by: Dr. Allen Domelle
Senator Ted Cruz and businessman Donald Trump seem to be the last two candidates still standing on the Republican presidential primary ticket. With the primaries coming to an end, the rhetoric continues to intensify, and the ploys to attract voters is in full gear. It seems that they are coming to a point where they will say or do whatever they feel will help get them over the amount of delegates they need to be the representative of their party on the presidential ticket.
As a Christian and a conservative voter, I was disgusted with the candidate’s behavior and statements in the past week. Both Senator Cruz and Mr. Trump seemed to have stepped to nauseating lows in their attempts to get enough votes to be the Republican nominee.
I was disgusted and disappointed in Senator Cruz’s appearance this past week on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Senator Cruz was part of a skit staging a phone conversation between Mr. Trump and himself. During this mock conversation, Senator Cruz picked up a bottle of whiskey, poured it into a glass, and took a drink of whiskey. This was just part of what disgusted me. During this same skit, there was a raunchy reference that he could have objected to before the show; instead, he sat and showed no emotion when this reference occurred when he should have stopped and said he doesn’t talk that way.
For Senator Cruz to be running on the platform as a good Christian, he sure seems to be ignoring Scripture with his continued reference to alcohol consumption. The Scriptures clearly teach that drinking alcohol is wrong. Proverbs 20:1 says, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” Has Senator Cruz forgotten, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:” (Proverbs 31:4) Has he ignored, “Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.” (Hosea 4:11) It absolutely disappointed me that he openly partook of that which God forbids. For Mr. Cruz to be such a “good Christian,” he certainly seems to have forgotten God’s curse on those who drink wine. Isaiah 5:22 says, “Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:” There is no excuse for a man, especially one who claims to be a good Christian, to not only talk about his social drinking, but also to do it on national television.
My disgust continued a couple of days later when Donald Trump decided to say that he agrees that sodomites should be allowed to use any restroom they wanted. This is total lunacy! Though Mr. Trump doesn’t claim to be a good Christian, and I’m sure many would agree with that, he has said that he believes the Bible to be the best book ever written, with his book coming in a close second. I guess Mr. Trump forgot to read Genesis 1:27 that says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” The Bible didn’t say that God created male, female and transgender. Evidently, Mr. Trump didn’t read Genesis 5:22 that says, “Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” If he had, he would have known that no man should ever go into a woman’s restroom or vice versa. He should also know, if he knows the Bible is the best book, that Leviticus 18:22 says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” There is no way you can Scripturally approve of this sin and the attempt to make it acceptable in our society.
Both of these men have provided a teachable moment for every Christian. I’m sure any Christian reading this would agree that what these men did was wrong, but we must not allow these moments to go by without learning from them. There are four lessons we can learn from these incidents.
1. Don’t be blinded by loyalties or preferences.
One of my disappointments is the unwillingness of preachers to call out these men for their wickedness, even after endorsing them for president. If you are going to endorse a man for president, you should also call him out when he promotes sin. Last time I checked, alcohol is still the Devil’s juice, and sodomy is still abominable. Friend, right is right and wrong is wrong. Call sin out when you see it. Don’t cover your eyes to sin just because you endorsed them. Your silence is condoning these sins when you have openly endorsed someone.
One of the sins that God punished nations for in the past is the men of God who wouldn’t name sin. Ezekiel 33:6 warns, “But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” I believe we can certainly say that Nathan the prophet supported King David. However, Nathan didn’t stay silent when David openly sinned; instead, he said, “Thou art the man.” When men like Cruz and Trump choose to ignore the Scriptures and flaunt their sinful ways to the public, men of God should call them out. As a Christian, you must be careful about allowing your alliances to cause you to turn a blind eye or have a double-standard towards wrong. Silence is condoning wrong when personal alliances do wrong.
2. The hope of saving this nation will never be in the White House.
The hope is always in the church house. Only one institution in history turned the world upside down, and that was the local New Testament Baptist church. Acts 17:6 shows us this when it says, “…These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;” We must stop putting our hope in the next president and start putting our efforts into the only institution that can stop the insanity going on in our society. If the church isn’t the answer, then let’s close down every church and become politicians. However, if the church is the hope of saving our nation, let’s get busy doing what we can to help turn our world upside down for Christ through our local church.
3. The Christian has an enormous duty to fulfill.
Because the hope of this nation lies within the church, the church will only turn the world upside down when the Christians inside that church start obeying the command that turned the world upside down. What is that command? Matthew 28:19-20 is the command when it says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” This is what the church did in Acts 17:6 when the world was turned upside down. Winning people to Christ, getting them baptized, teaching them to obey God’s Word, and sending them to reach others is the only way we will change this world. We will continue to see our society drift further from God until we obey the only thing that changes a society.
4. Pray for the authorities.
I completely understand that this article is quite sharp, but someone has to tell the truth. However, one of these candidates, Republican or Democrat, will become our next President. Because of that, we should be praying for their salvation, and for them to do right. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 commands us, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” If we truly believed in the power of prayer, we would believe that these individuals running for president could be changed through that power. Prayer has changed many people throughout history, and though these candidates say and do things that are wrong, God can change them if we would pray for them.
It is time that Christians everywhere start becoming consistent in what we say and do. This article’s purpose is in no way discouraging you from doing your civic duty or from voting for either one of these men, but it is an admonition and a reminder to be consistent in your stand against sin which is your responsibility as a Christian.