I'm a conservative evangelical pastor who's voting for Kamala Harris
I'm voting for character and competence and and for the candidate who has the capacity and the bandwidth to demonstrate respect and high regard for everybody made in the image of God. Republican Donald Trump doesn't have Harris' character, her competence, or her capacity." Dr. Dwight McKissic, Pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Arlington, Texas
"I Don't Even Recognize the Republican Party Anymore"
The two key positions on social issues that are the very cornerstone of the relationship between Evangelicals and the Republican party are abortion rights and gay marriage. It's not about economic policy and the fact of the matter is that what agreement now seems to be standard fare for conservative Christians on economic policy, isn't the result of their biblical perspective, but of their support for Republican politics as a result of its position on social issues. Most Republican economic policy flies in the face of biblical principle, and the teachings of Christ.
As Dr. McKissic notes, the Republican party has abandoned its long standing call for a national abortion ban, and has removed the language that says marriage is between a man and a woman. That's because they were told to do so by Donald Trump, because he sees these two issues as political liabilities. There is no conviction there on either of those issues. Trump sees these things as hindrances to getting votes, and he also thinks his Evangelical constituency cares more about their loyalty to him than they do about anything else, and that they will sit still for this, and abandon their convictions because he wants it that way.
Dr. McKissic is one of just a few Evangelical voices raised in protest to this abandonment of the main reasons for their political involvement with the GOP. They are more interested in gaining political power that potentially comes with a second Trump Presidency than they are in the convictions and spiritual power of their own faith, at least, most of them are. And so they are following a man whose actions can be described by a passage of scripture found in Paul's epistle to the Christians in Galatia, 5:19 as "the works of the flesh." It's hard to claim to preach truth, and then give personal support, through the ballot box, to a man whose character is described as licentious, but who openly rejects the very truth that these preachers claim to be preaching.
As is the case in politics, which this particular pastor appears to recognize, character and conviction are far more important than planks in a political platform when it comes to the ability of the church to minister, win converts and thrive in an atmosphere of religious liberty and freedom of conscience. The fact that the Democrats support a more secular position when it comes to both abortion rights and gay marriage doesn't prevent Dr. McKissic or his congregation from practicing their convictions regarding either of these two issues, and it does not impose any kind of requirement on them in any tyrannical way.
And let me tell you what I know about Cornerstone Church when it comes to these two issues. They do not condemn in hatred, they minister in love, and people who are struggling with all kinds of things in their life do not see this church as a place to avoid, but as a place to run to for help that they need. Yes, they have convictions they believe are informed by their faith when it comes to abortion and to human sexuality, but they also make a priority out of loving God and loving their neighbor, and not condemning in judgement but ministering in forgiveness and compassion. And they understand the commission given to them by Jesus, recorded in Matthew 28-18-20 in the New Testament. People will not be condemned at Cornerstone, they will be loved and helped and cherished and restored.
And while I cannot speak for the congregation, the impression their pastor makes is an indication that he is as grieved and heartbroken over the deaths of women in Texas resulting from refusal of hospitals to treat them because they are pregnant, and because of the risk to the medical personnel because of its draconian laws. Being pro-life is more complicated, and requires understanding all of the implications of banning a medical procedure. That's not pro-life, that's ignorance of the consequences.
Seeing the Real Issues Past the Politics
I believe that withholding medical treatment from mother suffering from a pregnancy-related complication that has been determined to be unresolvable and potentially deadly for her by continuing the pregnancy is just as immoral, and wrong, as an abortion performed solely for the purpose of birth control. The problem is that abortion is a medical procedure, and what is done during that procedure is the same, whether it is life saving treatment, or not. Believing that the government has no business making that decision, or even informing it, is a far cry from the accusations of being "baby killers" that is part of a shrill and unproductive debate on the subject.
I'm sure those who scream this would not want to be called "mother murderers," by the same token.
Vice President Harris understands that in running for public office, to be the President for all Americans, requires keeping personal beliefs and convictions out of her campaign for President, because she recognizes that she must be the President for all Americans, and that religious liberty and freedom of conscience, guaranteed by the first amendment, means the religious perspective of all Americans, or the absence of one, must be considered and served. When it comes to character and competence, she is a far better choice than Trump, who has shown us exactly who he is, as Pastor McKissic describes him, "adulterous, childish, habitually lying, and criminally convicted."
Harris is a Baptist, and a member of Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, which means she has gone through the conversion experience that is part of being a member of an Evangelical church and includes conviction of, and confession of one's sin, repentance, being prayerfully forgiven by God in declaring that Christ is Lord and Savior, and joining the church by being baptized, by immersion. I'm sure that her perspective on the issues of gay marriage and abortion are things she has had to figure out how to reconcile in order to serve in public office in a constitutional democracy where religious liberty and freedom of conscience include the right not to be a member of a religious faith, and not be discriminated against because of that choice.
Dr. Adrian Rogers, late pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee, preached a sermon back in 1998 called, "Does Character Count," aimed at discouraging Christians from voting for a politician even though they may agree with a lot of his policies, if his character was questionable. HIs target at the time, of course, was Bill Clinton. But Dr. Roger's words still apply. A man who cannot be trusted by his own wife cannot be trusted by the country. Character is the greatest requirement to serve in the oval office, above the various platform issues we all think are so important. But America has a responsibility for stability in the world which requires strong, competent, moral leadership.
You're right, Dr Rogers. And so are you, Dr. McKissic. We need a competent, compassionate, strong leader, and Trump doesn't quality for multiple reasons, including his immoral behavior, his traitorous insurrection incitement, his pathological lying which removes him from reality and sanity, and his desire to wreak vengeance on his perceived enemies.
I hope the American people, or at least enough of them who are thinking the same way, show up to vote on tuesday.
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