But to say that we cannot vote for him when the stakes are so high is, in my view, to miss the larger point. What will I say? Put another way, if voting for a boastful man can potentially save millions of babies' lives, can that vote be justified? That choice to ‘write in’ is relatively unimportant. “Never feel more attached to your fatherland or your tribe or your family or your ethnicity than you do to the people of Christ,” he wrote. While it would be ideal for our presidents to be shining examples of morality and character, very few in our history would live up to that ideal. Oddly, Piper doesn’t even mention Trump’s name in a post given to undermining Christian support for Trump. The essence of what he is saying, as I understand it, is that character matters more than anything else in leadership. “The linking of the Christian church with the ruling political regime has more often proven to corrupt the essential spirit of Christ,” he wrote at the time. Piper did not name specific presidential candidates or parties, but then he clarified online: He would not be voting for either Joe Biden or Donald Trump. That calling is contradicted by supporting either pathway to cultural corruption and eternal ruin.”, After publishing the article, Piper posted on Twitter that he "won’t be voting for Biden or Trump.". A respectful response to my friend John Piper about voting for Trump (Editor’s Note: This is used with permission and was originally published by The Christian Post and was written by Dr. Wayne Grudem.) To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. I have a massive problem with a self-identified pro-life, pro-Bible Christian voting for Biden and the Democrats. Without mentioning Trump by name, Piper said he is “baffled” over the fact that many Christians consider the sins of unrepentant sexual immorality, boastfulness, vulgarity, factiousness, and the like, to be “only toxic for our nation,” while policies that endorse “baby-killing, sex-switching, freedom-limiting, and socialistic overreach are viewed as deadly.”, Piper, who pastored Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for almost 33 years, reminded Christians that "it is not a small thing to treat lightly a pattern of public behaviors that lead to death.". But be pragmatic when it comes to casting your vote. "I will be asked to give an account of my devotion to this life-giving calling. The final straw was the support of Donald Trump by these groups. John Piper Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org Today we will inaugurate a man to the presidency of the United States who is morally unqualified to be there. Destruction of more kinds than we can imagine.". As Piper wrote, "When a leader models self-absorbed, self-exalting boastfulness, he models the most deadly behavior in the world. Christian pastor and author John Piper drew backlash among Trump-supporting evangelicals after he explained why he wouldn't vote for either presidential candidate in an op-ed published October 22. That being said, I differ with Pastor Piper's assessment of the situation and with his comparison of the personal failings of Trump with the policies of the Democratic Party. In a recent blog post, popular pastor John Piper asserts Republicans aren’t morally rigid enough. This is not the first time Piper has spoken out against Trump; in 2016, he argued Trump was “morally unqualified” for the office, citing his “immoral behavior in the past, and his ongoing unwillingness to renounce it as evil.”. “This is true not only because flagrant boastfulness, vulgarity, immorality, and factiousness are self-incriminating, but also because they are nation-corrupting. Whipping out the ultimate tool in the pastor’s complexifying toolbox, he employs biblical Greek to add authority to his case against Trump and against voting at all. will know that I have expressed many similar views as well. Piper seems more concerned with Trump’s boisterous rhetoric than with Trump’s actions. Destruction of more kinds than we can imagine,” he emphasized. When it comes to Trump, we can vote for his policies while saying, "I don't like many of the things he does and feel his example is often very destructive. One of my evangelical colleagues wrote to me last week, saying, "The gospel witness has been destroyed, especially among the younger generations. On the other hand, if those with a different agenda are empowered, their policies will affect us by the millions. Pastor Piper writes, "I find it bewildering that Christians can be so sure that greater damage will be done by bad judges, bad laws, and bad policies than is being done by the culture-infecting spread of the gangrene of sinful self-exaltation, and boasting, and strife-stirring (eristikos).". Piper acknowledged there is “devastation” on both sides of the aisle. ", "Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test? That is not my duty. But it fails to realize that many of the younger generations were already turned off by our affirmation of biblical values, which includes our rejection of the "pro-choice" position and our opposition to LGBTQ activism. How, then, can Christians vote for someone who embodies the former sins (such as "unrepentant boastfulness") in the name of fighting against the latter sins (such as abortion)? The non-believing world is appalled by the hypocrisy. And my conscience will ask. He calls Trump “factious.” It simply means dissent, schism, or faction. You may opt out at anytime. John Piper slams Trump in new blog post - The Christian Post I have a more positive evaluation of Trump’s character than John Piper does. ", Joe Biden is president – by the sovereign will of God, If we're to be hated, let it be for the right reason, Neither 'Never Trump' nor 'Forever Trump', No, we didn't sell our souls by voting for Trump. He adds, "I think it is a drastic mistake to think that the deadly influences of a leader come only through his policies and not also through his person.". Has Trump promoted or practiced sexual immorality since announcing his candidacy? And the Lord of heaven will ask. John Piper jumped into the presidential race this past week, publishing a long piece attacking President Trump and telling those who support him how disappointed he is in them. While the Baptist pastor doesn't mention either candidate by name, it's clear in his latest blog piece on DesiringGod.org that he is speaking about Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Seventh, I agree with him that, whatever path we take, it must enhance, not detract, from our witness for Jesus. I suppose Piper would not have voted for Cyrus with his harems or Jehu with his idols either, but God had another idea. As to our support for Trump, we can vote for him without selling our souls for him. This is important to say just now because not to see it and feel it will add to the collapsing vision of leadership that enabled him to be nominated and elected. Still, the pastor said he’s willing to vote for a “non-Christian” if he sees there to be enough overlap between the “visible outworking of his character and convictions” and biblical teachings. Once again, I wholeheartedly agree with Piper's emphasis on the gospel first (rather than "America first"). (SEE UPDATE BELOW).If I read him correctly, it sounds like he will not vote for Trump or Biden. He suggested that when Christians “act as if policies and laws that protect life and freedom are more precious than being a certain kind of person,” they are detracting from the message of the Gospel. (Photo: Passion/Kendra Harrell) There's an "eternally significant" question Donald Trump and Joe Biden should ask themselves as votes continue to be counted, says John Piper, but it's not whether they've won this election. Completing this poll entitles you to WND news updates free of charge. The world will ask. … Yet I differ with his suggestion that Christians might do best by sitting out the presidential election, since a vote for either Trump or Biden cannot be justified. John Piper’s burden is to show that Christian support for Donald Trump is wrong — and dangerous. 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