Local action: First interview with Darian Blue

Today, I am joined by Darian Blue, Executive Director of the Phillis Wheatley Center in Greenville, SC. This is a community center that serves the underprivileged members of the community. Darian Blue is also pastor of Nicholtown Baptist Church.

In this first post about local concerns, I try to inform and help people in Greenville County think about where religion and community needs connect. I ask Director Blue not only about the center but also about his own life and beliefs and about how those inform and motivate his service to the community. We talk about the experience of extreme poverty and about the challenges that the poor in our community face. We talk about what the community and Christians in particular can do to help. We also talk about what gospel preaching has to do with social services.

I feel that there are several reasons it is important for Christians in Greenville to be familiar with Darian Blue. First, he is a black (or African American) pastor of a black church in the area. If your church's demographics are very different from those of the community at large, your church is like most in the area. I think it is important to try to understand why that is. Unless there is a language barrier, there are probably factors driving the self-segregation on Sundays that can and should be changed. I did not raise this issue in this interview: Pastor Blue did. Whether or not you agree with Pastor Blue's theology or his social views, I hope you will take this opportunity to evaluate how effective the church in the area is at bringing people together.

Second, Director Blue is on the front lines of community service. He is helping people that others are not helping. Concern for the poor and the underprivileged is a gospel issue. Because of that, I take an active interest in those who are serving them, especially if they are serving them in the name of Christ. I hope you will do the same.

Take action:

1. Commit to pray for the center, its staff, and those it serves.
2. If you have not done so already, look for opportunities to form ongoing relationships with people of another race or social background.
3. Check out the PWC's website  to learn about opportunities for service.
4. Consider purchasing tickets to the student fundraiser production The Sound: A Motown Tribute. Here is a sample of the students' work. The production will be at 7 pm on Thursday, December 29 at the TD Convention Center. For ticket information, call (864)240-4242.
5. Share this interview with everyone you know in the Greenville area.

Subscribe to this blog and to my YouTube Channel for more posts on Darian Blue and on the Greenville community.

Constitution Party News

The Constitution Party's National Committee Meeting takes place this year on December 9-10. Judge Roy Moore will be the keynote speaker, and former Presidential candidate for the party Darrell Castle plans to address the party's future. Go to the Constitution Party website for details.

Check out this interview with Darrell Castle for information and perspective on the 2016 Presidential campaign. Mr. Castle, while optimistic, is frank about what he sees as the shortcomings of the party this year and the changes that are needed to make it competitive in the future. If you are interested in the Constitution Party, you will not want to miss this interview.

Debating Homosexuality in a Repressive Environment: Brandon Ambrosino and the Gaineses

On November 29, Buzzfeed writer Kate Aurthur wrote an article "exposing" HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Uppers as attending a church that opposes homosexuality and same-sex "marriage." This is not the first such recent attack by media personalities on people and churches who hold orthodox views on sex and homosexuality, and it will not be the last. It is a recurring problem that Christians are having to learn to cope with. Homosexual activists are a powerful and determined foe, and they show no signs of letting up until everyone is forced or cajoled into affirming the homosexual lifestyle to be natural and right.

A number of Christians have written and spoken well on the subjects of homosexuality, American culture's embrace of the homosexual lifestyle, and the national and international battle to normalize homosexuality through the power of money and government. Not everyone can be involved in writing books on this battle and in keeping up with all that is going on. Not everyone can or should follow all of the public discussion that takes place on the position of Christianity relative to homosexuality. However, it is a debate that every Christian in America needs to be prepared to address.

There is an opportunity at this point in our political life for Christians to have some influence on the direction of the public discourse about homosexuality. The Gainses are simply the most recent lightning rod for the rage of the LGBT lobby, but the moment chosen for it is one when some in that community are particularly apprehensive about an imminent backlash against the lobby's coercive tactics. One such critic of these tactics is Brandon Ambrosino, who criticizes Buzzfeed in his Washington Post article today, Buzzfeed's hit piece on Chip and Joanna Gaines is dangerous.

