Response to Piper's "Policies, Persons, and Paths to Ruin"

On October 22, 2020 Pastor John Piper wrote an article on DesiringGod.org that I find extremely troubling. I recognize that it’s dangerous to disagree with Piper. After all, he is one of the most influential theologian-pastors in modern church history. Some hold him in such high esteem that they see him virtually as the 4^th member of the Trinity or as the Protestant Pope (that's meant to be funny 😀). However, his argument in the article is flawed and misleading and it demands a response. For the sake of fairness and context, please read Piper's article first: Policies, Persons, and Paths to Ruin - Pondering the Implications of the 2020 Election)

Piper’s article serves little purpose other than to cause those planning to vote for Trump to alter their vote. His argument is that Trump’s character is so immoral that no Christian in good conscience should able to vote for him. Piper’s point is that the ungodly character of a nation’s leader leads the nation to destruction just as much as a leader’s ungodly policy can lead a nation to destruction. In other words, the president may have biblical policies but if his character is unbiblical that is worse than a president whose character is more biblical but whose policies are unbiblical. In my opinion, that is a patently absurd argument.

 

I am not God. I don’t know anyone’s heart. I am not anyone’s judge. But if you ask for my OPINION, I would say that as best as I can discern neither Trump nor Biden is a believer. I offer that opinion with sorrow and sadness for both men. Based on everything I’ve seen and heard from both over many years, I do not believe that either is a follower of Jesus. I see no evidence through their words, actions, or personal agendas that indicates that either has ever embraced the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and pledged to follow Him as Lord.

If that is the case (and I think that it is), then they are both unregenerate (lost in their sin, spiritually dead, walking in darkness, under the power of the prince of the air). If that is the case (and I think that it is), then I say to Piper, “What are you arguing about? You’re implying that people should not vote for Trump because he is such an egregious sinner but Biden is no better. Neither Trump nor Biden are in Christ. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in either. Just last week in the last debate, they both openly and blatantly lied to the American people when answering various questions. They are both immoral, ungodly men. To say one should not vote for someone because their character is so immoral makes no sense when the alternative is no closer to conformity to Christ. At best, if the decision over who to vote for is simply about character, then we must recognize that the difference between these two men is a matter of very small degrees.”

 

I believe Piper has misperceived the actual problem (and he is not alone for I have heard many voice similar thoughts). The issue is not so much about character as much as it is about personality. Trump and Biden are BOTH narcissists. At the risk of overgeneralizing (there are always exceptions), a person has to be a narcissist to run for President of the United States of America. It is the most powerful position on earth. A person who runs for that office has to think, “Of all the 6 billion people on the planet I am the most competent, most talented, most knowledgeable, most capable, and most qualified to be the most powerful person on earth.” The difference between Trump and Biden is that Trump carries his narcissism for everyone to see. That’s his personality. Meanwhile, other politicians (i.e. Biden) simply hide their narcissism. That’s politics. That's the political game: act a certain way in public to keep up certain appearances. They lie about who they really are. They show you what they want to show you. Is that not also a character issue? Both are immoral. Both are sinners. The difference is that one is  arrogant and doesn't care and the other one simply covers it up. 

 

Personally, I don’t like Trump. I don’t want my kids to grow to be like Trump. I am often embarrassed by the things he says. But that doesn’t change the core of the problem with Piper’s article: Biden is no better. Just because Biden hides his character flaws from the pubic doesn’t make him more moral or any less dangerous.

 

Piper writes in the article, “Therefore, Christians communicate a falsehood to unbelievers…when we act as if policies and laws that protect life and freedom are more precious than being a certain kind of person.” This is a manipulative statement. It sounds pious to say that character is more “precious” than policies. That sounds good but it is an emotionally distracting sentiment. Let’s just be honest. What is better: a person who is a jerk who tries to implement policy to save babies or a person who is nice who tries to implement policy which allows for abortion on demand? 

