Yep. I recommended the Tim Stratton as a good account to follow. He has many merits as a public thinker and as an advocate of multiple freedoms: political, metaphysical, and (as a Christian) spiritual. But he's not perfect (wouldn't ya know it?), and right after I recommended him, he went and re-forwarded his ideas that Christians are morally required to vote for Trump and also- Well, let's just say he sounds a little Christian National*ish*. Thanks Tim! 😉 (Hey, we have to be real, and it's how he really feels. I get that.)
Well, since I recommended his work (and I still do), I get to respond to those two things, those two ideas that I most certainly do not recommend. But first, a positive: his Trumpy article represents a real effort to explicate his case in an easy to understand way. Also, it may be the best defense of voting for Trump (“I felt like I should, and here's why!”) even if it is also, unfortunately, an imperative for others to do so too.
Previously, I distilled Tim's Trump argument to this: Voting for Trump is a big offensive against a yuge evil, and Christians should do everything they can to fight against that evil. So, Christians should vote for Trump. Now, that's pretty accurate. But I think we can make it better, make it also account for exceptions to the rule that Tim admits to (exceptions like over-worked single moms who don't have the time to vote). Also, this rendering focuses on Christians who actually can vote (U.S. citizens who aren't felons and so forth):
- If an able Christian doesn’t vote Trump, they neglect a fight against a particularly yuge evil.
- If an able Christian neglects that fight, they do wrong.
- So, if an able Christian doesn’t vote for Trump, they do wrong.
I imagine most people sympathize with premise 2. That's where the force of the argument is. But premise 1 is far from obvious. It assumes both (a) that it is ethical to vote for Trump and (b) that voting for him would make a difference in the case of all able Christians. (Failing to do something unethical is hardly negligence, nor is failing to do something insignificant.) But first, it is not obvious that this voting for (the lesser) evil is ethical, especially if one has taken an oath to defend the constitution. (More on that linked below.) Furthermore, many able Christians live in red states where Trump will get the electoral vote, even if they vote against him. Voting for him is not likely to change anything.
So, an able Christian does not neglect a fight that is already won or lost in his state. He need not combat Marxism by contributing to (or resisting) an all but guaranteed outcome, especially if their conscience is against it. He can find more efficient and effective ways to combat Marxism.
For more on this, I have an old two-parter that responds both to Tim Stratton and William Lane Craig on a similar matter. Check it out at penjams.com/i-will-do-mine.
Penjammin grew up in a labyrinthine cavern. Later he ran with the wolves, enjoying life in the sweet scent of his game, until pirates landed and… (see “about” above). Get his eletters at penjams.com/subscribe.