The Problematic Moral Compass of Evangelicals in Politics

Disclaimer: The views and opinions of the Author do not reflect the views and opinions of the Institutions with whom he is affiliated.

With the recent 2020 U.S. Presidential Elections, I am still surprised by the evangelicals’ overwhelming support towards President Donald Trump. I am surprised because the moral fitness of Trump as a leader does not align with what I believe as an evangelical.

Additionally, I am surprised that evangelicals in my own country are still supportive of President Rodrigo Duterte, a populist leader with a questionable moral character.

Before I say the problems I see with my people (i.e., evangelicals), I am an evangelical and a pro-life liberal (I would be a democrat if I am in the U.S.). So, when it comes to politics, I am against abortion and the death penalty, but I favor taxing the rich higher to support the poor. It is also my view that the Government should be proactive in bridging income inequality. I was raised in an evangelical church and household.

In electing leaders, I think that moral fitness should no longer be a question, but it should be the norm. In other words, those who are up for election should not have a questionable moral fitness in the first place.

We, evangelicals, teach our children not to cheat, not to lie, not to kill, not to harass, not to rape, not to say demeaning words towards others, and not to hate. Yet, those elections have shown that we do not practice what we preach and that there is something wrong with our moral compass.

In the Philippines, evangelicals supported Duterte even if they know that he has a foul-mouth, boasts about wanting to rape a rape victim, boasts about molestation, and wants to kill people without a fair trial. The evangelicals are adamant in pointing out that “Duterte is for the Filipinos,” yet they could not even answer the question on his moral fitness to lead given that he boasts his immorality. Until now, he continues to say demeaning words and to display hateful and misogynistic character and has yet to show his moral fitness in the office.

In the US, evangelicals supported Donald Trump, who is a racist and a bigot and boasts about grabbing a woman’s private parts without her consent. Evangelicals supported Trump even if they know that he cheated on his pregnant wife with a porn star and a playboy bunny. In 2020, evangelicals still supported Trump even if they know that he bribed the Ukranian President to injure Joe Biden’s campaign (basically, Trump cheated in the 2020 elections).

As for Trump, I understand that he is a pro-Israel leader, yet despite this, he ignores the fact that Israelis in claiming statehood had violated the rights of innocent Palestinians who has been residing around Jerusalem since time immemorial. While the issue on Israel is a very complex one and it may go one way or the other, I guess that is one for another article.

With all the questions on the moral fitness of Trump and Duterte and the problematic stances of my fellow evangelicals, I implore my people to look into the character of the people who wants to be our leaders and compare that to what the Bible says.

In this time, most evangelicals would ask, “what would Jesus do?” I am not sure what Jesus would exactly do, but I am pretty sure that the Jesus I know will not allow a molester, a racist, and a bigot to lead a nation of His people.