By Levi Keys
The right to vote in elections constitutes the core of each American citizen’s civic duty. Elections are designed to drastically impact the nation and, therefore, hold great import. As such, it is imperative for each individual to evaluate each candidate’s platform in order to cast an educated vote. I love my country and am a proud American citizen, but I am first and foremost a Christian. This categorical delineation as a Christian American causes my politics to be defined by the Bible and God’s instruction found within its pages. My faith-dictated politics cause me to ardently support President Donald Trump for reelection.
While there are attributes of President Trump’s personality which I do not find particularly endearing, I am voting for who should be the President of the United States not the “most-likeable man in America.” He has created an undeniably impressive list of accomplishments in his first term. Under President Trump, nearly four million jobs have been created, resulting in the greatest number of employed Americans in our nation’s history. Though often receiving unfounded labels of “racist” and “misogynist”, President Trump’s economy has seen the lowest unemployment of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans ever recorded in addition to the lowest unemployment rate of women in sixty-five years. This economic boom resulted in 3.9 million Americans being lifted off food stamps and the highest median household income ever recorded. Impressive as the economic conditions in this country have been, the Biblical approach to social issues is most important to me personally.
The Republican Party Platform has displayed active support of religious liberties and the nuclear family in America. This has been shown through support of the unpassed First Amendment Defense Act, opposition to the Equality Act, and appointment of federal judges in addition to Supreme Court Justices. These actions are designed to defend the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause against its recent bombardment. Support of the nuclear family and the right to life is clearly expressed in the adopted Republican Party Platform as well as actions taken to stay the number of dead unborn which has surpassed 61 million since Roe v. Wade in 1973. Recognizing that “the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed” (Republican Platform, pg. 13), Trump’s administration has partially defunded Planned Parenthood and supported the Hyde Amendment so that no taxpayer funds are appropriated to finance abortions. The current administration also seeks to protect families and life through upholding law and order.
This administration makes preserving law and order, both at home and abroad, a high priority. President Trump’s administration has bolstered defense by securing $700 billion in military funding. Further, since 2017, military pay has increased more than 2 percent each year. The President’s dedication to law and order at home is on display in his support of peaceful protests and readiness to stop rioting with federal troops at the request of state officials. Validating President Trump’s dedication to law and order, the largest police union in the United States has endorsed him in the 2020 election.
In relation to foreign affairs and strong borders, the President’s resolve cannot be questioned. Through moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the current administration recognized Israel’s claim to the city. This furthered America and Israel’s alliance and inflamed Palestinians and their allies. Despite fierce Palestinian opposition to the embassy move, America mediated the Abraham Accords, a peace treaty, between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. At home, President Trump began fulfilling his 2016 campaign promise of securing the southern border. Since the wall’s construction, illegal immigration has been reduced by 84 percent. This is partially due to Mexico’s deployment of hundreds of troops from its National Guard to limit illegal immigration. Halting illegal migrants in Mexico has reduced the number reaching the U.S. border by nearly 100,000 in 7 months. Former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda put it this way: “Trump has built the wall, and Mexico is paying for it…it’s a human wall, and it’s in Mexico: It’s the National Guard,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
The teaching of Scripture is quite clear when it comes to issues of abortion, construction of the family, law and order, Israel, and strong borders. Discussing the punishment for violence in Exodus 21:22-25, God lays out the punishment for one who assaults a pregnant woman causing harm to the baby upon birth. Here, God says that “if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe” (Exodus 21:23-25). According to God, the one who knit us together in our mother’s womb and called us before we were born (Psalm 139:13 and Galatians 1:5), the rights of unborn children are equal to any self-sufficient individual. Jesus lays out the prescribed nuclear family in Matthew 19:4-5, where He states, “have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’… for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.” In relation to law and order, God commands obedience to governmental authorities when their ordinances do not contradict His commands stating, “let every soul be subject to the governing authorities… For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil” (Romans 13:1, 3). Of the chosen nation Israel, God states in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and he who dishonors you I will curse.” Further, God is not opposed to building walls to protect borders; rather, in Israel’s case, He commanded them. According to Nehemiah 6:15-16, God commanded Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall and that work was done by God Himself. As such, these key points in which President Trump and former Vice President Biden staunchly disagree are clearly discussed in the pages of Scripture. Since Scripture so clearly outlines God’s response to these issues, and the President’s position aligns with God’s commands, I am gladly voting for President Trump in 2020.
Opinions expressed by outside contributors do not necessarily represent the views of The Review or any of its employees.