It is a commonly held belief in many circles that evangelical Christians — to say nothing of evangelical pastors like me — should vote Republican. The GOP, the thinking goes, is the party most closely aligned to our morals, our values and our commitment to biblical principles. I held this belief for the better part of 40 years. I saw Democrats endorsing, encouraging and elevating gay rights agendas and same-sex marriage and advocating and advancing abortion rights. President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was impeached for perjury following an adulterous affair he had while in office. None of the above aligned with my Christian values.
The GOP, the thinking goes, is the party most closely aligned to our morals, our values and our commitment to biblical principles. I held this belief for the better part of 40 years.
I supported Texas’ constitutional ban on same-sex marriage that passed in 2005. I joined Gov. Rick Perry on a tour of the state while preaching the message “Are Gay Rights and Civil Rights Parallel?” My answer is they aren’t. As it relates to abortion, Republicans have always been strong pro-life advocates. It was one of the pillars that the GOP included in its official party platform. That’s why voting for Republicans made sense to me.
So why, then, am I, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Arlington, Texas, for 41 years, voting for the Democrat, Vice President Kamala Harris, for president? As I wrote Wednesday on X, I’m voting for character and competence and for the candidate who “has the capacity and 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.
To be clear, my opinions on the issues mentioned above haven’t wavered. I still believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and feel just as passionately about protecting life in the womb as I ever have. Democrats haven’t changed their stance on those two issues, either. But Republicans have changed. I don’t even recognize the Republican Party anymore. This year, for example, the GOP’s platform abandoned its long-standing call for a national abortion ban and removed the language that says marriage is “between one man and one woman, and is the foundation for a free society.”
The party I knew and loved would have never chosen as its nominee the adulterous, childish, habitually lying and criminally convicted Donald Trump. Evangelical leaders rightly called Clinton out for his sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky and then his lying about it. It’s astonishing to see these same leaders ignore Trump’s many sex scandals and ignore that he was found liable in court of sexually abusing a woman.
It’s sickening to see people who say they read and believe the same Bible I do not only refuse to denounce Trump but endorse his candidacy.
For better or worse, I am a man who votes my convictions. Traditionally, I’ve voted based on social issues and put everything else in God’s hands. Being that I am now a political party outcast on the two major social issues I’ve always used to guide my voting decisions, I’m being forced to change my voting criteria. I can’t vote for a party that upholds my social convictions. Because neither does. So I’ve got to vote based on the character of the candidates. Enter Harris.
As a pastor for more than four decades, I’ve had to hire for a variety of positions. Not just other ministers, but also CPAs, counselors, communication specialists, contractors, engineers, lawyers, even custodians. If Harris’ résumé came across my desk and I was able to interview her, not knowing a thing about her political views, I would hire her in a heartbeat. Why? Because on paper she represents a person of good character and someone who can be trusted. Unlike the adulterous, twice-divorced Trump, she’s married to her first and only husband, and she graciously embraced the role of mother to his children. A product of humble beginnings, she made something of herself. She was introduced to church as a child and has remained in the church as an adult. She presents herself as a woman of integrity and leads with love. By that I mean she has a gentle and welcoming spirit.
Oh, and she can pass a background check.
I’ve been speaking up for those like me who’re horrified at the thought of Donald Trump returning to the White House, yet because of tradition, associations, socio-economic-religion connections, simply cannot verbalize their disgust with Trump. I’m speaking up for those who have…
— Dwight McKissic (@pastordmack) August 21, 2024
As we look to elect a leader for the next four years, I think it’s vitally important that we choose someone worth following. A May 2020 investigation conducted by ABC News found “at least 54 criminal cases in which Trump was invoked in direct connection with violent acts, threats of violence or allegations of assault.” The individuals responsible for these acts were predominantly white men, and their victims came from multiple minority groups. In that May 2020 report, ABC News said it “could not find a single criminal case filed in federal or state court where an act of violence or threat was made in the name of President Barack Obama or President George W. Bush.”
But those 54 cases are nothing compared to what came a few months later. On Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump spoke at the Ellipse and kicked off what he insultingly calls a “day of love” at the U.S. Capitol. But we all saw Jan. 6 for what it was: a day of chaos, violence and upheaval. Nobody can reasonably believe that a President Harris would (explicitly or implicitly) incite her supporters to commit violence.
Despite all we know about Trump — his numerous adulterous affairs, his multiple felony convictions, his race-baiting, his violent rhetoric, his repeated lies, his not resembling Christ or His church in any way — there are people who warn evangelicals against abandoning the “party of their faith” for a Democrat. There’s a scripture in the seventh chapter of Matthew that says a tree that doesn’t bear good fruit should be cut down and tossed into the fire. That’s how I think evangelicals should treat today’s Republican Party.
I make it a point to tell other evangelicals to vote however they please. But I’m thinking about my vote the same way I’d think about a hiring decision. And under no circumstances would I ever hire Donald Trump.
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