Disappointed, Disillusioned, but not Discouraged

If you know me, you’re not surprised to hear that I’m terribly disappointed by the outcome of the presidential election. The only positive I’ve been able to take from it so far is the blessing of a smooth and civil transition of power and avoiding another January 6. I was braced for the possibility of another onslaught of crazy white men in camouflage and funny red hats carrying a flag in one hand that says, “Jesus is my Savior and Trump is my President,” and in the other hand a can of pepper spray or a baseball bat. Prayer and Psalm 46 braced me, but barely.

I’m not surprised but am terribly disillusioned especially by a large portion of my own Christian community who played a large part in this outcome. I know that many voted for Trump based on his alleged stance on abortion and I respect that. In fact, I have a pro-life ethic too. Along with them I believe that the most vulnerable of the vulnerable are babies in the womb.  

I know also that many supported Trump because they’re hurting financially and hope for an economy that is better suited for them. I hope they get what they need. If it’s because they’ve personally suffered from migrants taking their job or making their lives more difficult in some way, I hope they’re able to recover what they lost. If they voted for Trump out of compassion for the vulnerable and poor, because they believe that a trickle-down economy will benefit them most, I hope they’re right. If it’s because they believe Trump will do a better job on the international stage (with China, Russian/Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and…), I hope it’s true. If they feel overlooked and forgotten by our country and its government, and voted for Trump because they believe that their voice will be more likely to be heard, I hope it comes out that way for them. If they voted for him because they think he will root out government corruption, I hope truly hope he will. [FYI, I don’t think he’ll do any of the above, but I can still hope along with you.]

Suffice to say, I’m exhausted from the last year or so of listening to Trump’s potty mouth, his incessant lying, and the putrid ideas he has about his fellow humans. I need a break from him and my personal engagement in the intersection of faith and American politics. I can’t sustain another long stretch of apoplexy over what this man and his die-hard fans do and say. My plan is to try to avoid as much of it as I can. I said, “try” because I’m not entirely sure I’ll be able to help myself.

Now, if Trump does some of things he promised or implied he’d do, so I don’t have to do so every day for the next four years, let me preemptively list my deepest objections now and leave it at that.

• If he pardons himself from all the crimes for which he’s already been convicted and those for which he’s been indicted…
• If he pardons hundreds of the insurrectionists that were convicted of crimes on Jan 6, 2021…
• If he begins the inhumane act of deporting 20 million immigrants from the US…
• If he strips all US support to Ukraine…
• If he doubles down on his climate change denying while promoting oil and coal…
• If he continues denigrating and eventually indicting and destroying the careers of anyone who doesn’t loyally bow to his whims…
• If he keeps fawning over other authoritarian despots and acts like one himself…
• If he surrounds himself with sycophantic loyalists like Elon Musk and Robert Kennedy Jr…
• If he suddenly remembers that he did read and agrees with Project 2025 after all…

If he… well there are so many other asinine things he’s promised to do, not to mention those thing

If he does any or all of the above, I STRONGLY OBJECT! (There you have it. In case I either miss the news on one or more of these, or I simply can’t muster the energy to weigh in, just know how I feel about him and his incompetent, democracy-damaging presidency.)

If you continue to read some of my posts on my blog, Facebook, and Instagram, I do plan to continue posting but with a shift (at least for a while) over to things unrelated to politics. But if you’re interested in some intelligent Christian voices on sociopolitical topics going forward, I’d like to make some recommendations.

The people I consider that have the most measured, biblical, and trustworthy approach to faith and politics are these: Russell Moore, Curtis Chang, David French, Tim Alberta, Kaitlyn Schiess, NT Wright, Peter Wehner, Jim Wallis, David Brooks, Matthew Soerens, Miroslav Volf, and others… Google them. Some are podcasters, others authors, journalists, or theologians. But they all have one thing in common. They avidly follow Jesus and have expertise on how Christianity intersects with politics.  

That said, don’t depend on my voice or experts in the field. Raise your own voice for the voiceless. As Wendell Berry said, “Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.”

Two months before he was assassinated Martin Luther King said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Remember, God gave Noah a rainbow as a recurring promise whenever the light of the sun shines through the rain. The rainbow means, “It’s raining, but it will stop before everyone has to live on a boat!”

While my faith in the American electorate, especially in that of my fellow believers, is running on fumes, my hope is anchored in God. Elizabeth Phillips said, “Hope fixes our attention ultimately on God, and what is desirable and possible because of God… and moves us toward our ultimate future with God.”

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.… I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name!

God bless you and yours.

Barney