Ambrosino's argument is that the recent election triumph of Donald Trump should show LGBT activists that it is not safe to try to shut up their opponents. He says that the nearly 40 per cent of Americans the Pew Research Center shows not supporting same sex "marriage" can not be ignored. He recognizes that the issue of homosexuality and in particular homosexual marriage is one hot-button issue that is alienating many Americans from the mainstream media, particularly outlets like Buzzfeed. He argues for respecting the rights and engaging the arguments of critics.

Needless to say, there is cause for encouragement here. As I have said, one doesn't have to be a supporter of Donald Trump's campaign to feel threatened by and indignant toward public figures who dismiss opposition to the LGBT agenda as "homophobia." While the president-elect's position on LGBT issues is not a clear rejection of the status quo, the motivations of a significant number of his supporters lie near the social fault lines on those issues. Ambrosino seems to believe, I think rightly, that the strongest pushback is coming and coming soon. I agree with him that it was a mistake for the LGBT lobby to use political and social coercion against opponents, and that they may soon be forced to have the kind of philosophical and theological engagement that they should have had from the beginning.

As far as Ambrosino himself, though, it seems he is more of an LGBT strategist and diplomat than a theological and philosophical debater. His article, while giving the broad outlines of a suggested polemic, offers no resources on the debate over Christianity and homosexuality. He seems to have written no books on the subject. The only place I can find where he addresses the subject in any detail is an article from July of 2015, in which he bluntly claims that the Bible gets it wrong on homosexuality. But that's okay because, according to Ambrosino, Jesus' teachings and the teachings of the apostles and prophets aren't infallible. He thinks we can respect and learn from them while at the same time believing that if they were around today, their views would have evolved the way those of mainstream American society's have.

Ambrosino's estimate of his ability to answer critics far outstrips the public fruits of his study and thought. Perhaps his smugness is partly the result of a lack of response to his writing. Owen Strachan posted a reply to Ambrosino's article, but did not cite extra-biblical sources like Ambrosino did. Perhaps conservative Christians were too busy debating former President Jimmy Carter's views and dealing with heterodox theologians like the ones Ambrosino cites--Peter Enns and then-professor at Fuller Daniel Kirk--to interact much with Ambrosino. (Ambrosino also cites C.S. Lewis, a popular yet sometimes very heterodox author whose contributions and heresies have been around longer.) Perhaps he is more important to conservatives as a political and social link with the LGBT community than as a thinker in his own right.

If Ambrosino is going to cast himself as an ambassador, however, perhaps more attention should be given to his philosophical and theological ideas. I would rather give the honor of debating him to someone better known than I am, but I may extend the challenge if no one else does.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and leave you with a couple of thoughts related to giving thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Thankfulness is one of the marks of a Christian. We give thanks when our finances are doing well, when our families are happy, and when we enjoy the good things of this world. We give thanks when we are allowed a sight of God's glory and when we sense His nearness to us. We give thanks when we think about what He does for us in His great work of salvation.

Sometimes, though, life is difficult. I have a friend whose daughter died recently, and the funeral was this week. This came not long after the loss of a beloved employer. Some people are unemployed or struggling financially. This is an election month, and while some are excited, there are others who are very dissatisfied with the results and apprehensive of the future. In missions and in church life, there are setbacks and heartbreaks as well as victories. Sometimes, the future of the church or of our own particular churches looks bleak.

Even when we are sad or angry or fearful, it is good for us to take time to give thanks. Not only do we still have some good things in life, but all things are meant for our good, if we love God (Romans 8:28). Paul goes farther than that and says in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, "For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." All things are mine, even death. All things are mine, even the most painful and upsetting things in my life. They are purchased for me with the blood of Christ, and they are for my good.

If you are struggling this Thanksgiving, I hope you can put your struggles in the context of God's goodness and take time to give thanks.

Style and Substance

UPDATE: President-elect Trump has started outlining his plans. https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/800850810490023937

Two stories started to develop late last week, each highlighting the contradictions in our President-elect's leadership. One was his regaining control of his Twitter account, resulting in undisciplined attacks on critics-notably, the cast of the Broadway play, Hamilton. The other was his survey on priorities for his first 100 days in office.

When VP-elect Mike Pence was booed by the audience of Hamilton and addressed by its cast, the President-elect immediately hit back. Among other things, he said that the cast "[c]ouldn't even memorize lines" (this tweet was later deleted) and that he hears the production "is highly overrated." The tone of Mr. Trump's remarks contrasts starkly with VP Pence's reaction: Pence addressed the substance of the cast's remarks and said he wasn't offended by them. He left discussion of the venue for the remarks, which Trump had criticized, to others. He told his children the boos were "what freedom sounds like." He praised the performance and said that he and the others enjoyed it.

