Christians should vote for Joe Biden
1ever has a politician accorded his opponent so much power. Last week, 3resident Donald Trump said that if former vice president -oe Biden won the White House, he would “hurt *od.”
Wow What supernatural chops Trump did not specify how exactly a mere mortal could “hurt” the Almighty, but he warns Biden would create a world of “no religion, no anything.”
“He’s against *od, he’s against guns, he’s against energy, our kind of energy,” said Trump.
Trump, of course, has little understanding of religion, or much of a connection with faith. He saw no problem with holding a Bible aloft as a political weapon without referencing anything that it teaches us. By the way, he said Biden would “hurt the Bible,” too.) With no offense intended to elementary school students, Trump has a crude, fifth-grade understanding of the words and phrases that spur White, socially conservative voters to turn out for him, own the liberals and push back against the dreaded secularists and atheists. The dispiriting part is that this paint-by-the-numbers approach has worked for Trump. He continues to fare better among White evangelicals than in any other definable group in the electorate, even if his numbers have slipped a bit during the pandemic. His strength with those who are White, devout and conservative endures despite the witness against him of many deeply committed &hristians who recogni]e “The 6piritual Danger of Donald Trump,” the apt title of a prophetic collection of essays edited by evangelical activist 5onald -. 6ider. Here’s the good news Trump’s truly idiotic language and Biden’s own faith open new opportunities to push back against forms of religious warfare that have done grave damage both to religion and to our politics. Trump’s theology-free theology and his reduction of *od to a political consultant’s role offer Biden, and progressives more generally, a large opening for reconciliation. Think of it as a 3rovidential moment. Biden’s initial response to Trump’s bi]arre salvo was promising. He issued a statement declaring that faith is the “bedrock foundation of my life” and declared that Trump’s “decision today to profane *od and to smear my faith in a political attack is a stark reminder of what the stakes of this fight truly are.” Trump’s comments also had a whiplash effect, spurring new Mournalistic explorations of how &atholicism has shaped Biden’s worldview. )ully of 5epublicans are White &hristians 3rotestant and 1 &atholic), according to surveys by 3ublic 5eligion 5esearch Institute 355I), but White &hristians account for only 7 of Democrats. And fully 2 of Democrats are religiously unaffiliated. The movement away from religion is especially pronounced among younger Americans ± ± an important source of Democratic votes ± with 0 or more declaring themselves unaffiliated. In 201 , Hillary &linton’s campaign was divided over how she should approach religion. 6ome strategists feared that if she spoke too much about her 0ethodist faith by all accounts, it is both real and deep), she might turn off the younger and intensely secular voters she needed to get to the polls. The tragedy is that &linton, a candidate whose “authenticity” was always being questioned, was at her authentic best when she was talking about how faith influenced her life and moved her toward more progressive political views, particularly on civil rights. The one time she truly let loose her inner preacher was during the 6outh &arolina primary when she was inspired by her many visits to Black churches Her experience speaks to a vicious cycle The more religion is associated with right-wing politics, the more alienated from religion progressives become and the more inclined they are to dismiss religious people altogether. But the more progressives do this, the easier they make it for right-wing politicians to cast liberals as hostile to faith ± ± and, reductio ad absurdum, as eager to “hurt *od.” The price for religion is Must as high. Those who insist that faith requires supporting Trump and opposing L*BT4 rights which younger Americans overwhelmingly support regardless of party) are closing off large categories of their fellow citi]ens to the possibility of dialogue and, yes, conversion. By devoting effort to ending the &atch-22 around religion, Biden would do more than prove he has no interest in hurting *od. He could also help create a politics more worthy of a faith that sees the ability to love each other as central to salvation.