Just this last week, evangelist Franklin Graham told the Charlotte Observer that it wasn't Russians who intervened in our election, it was God. Taking into consideration that over 80% of those people identified as "White Evangelicals" voted for President-elect Trump, it's difficult NOT to say that people with Christian beliefs had an oversized impact on the outcome of the election. However, I have to apologize to Mr. Graham because he is mistaken. God had nothing to do with the election of Donald Trump, and I know what you're thinking. You are just some progressive who calls himself a Christian and that's where you come up with this argument. And while, "yes"....no that's not what I want to talk about this fine day.
Instead, I want to just discuss this idea that God is in our elections. Throughout the last year, as journalists reported about lewd and misogynistic things the President-elect has said, Christians who support Trump said, "I wouldn't choose him to teach Sunday school," "we're electing a President, not a pastor," or variations thereof. The intent seemed to be that though they have deep issues of faith that are driving their support for a particular candidate, they would never want to deify the man.
This shift in rhetoric that has taken place after the election leaves me with many questions, and while I could list them, they are really snarky and unhelpful. So, let's get on to the reason I disagree with Franklin Graham.
1 John 4: 18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love."
Hours after the election results were known, people started reporting violence against vulnerable groups perpetrated in the name of the new President-elect. Another website was started just for people to tell their stories directly from their own perspectives. All of this is a result, either directly or indirectly, of the outcome of the national election. The same election that Franklin Graham has said was influenced by God.
If our holiest texts tell us that God, who is described as "love" earlier in 1 John 4, casts out fear, then there is no way God is in this election. It has nothing to do with demographics, or theology, or denominations, or any other descriptor we could use. The sheer fact that after the election people are afraid is evidence enough that God had nothing to do with who was elected. I'm sorry, Mr. Graham. I disagree with you, and it's because the Bible tells me so.
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