President Trump's recent tweets show that the reason for having others filter his remarks has not changed. A good leader will surround himself with people who will complement his strengths and compensate for his weaknesses. The President-elect may want to consider reinstating quality controls in his PR both during the transition and as he begins his term.

The main issue I see in the Hamilton cast story is one of style. The cast did raise some concerns of substance that Trump and not someone else needs to address. These are not new issues, however. Such concerns have been raised before, and the response that I and others have recommended has not yet come. It is to be hoped that he will directly address the problematic things that he has said over the years and during his campaign, so he can clearly set a different direction with his character and his approach to policy.

The other story, the survey, shows an indication that Trump will continue his practice of listening to people's opinions on policy. This can be a good thing, if it is done with discretion and expert advice. I would encourage every American to take the survey. For more about the President-elect's position on issues, visit https://www.greatagain.gov/ .

My priorities are personal and public morality, social cohesion, and Constitutional order. As a result the policies in the survey that are most important to me are:

1. Appoint a strong constitutionalist to the Supreme Court in the mold of the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
2. Unleash the Middle Class Tax Relief and Simplification Act, which will cut taxes for middle-class families and simplify the tax brackets in order to streamline the process.
3. Renegotiate NAFTA into terms that protect the American worker.
4. Lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars worth of American energy, including shale, oil, natural gas, and clean coal.
5. Cancel billions of dollars in payments to U.N. climate change programs, and use that money to fix our own country.
6. Allow Americans to deduct childcare and eldercare from their taxes.
7. Introduce plan to defeat ISIS.
8. Set the standard for an “America First” foreign policy that ends regime-change, nation-building, and instead focuses on a motto of peace through strength.
9. Cut the government regulations that lead businesses to leave our country in the first place.
10. Enact a five-year ban on White House and congressional officials becoming lobbyists after they leave government service.
11. End the defense sequester in order to rebuild our depleted military.
12. End Common Core and bring education supervision to local communities.
13. Pass school-choice measures that redirect education dollars to give parents the right to send their kids to the public, private, charter, magnet, religious, or home school of their choice.
14. Reform the Department of Veterans Affairs in order to provide proper treatment to America’s forgotten heroes.
15. Let veterans receive public VA treatment or attend the private doctor of their choice.
16. Cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum, and order issued by Obama.

This list is subject to change. It is based partly on intuition and partly on which issues I am best informed on. Yours may be a little different. I will be especially interested to hear what legislators have to say about the issues. Let me know your thoughts!

What happens to #NeverTrump now?

#NeverTrump was the rallying cry of a diverse collection of people who believed that Donald Trump should not be President of the United States. It refers more to a judgment on one specific issue than to an ideology or movement. For some on the left, #NeverTrump has become #NotMyPresident. This is a phrase similar to #NeverTrump both in its simplicity and in its flexibility. It can find expression in protests, riots, and petitions aimed at preventing his inauguration, or it can find expression in a determination to form a political opposition and replace him in four years.

On the right, the situation is not so simple. Evan McMullin has rebranded his campaign as the New Conservative Movement, and he is keeping it separate and distinct from the Republican Party. However, not only are Republicans who opposed Trump in the general election not united on the decision to leave the party: they are not united on the choice of Evan McMullin to lead the resistance.

As expected, there are calls for unity from Trump's political supporters (as distinct from those who would support the President, no matter who (s)he might be). The most startling challenge to #NeverTrump that I have seen comes from a writer on Erick Erickson's blog, The Resurgent. Brian Sikma writes that it is Time for #NeverTrump to Die.

Sikma opposed Trump through the primaries and even hoped the delegates would deny him the nomination. His loyalties, however, clearly lie with the GOP. While he does not make the mistake of referring to himself as a #NeverTrumper, he feels free to tell everyone that he does not see any continuing relevance for #NeverTrump.

#NeverTrump was never a statement about whether Donald Trump could become president. It was a statement about whether he should be president. Unless he changes, there is no reason for that view to change. Though the expression #NeverTrump may not be as appropriate now, the logic still stands.

