Russell Moore, the head of the ERLC of the SBC, has been a vocal non-supporter of the candidacy of Donald Trump. On Sunday he was on Face the Nation and also wrote an op-ed for The New York Times. This apparently drew the attention of The Donald as the president-hopeful tweeted this:
.@drmoore Russell Moore is truly a terrible representative of Evangelicals and all of the good they stand for. A nasty guy with no heart!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2016
Sadly, I think Donald Trump is more correct in this tweet than we would like to admit. I don’t know Dr. Moore personally, but I’ve read a ton of his stuff and sat under his preaching quite a few times. After reading this tweet I could almost hear Dr. Moore saying something to the effect of, “I am a nasty guy with no heart—which is why I need Jesus”. In fact, when I started working on this article I scoured the internet looking for quotes to show this. Then this video appeared:
.@drmoore responds to @realdonaldtrump‘s “nasty guy with no heart” insult. https://t.co/RwMeQ8745x #MTPDaily pic.twitter.com/HEpa1EIohR
— Meet the Press (@meetthepress) May 9, 2016
Typical Russell Moore. Deflecting from himself and pointing to Jesus. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Moore’s position on certain social issues, you have to admit that he is dedicated to proclaiming the gospel. And this is why I believe Donald Trump’s tweet has more truth to it than we’d like to admit.Russell Moore is increasingly becoming a “terrible representative of Evangelicals” because self-professing Evangelicals are increasingly less about the evangel and more about preserving the American way.
I’m convinced that the word evangelical has become meaningless. I nodded my head in agreement when I read this from the pen of Dr. Moore months ago:
Part of the problem is that more secular people have for a long time misunderstood the meaning of “evangelical,” seeing us almost exclusively in terms of election-year voting blocs or our most buffoonish television personalities. That’s especially true when media don’t distinguish in election exit polls between churchgoers and those who merely self-identify as “born again” or “evangelical.”
The same fear-mongering that drove the bus in 2012 is driving the bus still today. What I mean is that I don’t believe any evangelical is voting for Trump because of evangelical reasons. Most professing believers that I’ve encountered are voting for Trump because they agree with his policies on immigration, they like that he is an outsider and ‘tells it how it is’, and they believe through his financial savvy that he’ll truly work to make America great again. And for most what I’ve seen is fear of what could happen to America if Hillary is elected. In the minds of some Trump is the great restrainer of the Antichrist.
What is driving the evangelical vote for Trump isn’t the gospel. Now, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that folks who vote Trump don’t believe the gospel. I’m just saying that when it comes to this area the thing driving them isn’t gospel. It’s things in the periphery. That’s fine as far as politics are concerned but it really muddies things up when we talk about followers of Christ supporting and championing the cause of one who doesn’t have a need of repentance.
So, Donald Trump is correct. Russell Moore isn’t a very good representation of evangelicals anymore. But I think Moore will take that so long as he’s a representation of a humble Galilean whose kingdom is of another world. Call us what you will, but I too am more concerned about gospel fidelity than winning a culture war or an attempt to “make America great again”.
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Photo source: here
Before this writing and the piece I saw online, I had no idea who Russell Moore is. I have no opinion of his heart. I support most of what Trump says, but not necessarily how he says it. To me he is 100 times more my choice than Clinton. Being a student of history I know what trail we will be going down if either Clinton or Sanders win. Its not pretty and certainly not how I want to live out the rest of my days nor how I want my grandchildren to suffer through. It would be great if we had a Godly person in the White House, But we can’t always get 100%. I get the opinion that Trump is not a church regular, But I know the morals of Clinton and the Clinton crime syndicate. Their tentacles reach very far. We want her no where near the White House. Should that happen, we will be waiting patiently for GOD’s return and it couldn;t come too soon.
You hit this one, right on the head!
I too do not know Russell Moore, but I do know he was a supporter of Bill Clinton who even liberal scholars label as the most immoral president to ever occupy the White House. And I do know Mr. Moore worked for a Democrat and that party’s platform supports abortion, partial birth abortion and same sex marriage. Evidently I’m missing something.
Where do you get that he was a supporter of Bill Clinton? And what do you mean by supporter?
As far as him working for a Democrat the Democrat you mention is Gene Taylor who is now a Republican. Not every Democrat is/was supporters of abortion and same sex marriage.
Wow…didnt know this. Yeah, something is missing from the equation.
We are to be salt and light. Preserving culture (which is just another way of saying, being leaders in right living and what prospers a people) is one of our responsibilities. I will be voting Trump in the general election if it’s down to him vs Hillary. Why? Bc I think Trump is a bastion of moral purity? Lol. (That’s funny to even say.) No, bc Hillary will do more destruction and damage, both economically and socially. We have a chance to minimize damage, to prevent a greater evil. And I believe there is a moral component in doing so.
Promoting the gospel is our primary desire in this world. But it is not the only task we have while we are here. God instituted govt. Being involved is a responsibility we have. I didnt vote Trump in the primary, but to protect the good of the country, I want to do all I can to keep the felon, Hillary Clinton, from having the highest human office of power ever to exist. She has betrayed her nation in ways that relate immediately to the functions of the presidency, and in ways Trump hasn’t even had the opportunity to fail, much less proving a proclivity for doing so like she has. She is the higher danger by any metric I know of.
Moore is right to desire the gospel. But he miscalculates when he conflates that commission with our duty in govt. It is not govt’s job to spread the gospel. It is not politicians who are primarily responsible for the more decay of the culture or the growing disbelief in God. It is ours individually and from within our families and communities and churches. Saddling Trump or any other political leader with the greater blame for that, or the assumption of full responsibility for it is like trying to take down a tree by snipping at the leaves, but ignoring the roots.
Trump would be less harmful and more beneficial, in my estimation, than Hillary as president. Scriptures teach us that God raises up ungodly men to judge but also preserve his people. In the present dilemma and regarding the coming election, Moore has acted foolishly, as I see it.