 

Further, Piper quotes 1 Kings 14:16 as Scriptural support that the bad character of a nation’s leader can lead a nation to destruction. I’m shocked that Piper would misuse Scripture in this way. First of all, Israel was a theocracy. The U.S.A. is not. The king of Israel was to be the spiritual leader of the nation. On the other hand the office of POTUS is not spiritual. It's a secular position. There is no religious test for a person to serve in that office. Personally, I would love for POTUS to be a devout Christian with true faith and deep biblical convictions. Clearly, that's not the choice in this election. And given the choices, it is important to remember that we are voting for President for the U.S. and not Pastor of the U.S. 

 

Secondly, the kings in the Old Testament who were condemned for misleading the nation led the nation into idolatry. They were pagans (non-believers) whose lack of faith in God resulted in the nation turning away from God and turning to false gods. For someone all of a sudden to be concerned because Trump will lead our nation to false worship is incredibly insincere. What about Obama? He wasn’t a Christian. Is our country more or less Christian because of his leadership? What about Clinton or either Bush or Reagan? Our nation has been in steep spiritual, moral decline for decades. These presidents didn’t stop the un-Christianizing of our nation. For anyone to all of a sudden be concerned with President Trump’s character because it will cause our nation to turn away from God is beyond laughable. That’s already happened. We aren’t moving toward the cliff. We’re off the cliff and in moral free-fall. And while Trump may not (and more than likely won't) turn our nation back to the Lord, he’s not responsible for what’s already taken place. 

Furthermore, to insinuate that a President Biden administration would stop the nation from further paganism and cause it to turn back to God is ludicrous. Much of the man’s agenda and policies (the Democrat platform) is unbiblical progressivism: the total normalization of the homosexual, transgender, transsexual lifestyle, the undoing of the nuclear family, and abortion on demand. Biden may be nice and more palatable to our sophisticated sensibilities but he is not a more Christian choice for president.

 

Piper contends that the president’s character matters more than his policies because character can lead the nation to destruction just as easily as policy. That is false!!! Again, he uses the immoral kings in Israel’s history to make his argument. But, that doesn’t apply to us today in America. Israel’s kings were totalitarians. They exercised complete control over everything in Israel. They were judge, jury, and executioner. They were the executive branch, legislative branch, and judicial branch. They had no accountability and could do whatever they wanted to do without restriction. In that scenario, it’s easy to see how a king’s ungodly character could lead the nation to ruin. His immorality directly and personally impacted every person. However, in the U.S. the president is not a monarch. He is simply 1/3 of the government (the executive branch). We have two other equal branches of government that keep POTUS in check. Further, our nation is a republic of States. We have State rights. States have a huge say in matters. No matter how bad a president’s character may be, he or she is kept in check by other elements in government (Federal and State).

My desire is that anyone who serves as president to be an individual who displays Christ-like character. That would be amazing. That being said, I'm a realist and capable of being objective. I recognize that a president’s character (or distasteful pompous personality) is not as or more detrimental to the nation than his/her policy. We are a nation of laws. Our Constitution has way more effect on our society than one man no matter how immoral he may be. AND, let’s be honest, in this country, the president doesn’t genuinely have that much sway over society. Sadly, athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and Oprah are way more influential. They have more effect on culture than the president.

 

This may be a sad concession but as far as this election we’re not voting for or against a person as much as voting for or against an ideology. Neither the Republican platform nor the Democrat one perfectly lines up with the Bible. The question is: which one best approximates what the Bible teaches on the issues that truly matter?

This year has been an awful dumpster-fire train wreck. COVID and civil unrest in the midst of an election year has brought out the worst in people. But of all the bad that's taken place in 2020 the bad that concerns me most is what I see happening in the evangelical church. Conservative Christians who've been revered and respected for years are giving way to cultural pressures so much so that they justify hitching their wagons to unbiblical ideology. Secular sentiment is now informing their opinions rather than simply the Word of God. The church is not the church if we are not pillars of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). The church is not the church if we don't stand together in opposition to darkness. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:14, "What fellowship has light with darkness?" May the Lord protect His people and may His people stand firmly upon His holy word without compromise.

 

I wish Trump spoke and behaved in a more dignified manner. I wish Biden weren’t so given over to progressive ideals. But I also wish I could stop my hair from thinning out. It is what it is. We work with what we got.

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