Certainly we should hope that President-elect Trump succeeds in fulfilling the role outlined for the President in the Constitution. Certainly we should be willing to provide whatever aid he may require as our President. Certainly we who are Christians should pray for the President, his family, and his administration. Yet none of that answers the question of whether we are on the same side politically.

The logic of #NeverTrump does not allow us to be. There may not be an organized anti-Trump faction of the Republican party or a compelling alternative to the Republican party yet, but that has to be the goal. The only alternatives are to say that we were wrong or to retreat from politics altogether. I do not believe either of those is the right choice.

I will admit that the fact that Trump is going to be President gives him an opportunity to change our view of him before the next Presidential election. For my view to change, however, President Trump would need to change. He would need time to demonstrate that change. That is time that we must use to form a political alternative to Trumpism. The ideas and the people must be clearly opposed to Trumpism.

Donald Trump has not admitted the harm and irresponsibility of his specific words and actions, so he has clearly not renounced them. Until he does that, the process of rehabilitating him politically has not even begun.

I do not suggest that we immediately form a party or faction of Republicans based simply on opposition to President Trump. That would not last, and it would not be principled. What we need to do first is establish the principles of conservative opposition and identify its leaders. If Trump continues on the path indicated by his campaign, he will give that opposition enough to respond to. Whether the catalyst for formally organizing the opposition comes from Trump or from its leadership, we must be ready.

Summary of my letter to President-elect Trump

I promised a summary of the letter I sent Donald Trump last week. You can view the full letter here, but these are the main ideas:

1. As an American fellow-citizen, I accept my responsibility to support him in his work and to honor the office of President. 

2. As a Christian, I will pray for you, for your family, and for your administration.

3. Decision-making and leadership should be consistent and firmly based on the Constitution.

4. Mr. Trump must take responsibility for his own actions both in the past and in the future.

5. The right to life is one of the most basic protections in the Constitution, and it is the moral responsibility of the President to diligently uphold it.

6. The President and his advisers must respect Constitutional checks and balances.

7. The President owes it to America and to the world to promote free and just government by his speech and example.

8. All public officials must be people of character.

9. There is no place in politics for people who are disloyal to the Constitution.

10. The President will need and should seek God's wisdom for his task.

Letter to President-Elect Donald Trump

Dear future President Trump,

Congratulations on your election as President of the United States. As an American fellow-citizen, I accept my responsibility to support you in your work and to honor the office of President. As a Christian, I will pray for you, for your family, and for your administration. I hope and pray that God will give you wisdom and strength for the task you have been called to, and that He will protect you in it.

I appreciate the tone of your acceptance speech. I am glad to hear you promise that you will be a president to all Americans and that you will listen to all Americans, including those who did not vote for you. I appreciate your acknowledgement of the division so evident during this campaign season and your expression of commitment to "bind the wounds of division." I respect your pledge to deal fairly with other nations while putting our nation first.

As someone who chose not to support you in your presidential campaign, I accept your request for "guidance and help" to unify the country. I will be frank regarding what I believe you should do as President, and I will do my best to give you respectful and fair feedback on your performance. If you ever call on me to serve our nation in any particular way, I will accept that call with gratitude.

In response to your call for guidance, here is my advice to you as you prepare to serve as President:

1. Decision making and leadership

As I have followed your campaign, I have noted that a recurring theme is an agenda that comes from "we the people." For one seeking office in a nation that is explicitly founded on the principle of government by the consent of the governed, this is appropriate. However, government by consent is not a simple matter of majority rule--and certainly not a matter of rule by the majority of the President's party. Rather, it is a faithful and intelligent commitment to the interests of the entire nation. You will need to actively consult the wishes of the citizens. You will need to make good use of the advice of qualified staff and administrators. Yet the ultimate responsibility for every decision by you and by those serving under you rests with you.

There are many decisions that should not be put to a majority vote. You should make decisions carefully and stick to them unless you are convinced that they need to change. You should keep your pledge of loyalty to the Constitution no matter what the majority opinion of the moment happens to be. The Constitution is the best safeguard of the sovereignty of the people. If the people's mind changes about some issue, the people's government has the ability to change the Constitution. If the people oppose some law that is permitted by but not included in the Constitution, the legislative branch has the power to change that law. John Adams stressed that a nation needs "a government of laws and not of men." If we lose that, we lose representative government, and we lose freedom.

