7 Things Believers Must Do Now That Donald Trump Is President-Elect
Chants of miracles and tears of anger erupted from the United States when voters chose Donald Trump to be the next American president.
Evangelical voters shuttled the real estate mogul to the White House, but many believers sat stunned at the results.
No matter a Christian’s political thoughts, pastor and author J.D. Greear and Chris Pappalardo offered seven courses of action as believers press into the coming year.
First, believers should show empathy for the confused and fearful.
“Every Christian should be outraged by demeaning comments made toward certain groups in our society, whether we are part of that group or not. And we should stand against injustice and discrimination wherever we see even a hint of it. Christians who voted for Trump must seek to understand (if they don’t already) why many immigrants, women, some minorities and members of the LGBT community feared a Trump presidency,” the two write.
Next, Christians should look for the best in other believers who voted the other way.
“Don’t assume that fellow believers who voted for Trump did so because they are utterly insensitive to minority struggles or unconcerned about misogyny, xenophobia or sexual assault. Many voted for Trump despite their disgust at those things, because they thought the things Clinton stood for were at least as dangerous to the country. So as you engage those who voted differently, do so with charity,” Greear and Pappalardo write.
Furthermore:
“When a sibling in Christ votes a different way than you, choose to believe the better narrative about why they might have done so. Be humble and charitable enough to realize that many mature Christians came to different conclusions about what the right posture was, and give them the benefit of the doubt where you can. You don’t have to agree with their conclusions, but in the church we can and must demonstrate a humility, forbearance and civility usually absent from public discourse.”
Third, the two pastors tell readers to humble themselves in prayer.
“We must do more than simply call out Trump’s sin, however. We should pray for him. Trump is not the enemy, just as Clinton was not. We need to be praying and asking God to give Trump wisdom so that he may help the cause of justice and righteousness. God puts kings on their thrones, and He tells us that He can turn their hearts like water in the palm of His hand (Prov. 21:1). He can use any leader, and we should pray that he will use President Trump to further peace and preserve religious liberty in the days to come (1 Tim. 2:1-4; Jer. 29:7),” they say.
Next, they caution against declaring yourself the mouth of God.
“I’d encourage us to be cautious about declaring definitively God’s intentions in this election. I’ve already seen social media filling up with some declaring Trump as ‘God’s answer to the prayers of His people,’ and others declaring him to be the ‘judgment of God on America,'” the writers describe.
“A better posture is to encourage Trump where he works for justice and pursues righteousness, and speak against him where he promotes injustice. It is almost never wise to appoint yourself God’s spokesman about contemporary events. (That has led to several devastating chapters in history!) Based on what you see in Scripture, stand with righteousness and against injustice wherever you see it.”
Fifth, believers should continue to engage in politics. If believers had been more involved in non-presidential election years, the final candidates could have been different people. Furthermore, believers can make an impact in their local elections and legislation.
Sixth, we should repent of making politics an idol.
“Don’t make the mistake of elevating politics to the throne of your life. If you do, you’ll be utterly crushed when things don’t go your way. It’s fine for you to be disappointed right now. It’s not OK for you to be dismayed,” Greear and Pappalardo say. “For many of us, politics has become an idol. It is too important to us. It consumes our emotions and dominates our agenda. We think of it as ultimate power. … Don’t let politics dominate your agenda. We in the church have a mission far greater than politics. We are building a kingdom that can never perish, making investments in the souls of people that will last longer than any political kingdom. When we show more concern over politics than evangelism, we have gotten off course.”
Finally, seek out hope in the midst of devastation.
“What black, white and Hispanic evangelicals have in common in Christ is greater than any political perspective that divides them, and in this election cycle, this unity has enabled them to have some of these conversations with the comfort that comes from knowing you are safe with a beloved brother and sister in Christ. We’ve just watched a political season marked by by radical division. We in the church have the unique opportunity to show the world supernatural unity,” the two conclude.
Do you agree? Sound off!
