Is Voting for Donald Trump a Good Moral Choice?

I want to go on record as saying that I have been horrified with Donald Trump since the very first Republican debate.  His childish behavior and ignorance of policy quickly signaled him out as the least qualified candidate on the stage.  This seemed obvious to me and the more I have watched and listened to Trump, the more this conviction has been confirmed.  Furthermore, he has proven to be, among other things, sexist, dishonest and prideful.

So imagine my surprise when theologian Wayne Grudem, who I greatly respect, released a piece entitled, "Why Voting for Donald Trump Is a Morally Good Choice."  In the article, Grudem contends that:

"...the most likely result of not voting for Trump is that you will be abandoning thousands of unborn babies who will be put to death under Hillary Clinton’s Supreme Court, thousands of Christians who will be excluded from their lifelong occupations, thousands of the poor who will never again be able to find high-paying jobs in an economy crushed by government hostility toward business, thousands of inner-city children who will never be able to get a good education, thousands of the sick and elderly who will never get adequate medical treatment when the government is the nation’s only healthcare provider, thousands of people who will be killed by an unchecked ISIS, and millions of Jews in Israel who will find themselves alone and surrounded by hostile enemies. And you will be contributing to a permanent loss of the American system of government due to a final victory of unaccountable judicial tyranny."

A scary picture for sure!  However, philosopher John Mark Reynolds, who I also greatly respect and admire, believes that Grudem is dead wrong.  In his piece, "A Good Man Justifies a Wicked Deed: Grudem on Trump," 

Reynolds contends that the Christian must not vote for Trump.  He writes:

"...let me be simple for Professor Grudem: I do not want a perfect candidate, but I will not vote for a man who bought and owns a strip club. This is not a 'high standard.' So far every nominee of a major party, but one, could pass it. I will not explain to my daughters why the objectification of women for profit was good.

Trump is a Neo-Fascist. How can I say this? He advocates a personality cult: his movement is about his power to 'fix it.' He invokes external and internal enemies to stoke fear. He is cozy with big business, but has a populist flair.

I don’t know why Professor Grudem wishes to support a neo-Fascist for President. I assume it is the triumph of hope over reality, but Donald J. Trump is immoral, ignorant, and incompetent. I challenge Professor Grudem to name one qualification for President that Donald Trump has.

Here is what we know for certain: if we back the man who is proud, sexist, racist, libertine, a lover of money, then we will lose the right to say 'character counts' forever.

Wayne Grudem is wrong, dangerously, tragically wrong."

I encourage readers to read these pieces and draw their own conclusions.  Please feel free to share your comments below!

Update: Since writing this post, Wayne Grudem has changed his mind and decide that "I cannot commend Trump’s moral character, and I strongly urge him to withdraw from the election."

You can read his comments in full here.

Courage and Godspeed,

Chad