Your job as President is to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." It is not your job to make laws. It is not your job to support Executive Branch agencies in making and enforcing rules that have the force of law. It is your job to work with the other branches of government when they follow the Constitution and to do what the Constitution allows you to do to correct situations where they do not follow the Constitution.

You know that one of the biggest factors in your election was a loss of trust by citizens in their government. Your success as President will depend on your ability to restore that trust. Constitutional order will strengthen that trust. Integrity in leadership will strengthen that trust. Not least of all, a steady hand at the helm will strengthen that trust. Sometimes you will need to make people guess what your next move will be, but you should not make it a habit. Nothing disrupts markets, national security, and the rule of law like constant uncertainty regarding the actions of government. Know what your core principles are, and let people know what to expect from you.

2. Accepting responsibility for yourself

In order to be responsible in your role as civil servant, you must take responsibility for yourself. In your personal dealings with other people as well as in official government business, you do not act merely as an individual. You act as someone who has received a public trust. When you are dishonest or unfair, when you put your personal interests ahead of the public good, you betray that trust.

One of the reasons that I chose not to support you is that as both a private citizen and as a candidate for office, you constantly showed a lack of responsibility in your behavior and your judgment. That must not continue as you assume the office of President. Not only that, but you owe it to your Creator and Judge as well as to the nation to acknowledge and make restitution for past offences.

My advice to you on this is to establish a special committee to advise and help you in setting things right. They would need to be authorized to guide and facilitate reconciliation with those you have wronged, but you personally would need to invest time and heart in the process. You would need to write, call, or meet face to face with those to whom you owe an apology and potentially more. Only by doing this can you assure the nation that you truly do represent all Americans and that you will be fair and upright in your words and actions.

3. Right to Life

One of the most basic protections of the Constitution--a protection rooted in natural law--is that no person may be deprived of life without due process. That due process is denied every day to the innocent babies who are murdered in abortion. One of your first responsibilities as President is to do everything that your assigned powers allow to end legalized abortion in America. You should start by keeping the pro-life promises you made during the campaign, but you must go further.

You must apply the precedent of Abraham Lincoln on the Dredd Scott decision to the decision in Roe vs. Wade. This was Ted Cruz' policy, and it is the policy of the Constitution Party. It would mean that you would not use the office of President to in any way legitimize Roe vs. Wade. Roe vs. Wade does not form a political rule that is binding on the Executive Branch or the Legislative Branch.

Not only must you deny enforcement of Roe vs. Wade by the Executive Branch, but you must empower and pressure legislators at the state and federal levels to bring the laws into conformity with the Constitution. You must make it clear that if the pro-abortion crowd wants to establish the legality of abortion, they will need to change the Constitution to do it. You must also make it clear that if they do so, they will do it without your help.

Legislation and executive action alone, however, will not undo the harm of abortion in our nation. As the President of all Americans, you will need to provide women in crisis pregnancies with the help and encouragement that they need to choose life. You will need to use your position as a moral leader--and you are a moral leader--to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

The protection of life applies to other issues besides abortion. Your presidency must be consistently pro-life.

4. The Constitution

You will be taking an oath as President to uphold and defend the Constitution. In order to fulfill that oath, you will need to be familiar with the Constitution and with its link to the Declaration of Independence. You will need to choose as advisers men and women who share a commitment to the Constitution and a knowledge of its contents. The Constitution defines the responsibilities and limits of Federal government offices. The Constitution reserves all government functions except those assigned to the Federal government for the states. The Constitution safeguards the natural rights of all people, especially Americans. By keeping your oath to the Constitution, you will be keeping its promise to the people of America. You will also be using the very significant influence of the United States to benefit the nations of the world.

5. Promoting free and just government

One of the concerns that many Americans have about your presidency is the company you keep. You have enabled and encouraged racists, misogynists, and xenophobes at home. You have praised authoritarians abroad for their authoritarianism. By your speech and your personnel choices, you have given reason to fear that you are bringing our nation under the influence of foreign authoritarian governments. It is essential that you acknowledge these errors and correct them.

