Does Supporting President Trump Hurt the Gospel? Shane Idleman
The divide in our nation among Christians seems to be fueled primarily by misinformation and false narratives. I believe that God is allowing these differences so we can practice Scripture and love those we disagree with, but some groups are being outright dishonest. For example, Not Our Faith—a bipartisan Christian group who seeks to draw away voters—keeps using the “kids in cages” argument. The photo that many refer to was actually taken in 2014, years before our current president was in office.
One of the biggest shocks for me came when I visited the US-Mexico border here. At that time, I was able to talk to the officer who had firsthand knowledge of kids supposedly being separated from their parents. He said that parents are not being separated from their children as portrayed in the media. The truth is that kids are often smuggled in with families that they don’t even know. When caught, Customs must separate the children from their traffickers and try to provide the best environment for them while sorting out all the details.
We need to step back from the political rhetoric and the mindless regurgitation of whatever we hear on social media or on cable news. For example, consider this common scenario at the border: If a parent is charged with what is referred to as criminal law, then the child is placed with the proper authorities if a close family member cannot be located—much like a person being arrested in America for a DUI with a child in the car. If the police officer cannot get in contact with the driver’s family, the child will be placed elsewhere while the driver is arrested for child endangerment. The media doesn’t tell you this.
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The fact is, border officials spend an enormous amount of time trying to find placement with family members when displacement does happen. What a travesty when Christian leaders unwittingly, or worse, knowingly, promote false narratives for political gain.
IS NOT OFFENDING OTHERS OUR GOAL?
Another faction fueling confusion are those who say that Christians who support President Trump are hurting the gospel. Their thought process goes something like this: “When you support someone like Trump, you alienate people and turn them off to the gospel.” In order to gain insight into this point of view, I recently spent time with Christians who take this position. Though I left that meeting with a better understanding of how people feel, I was more convinced than ever of the dangers of allowing our feelings to outweigh objective truth.
