(Guest Commentary) Jeanne Marie Leach – Author – Speaker – Freelance Editor – Former Director and Current Gold Member of The Christian PEN
Like so many other Christian Conservatives in the Republican party, I’ve had a hard time knowing who to vote for in the upcoming presidential elections. So I prayed about it, and the Holy Spirit reminded me that God has already given Christians the perfect voting manual—The Holy Bible.
I sat down that day and looked for the type of man God wants his people (all of those who claim to be His) to want as a leader, and within five minutes I had a list that made it crystal clear . . . Donald Trump is the worst kind of candidate for President of the United States.
1 Timothy 3:1-3
- The husband to one wife – In the Bible, one at a time doesn’t count as having one wife. It says that whomever divorces and marries another commits adultery.
- Above reproach – This means nothing in his past could ever come back upon him, including flip-flopping on one’s own policies.
- Temperate – Moderation and self-restraint are not Trump’s strong points
- Self-controlled – He says things all the time off the cuff that he has to recant the next day.
- Respectable – This is going to be a matter of opinion.
- Hospitable – As demonstrated during the debates, he immediately turns on people and calls them names and cuts them down.
- Able to teach – I personally haven’t seen him teach on anything except how to make money.
- Gentle – He’s been known to be gentle with people in need. The rest of the time, not so much.
- Not quarrelsome – Look at the debates for the answer to this one. He’s also suing his former campaign aid for $10 million for allegedly leaking “dirt” on Trump, although no one knows what this “dirt” was.
- Not a lover of money – His business dealings are not always what they appear. He has cut others down in order to gain more money. He’s always bragging on his money.
1 Timothy 3:6
- He must not be a recent convert – There are rumors that Trump recently got saved. But how will he be able to rule according to the Bible’s precepts if he doesn’t even know them? How can we be sure he’ll lead the country in an upright, honest way?
1 Timothy 3-5
- This Scripture says, “If anyone teaches false doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy and strive, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think Godliness is a means to financial gain.”
Donald Trump himself has said that he doesn’t need to ask God for forgiveness because he has nothing to be forgiven for. This is blasphemy! For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God! (Romans 3:23)
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)
- Shall have no other gods before the Lord. Shall make no idol and worship before them.
- Shouldn’t take the name of the Lord in vain – He swears a lot, “I swear to God.”
- Keep the Sabbath holy – He told CNN in an interview that he attends many churches because he travels a lot. One in particular that he mentioned—Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan—said he is not an active member there.
- Honor father and mother
- Shall not murder — Contributing money to Planned Parenthood makes one accessory to murder. Donald Trump has flip-flopped on this three times within a twelve-hour period. His last statement is that he will continue to fund PP.
- Shall not commit adultery – He has. As stated in the Bible, anyone who divorces and remarries is committing adultery.
- Shall not steal – He has charged people money for his school and refuses to give dissatisfied students their money back.
- Shall not give false testimony against your neighbor – He constantly calls others liars and cheats and whores in the public arena.
- Shall not covet your neighbor’s wife – His first wife was married and divorced before Trump married and divorced her. The Bible is clear about how this is adultery and coveting someone else’s wife.
- Shall not covet your neighbor’s goods – He used eminent domain to take someone else’s land to make a parking lot for one of his hotels.
Romans 1:32 says, “Although they know God’s righteous decrees that those who do these things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
The part that exasperates me most is why so many Christians will read these Scriptures and still vote for Trump. This can only be attributed to one of two things: they no longer search God’s Word for all their life’s decisions, or they know about the list and choose to ignore it. The statistics do not lie. A majority of Christians no longer “fear” God.
The truth is that God will give us the leaders we clamor for if we choose to not search for a man who fits God’s description of what a leader should look like. And we will have no one to blame but ourselves when that person ends up being worse than expected.
Of course, God can and does forgive us of our sins–and Donald Trump is no exception–but as I mentioned above, he has stated that he has never felt the need to ask for forgiveness. And since he claims to be a Christian, it is entirely appropriate to judge the fruits of his confession.
If Christians cannot use their wisdom, or at least the Bible we proclaim as our handbook, then we deserve exactly what we get.
Jeanne Marie Leach is a born-again Christian of 44 years, a multi-published fiction author, speaker, writing coach, and freelance book editor. She is past Director and Gold Member of The Christian PEN, a member of the Christian Editor Connection, and a member the American Christian Fiction Writers, where she received the 2012 Member Service Award.
She has been Sunday school teacher, Children’s Church leader, and Women’s ministry leader. She lives with her husband of 41 years and their Alaskan malamute, Kona, in beautiful Colorado. Jeanne describes herself as a misplaced mountain-girl.
Visit her website at www.novelimprovement.com.