Constitutional policies and Constitutional executive action are undermined when the head of the Executive Branch encourages characters who are hostile to the Constitution and its values. Many people of other nations look to America to affirm and promote the natural rights that authoritarian governments deny them. An American President with authoritarian affinities would strengthen dictators and weaken those who value freedom and justice around the world.

6. Character in public office

Representative government depends on a set of behaviors in citizens and civil servants commonly known as "republican virtues" or "civic virtues." Without these, it can not thrive and may not survive. Biblically, the need for this is supported by admonitions to government officials and by moral qualifications for candidates for office (see Exodus 18, Deuteronomy 16, and other passages. Leviticus 18 is one passage that indicates a comprehensive set of moral standards to be enforced in society as a whole.)

With all respect, your conduct over the years has not met the standards of Scripture or of reason for a public office holder. While it is true that God does often raise wicked men to power, that is no reason for you to continue to be wicked. You owe it to God to take His way of salvation through Jesus Christ. Faith comes by reading and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). With faith comes repentance, and with repentance come appropriate fruits (Matthew 3:8, 2 Corinthians 7:9-11).

You owe it to your country to confess and forsake the behaviors that have lowered the integrity of government and the moral tone of society. These have been confronted often and in detail by others, so I will not go into them here. You should acknowledge them, change your ways, and make amends to specific people and groups that you have wronged. You should surround yourself with and listen to people who will speak truth to you and hold you accountable. This category even and especially includes people who have not supported you and have vocally opposed you.

Your appointments must also be people of character.

7. Principled unity

Your professed desire for unity and reconciliation is commendable. However, as President you will need to hold even the most liberal politicians and voters accountable to the Constitution. You should patiently but firmly point out that advocating unconstitutional policies and actions makes one a domestic enemy of the Constitution and someone you are bound by law to defeat. Whether or not they personally admit the existence or content of God's law revealed in nature and the Bible, they need to understand that the founding documents explicitly recognize the existence of natural law. They need to know that impatience with Constitutional procedure will not be tolerated, and that any evolution of society's moral views does not take away the necessity for or the authority of the Constitution. The Constitution is the official reflection of our nation's moral understanding. If the official reflection does not match the new majority view of morality, that is the problem of the moral revolutionaries, not of those who hold to traditional morality. The procedural rules have not changed, and God's law will not change even if the Constitution does.

With that understanding, you will need to bring together people with very different moral views to promote the common good. People's views can change in a Biblical direction as well as in an anti-Biblical direction, so the dynamics of the culture war are not foreseeable for this age. God's people know Who wins in the end, and that is what matters ultimately. In the meantime, the Constitution and the Presidency have the opportunity to maintain external peace in society, and justice tends to flourish where the rule of law is upheld.

8. Divine guidance

As President and as a man, your responsibilities are beyond your ability to fulfill. That is not because you are Donald Trump, but because you are human. You will need God's wisdom and power. As you need to be familiar with the Constitution to be President of the United States, so you need to be familiar with the Bible to be a successful human being and ruler in God's world. You will need God's Spirit to make you malleable and to give you understanding. I will be praying for God to give you spiritual life and to pour His Spirit on you as a leader.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my advice. I would welcome a response. I will be in touch, and I would love to hear from you any time.

Respectfully,
Owen Crew

What does #NeverTrump mean now?

If you looked at my social media posts this morning, especially Facebook, you must have wondered whether I was schizophrenic: give Trump the benefit of the doubt or create a new political home for the conservative movement? Which is it? Should we hope he succeeds or move aggressively to block what we believe will be his dangerous agenda?

To be honest, in the excitement and brain fog of 1, 2, and almost 3 this morning, I wasn't completely aware of what I was posting. I knew what resonated with me, and I knew whose views were significant, but I can't say I had worked out the details of my position under a Trump presidency. I didn't spell this out, but you could read my posts as saying, "This is what important people are saying about what has just happened."

The time to figure a position out is now. I say this not only for myself, but for others who share my principles and concerns. There is no manual for this situation we find ourselves in. We have Scripture, we have theology, we have history, and we have political philosophy, but we must find a way to weave these together to make sense of and respond to this moment.

