagree with him or her? A leader who doesn’t always have to be speaking? Who doesn’t talk over others? Who is a servant leader–willing to serve and sacrifice himself or herself for the least of us in society (like the sick, the elderly, the vulnerable, the rejected, the forgotten and the poor)?

    I would love to hear your response to these questions. Please take a minute to email me at contact@peterewatts.com

    _________________________________________

    Look for tomorrow’s following blog post: Why Evangelicals are crossing party lines this election: #2. Medical Science Matters.

    To listen to why Evangelicals, Conservatives and Moderates are crossing party lines this election, visit the following sites:

    https://rvat.org/

    https://www.votecommongood.com/

    https://www.evangelicalsforbiden.com/

    No tags.

    Peter Watts

    More posts by Peter Watts

    Related Post

    • Nurse in a hospital

      Covid-19 Pandemic: How we got here and how to move forward

      By Peter Watts | Comments are Closed

      Questions about the pandemic It’s been nearly two years (at the time of this writing) since our world was plunged into the coronavirus pandemic. Two years. The close of 2020 was supposed to mark theRead more

    • Bible Myth #2: The Bible doesn’t contradict itself

      By Peter Watts | Comments are Closed

      Is that true? Are there no contradictions in the Bible? For most Christians who grew up with the Biblical inerrancy view, they were taught that none of the books of the Bible have errors or contradictions.Read more

    • 5 Lingering Questions from Year Three of the Pandemic

      By Peter Watts | Comments are Closed

      Pandemic fatigue It’s been just over two years since the novel coronavirus entered our world and nation. Many of us had hoped and assumed that 2021 would be the final year of the pandemic, butRead more

    • Black Lives Matter

      George Floyd & the Ongoing Movement toward Racial Equality

      By Peter Watts | Comments are Closed

      I can still remember those raw emotions that came to the surface the first time I watched the unnerving video footage of George Floyd’s murder. It wasn’t just the fact that another black man hadRead more

    • Elections 2020

      The November 3rd Presidential Election

      By Peter Watts | Comments are Closed

      November 3rd Presidential Election It was one of the most controversial elections in American history. It was also one of the most anticipated days of 2020. By casting their vote, Americans across the country hopedRead more

    NextPrevious

    Recent Posts

    • I had a dream about my dad last night
    • Bible Myth #10: The foundation of the Christian faith is the Bible.
    • Bible Myth #9: The Bible will keep Christians from deception.
    • Review of Peter Enns’ book “How the Bible Actually Works”
    • Bible Myth #8: You can’t base your faith in God and your trust in the Bible on feelings

    Archives

    • May 2025
    • May 2024
    • March 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • September 2023
    • August 2023
    • July 2023
    • December 2022
    • June 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • February 2019
    • November 2018
    • September 2018

    Categories

    • American history
    • Asking questions
    • Authentic Christianity
    • Bible
    • Biblical genocide
    • Biblical inerrancy
    • Biblical violence
    • Christian hope
    • Escapist theologies
    • Evangelicalism
    • Evolving faith
    • Following Jesus
    • Forgiveness
    • God in the face of Jesus
    • God in the questions
    • God who risks
    • Jesus
    • Learning and growing
    • New humanity
    • Open theism
    • Power & authority
    • Religious tolerance
    • Risk theology
    • Roman crucifixion
    • Sacrifice
    • Self-made project
    • Servant project
    • Spiritual journey
    • Stories
    • Uncategorized

    Menu

    • About Peter
    • Essays
    • Media
    • Store
    • Contact

    Recent Posts

    • I had a dream about my dad last night

      I had a dream about my dad last night. It’s been nearly

      24 May, 2025

    Search

    Copyright 2024 Peter E. Watts | Faith Rethink LLC | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
    • About FaithRethink
    • About Peter
    • Checkout
    • Contact Peter
    • Essays
    • Follow
    • Media
    • Newest Essay
    • Older Posts
    • Order Confirmation
    • Order Failed
    • Privacy Policy
    • Speaking
    • Store
    • Home
    Faith Rethink