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    • I am a conservative evangelical pastor who votes for Kamala Harris
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    I am a conservative evangelical pastor who votes for Kamala Harris

    Umito Posted on

    It is a widespread belief in many circles that evangelical Christians – not to mention evangelical pastors like me – should vote Republican. The GOP, it is believed, is the party most closely aligned with our morals, values, and commitment to biblical principles. I have held this belief for almost 40 years. I have seen Democrats support, encourage and promote gay rights and same-sex marriage, and defend and advance abortion rights. President Bill Clintona democrat, was indicted for perjury following an affair of adultery he had done so during his mandate. None of the above aligns with my Christian values.

    The GOP, it is believed, is the party most closely aligned with our morals, values, and commitment to biblical principles. I have held this belief for almost 40 years.

    I supported Texas’ constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, passed in 2005. I joined Governor Rick Perry on a tour of the state while preaching the message “Gay Rights and Civil Rights Are Are they parallel? My answer is that they are not.. When it comes to abortion, Republicans have always been staunch pro-life advocates. It was one of the pillars that the Republican Party had included in its official program. This is why voting for the Republicans seemed logical to me.

    So why am I, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Arlington, Texas, for 41 years, voting for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president? As I wrote on WednesdayI vote for character and competence and for the candidate who “has the ability and bandwidth to demonstrate respect and high regard” for everyone created in the image of God. Republican Donald Trump does not have the character, competence or ability of Harris.

    To be clear, my opinions on the issues mentioned above have not changed. I still believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and I still feel passionate about protecting life in the womb. The Democrats have not changed their position on these two issues either. But the Republicans have changed. I don’t even recognize the Republican Party anymore. This year, for example, the GOP platform abandoned her long-standing call for a national abortion ban And deleted the language which says that marriage is “between one man and one woman and constitutes the foundation of a free society.”

    The party I knew and loved would never have chosen as its candidate Donald Trump, adulterous, childish, liar and convicted criminal. Evangelical leaders rightly denounced Clinton for his sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky, and then for his lies about it. It is astonishing to see these same leaders ignore Trump’s numerous sex scandals and ignore the fact that he was convicted in court of sexually abusing a woman.

    It’s sickening to see people who say they read and believe the same Bible. Not only do I refuse to denounce Trump, I endorse his candidacy.

    For better or worse, I’m a man who votes my beliefs. Traditionally, I vote based on social issues and leave everything else in God’s hands. Since I am now an excluded political party on the two major social issues that I have always used to guide my voting decisions, I am forced to change my voting criteria. I cannot vote for a party that defends my social beliefs. Because neither. I must therefore vote according to the character of the candidates. Enter Harris.

    As a pastor for over four decades, I have had to hire for various positions. Not just other ministers, but also CPAs, advisors, communications specialists, entrepreneurs, engineers, lawyers and even custodians. If Harris’s resume came across my desk and I could interview him without knowing anything about his political views, I would hire him in a heartbeat. For what? Because on paper, she represents a person of good morals and someone trustworthy. Contrary to adultery, Trump, twice divorcedshe is married to her first and only husband, and she graciously embraced the role of mother to his children. A product from humble beginningsshe made something of herself. She was introduced to the church as a child And stayed in the church as an adult. She presents herself as a woman of integrity and leads with love. By that I mean she has a gentle and welcoming spirit.

    Oh, and she can pass a background check.

    As we consider electing a leader for the next four years, I think it is vitally important that we choose someone who is worth following. A May 2020 ABC News investigation found “at least 54 criminal cases.” in which Trump was invoked in direct connection with acts of violencethreats of violence or allegations of assault. The individuals responsible for these acts were predominantly white men and their victims came from several minority groups. In this May 2020 report, ABC News said it “could not find a single criminal case filed in federal or state court in which an act of violence or threat was allegedly committed in the name of President Barack Obama or of President George W. Bush.

    But those 54 cases are nothing compared to what happened a few months later. January 6, 2021, when Trump spoke at the Ellipse and kicked off what he insultingly calls a “day of love” at the U.S. Capitol. But we all saw January 6 for what it was: a day of chaos, violence and upheaval. No one can reasonably believe that President Harris would incite (explicitly or implicitly) her supporters to commit violence.

    Despite everything we know about Trump – his numerous adulterous affairs, his multiple felony convictions, his racial attacks, his violent rhetoric, his repeated lies, the fact that he is nothing like Christ or his Church – there has people warning evangelicals against abandoning the “party of their faith” for a Democrat. There is a passage in the seventh chapter of Matthew that says that a tree that does not bear good fruit should be cut down and thrown into the fire. This is how I think evangelicals should treat today’s Republican Party.

    I make it a point to tell other evangelicals to vote however they want. But I think about my vote the same way I would think about a hiring decision. And under no circumstances would I hire Donald Trump.

    Umito
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