What does it even mean to be conservative anymore? How can you view Trump's proposed reforms without sympathy? How can you on the other hand give the wheel of the conservative movement to someone without principle? How can you become part of such a messy revolution? How can you start a revolution of your own without jeopardizing the stability of institutions and purposes that is so key to true conservatism?

These are questions to which a simple understanding of the general right attitude toward government and government leaders does not provide ready answers. It is a little scary that there isn't time for a lot of deliberation about the general direction to take. But that's life, right? You have to take not only your principles but your instincts and apply them to new situations. Sometimes you have to take your position first and spell out your rationale later. As risky as that is, I think that is basically where I find myself now. I will try to explain my general direction and put it in the context of what other #NeverTrump #NeverHillary people are saying and doing.

1. I count myself as a member of the loyal opposition. I respect the office of president, and I respect the institutions of our government. I am willing to work with Trump or any elected leader on issues that are of mutual concern, but I am not in Trump's political tribe. I will not seek Trump's removal from office unless and until he does something in office that merits his removal. He has requested advice from people who did not vote for him, and I will give him advice.

2. The opposition needs a political home. We should focus on building a durable structure with a strong foundation rather than on throwing something up immediately. Organizing the conservative resistance into the leadership of one political party is a medium range, not a short range goal. We have to get this right. In the short term, we should exchange ideas, support independent candidates, build and strengthen institutions, and form coalitions. We should keep open the option of reforming the GOP, but we must actively work to have a viable replacement ready as soon as possible. The timetable and agenda for reforming the GOP must be set by conservatives who put reforming the political system first. That means not waiting for the GOP to get its act together before putting up an alternative.

3. Cooperation must be rooted in principle, and principles must be rigorously applied. I plan to learn as much as I can and influence as many people as I can. Others should do the same. This is how populist nationalism and progressivism will be defeated.

4. There must be free discussion of principles and ideas. In order to promote this, I plan to do some of my writing anonymously. I would encourage anyone who may have significant contributions to make either to political discourse or to the conservative movement to do the same.

In my next post, I will address President-elect Trump.

Late night musings before Election Day

I wasn't planning to stay up this late, but someone asked for my opinion about the election. Publicly. On Facebook. After my last blog post.

I'm not sure whether the Facebook comment was a request for advice or an attempt to persuade me to change my mind. Maybe it was a little of both. (I was tagged in a comment on a pro-Trump article.) Either way, I feel like I should respond out of respect to my brother who asked.

The article is all about the Supreme Court. You can read it here, if you are interested. In summary, it says that we should set aside everything else we know about the candidates and focus only on what each says he or she will do on Supreme Court nominations. According to the author, we should ignore third party candidates because they have no chance of winning.

There are several problems I have with this article. First of all, I don't think we should set aside everything else we know about the candidates. The other things we know are relevant not only to their job performance in general, but also to the specific issue of how much good or harm they would do to the Supreme Court. This article does a good job of explaining not only why the Supreme Court is not a strong argument for Trump, but why it even works against him.

The Bible does have something to say about the character of office-holders. Exodus 18:21 is a good starting point: Moses was advised to appoint "able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness." We could develop this idea Biblically, and we could also develop it by considering what a representative system of government requires both to survive and to thrive. Perhaps I will try to do that and provide resources at a later time. For now, though, I will just say that to ignore the things the author of the Trump article tells us to ignore is not only not common sense: it is not even good sense. It is one thing to say that a candidate for political office does not need to have a pastor's character or even be regenerate to earn our vote. It is another thing altogether to say that character qualifications for political office are irrelevant.

The second issue I have with the article is the dismissal of the conscience objection. That is directly contrary to Scripture (Romans 14, 1 Corinthians 8), and it aims to confuse God's people by substituting pragmatism for obedience. Our consciences need to be informed by God's Word, not ignored. Never tell someone to ignore conscience.

The final issue I have is that the idea that the survival of everything good in our government depends on having the right nominees (or avoiding the wrong nominees) to the Supreme Court is absurd. I would refer you again to the above rebuttal, which shows the built in limits on the Supreme Court's powers. Even with the damage that has been done to the balance of powers in our country, there are things that can be done in each branch and at every level of government to restrain an out of control judiciary. If the Supreme Court were the only thing standing in the way of our losing freedom forever, the battle would be lost already.

I admit that conservatives who object to Trump are in a difficult position. Congressional leadership and every Republican presidential candidate this year who has a credible claim to be conservative has endorsed Trump. They have given reasons why they believe we should not only vote for Republicans down ballot, but also vote for Donald Trump.

I realize that to break ranks with the candidates we voted for in the primaries can be a difficult step. I don't want to get into an involved discussion of the morality of their endorsements at this late stage. I do think, however, that it is important to realize that they are playing a game (or games) of political strategy that we are not involved in ourselves. They are not always the leaders of their constituents. Sometimes they are the followers. We are the ones who have to decide who gets our support and our vote. We have to decide what direction we are going to lead, if they are willing to follow. If they are not, we have to be willing to take that direction without them. That is the responsibility of a government official. We are officials, because we are electors. I am confident in my decision, and I encourage you to consider making the same decision.

No Mr. Pence, this is not a time for Christians to choose Donald Trump

Governor Pence,

My church did not show your video today, but that is not because it lacks people who are politically engaged or informed. My church has a long-standing policy of not drawing attention to political candidates or pushing a partisan agenda. I only know about your video for churches through social media, and that is probably true for others in my church. For my pastor, then, this was an easy decision. For other pastors and churches, it has not been so easy.

As a Christian, I feel obligated to respond to your appeal. You echo Ronald Reagan, saying that "This is a time for choosing." You say that "those who cherish faith, those who cherish freedom, those who cherish the sanctity of life and all the liberties enshrined in our Constitution" need to vote for Donald Trump for President of the United States. You claim that he will appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court and repeal the Johnson Amendment, and that these are the reasons we ought to vote for him.

If Donald Trump were an honest man with a history of obeying the law, dealing fairly with people, and showing respect where respect is due, I could see the justification for such an appeal. If he thought through issues and had sound core principles that governed his policies, his speech, and his actions, I might say that he was a man who Christians need to get behind and vote for to be our next President. If he specifically had a position of opposition to abortion that did not include exceptions such as rape or incest, I might say that he was worth considering.

None of these things are true. Donald Trump's history is full of selfishness, unethical and probably illegal activities, bad ideas on public policy, vulgarity, vindictiveness, slander, verbal abuse, and appeals to people's basest desires and motivations. Even during the course of this last primary season, Trump has given plenty of reasons to question his reliability on the sanctity of life, which is one of the main issues you and others cite as reasons to vote for him.

Maybe we would be better off if the Johnson Amendment were repealed. However, it is hardly the obstacle to faithful Christian involvement in politics that you seem to think. The greatest achievements of the Civil Rights movement took place while the Johnson Amendment was in force. Lay Christians and pastors have said plenty about political issues and candidates without being threatened by the IRS in most cases. The problems that some churches and conservative organizations do have with the IRS or with local governments will not magically go away if the Johnson Amendment is repealed. The ones who stand to gain most from repeal of the Johnson Amendment are Republican candidates. Rather than having to convince Christians that they stand for the truths and moral imperatives that are preached from the pulpit every Sunday, they will be able more easily to turn churches into an extension of their campaigns.

Donald Trump does not have the "right leadership" or the "right vision." That you would say such a thing calls your own judgment into question. It is not only your judgment that you have brought into question, though. You have followed Donald Trump's practice of lying whenever it suits you. During the vice presidential debate, you denied fact after fact about what Trump has said and done. There is no reason for us to believe that either of you will uphold the values you claim to cherish.

The Bible tells us who is a liar and the father of it. This is not Christian behavior, and it is not behavior that we should vote into political office. It is behavior that puts the eternal destiny of your soul in question. My advice to both you and Donald Trump is to repent.

I am offended that you have brought this ad into the church. I am offended that you are asking pastors and Christians to prostitute themselves for the Republican Party and for Donald Trump. I make no excuses for Hillary Clinton, and I have no illusions about her hostility toward Christians and Christianity. You and Donald Trump, however, are not the moral alternative. I hope that the backlash against this tactic is so strong that no one will try such a brazen move again for a long time.

I don't know whether you will ever read this, but I know there are others who feel the same way. I hope you will pay attention. I do pray that God will have mercy on the church and on this nation. And I pray He will have mercy on you.

Sincerely,
Owen Crew