Why I am not Voting for Donald Trump

Well, I filled my mail-in ballot in a couple of nights ago. My cat subsequently knocked a cup of water over onto it (one of her favorite activities is knocking over the half-full cups of water my children leave about the house), but it dried out and I'm ready to send it in. As has been the case since I was first eligible to vote back in '08, I have chosen not to vote for either major candidate. Knowing that voting for a third party candidate is pointless, I choose instead to write in silly candidates as a form of protest against our binary political system. Over the years I have written in such names as Tim Tebow, Jim Harbaugh, and now, Phil Collins. I hope whoever counts my vote gets a chuckle.

I will say, I was this close *imagine my thumb and index finger really close together* to voting to reelect our current president. Four years ago I was firmly in the "never Trump" camp, but this time around I was genuinely tempted to vote for him. Why didn't I? Well, I know that for me voting for Donald Trump would be an act of fear, and I don't want to vote that way. This year many people will be voting for a man they know is immoral because they believe he is the last great hope for Western civilization. They are convinced that Donald J. Trump, like a modern day Charlemagne, is all that stands between our nation and Socialism, Fascism, or whatever ism most inspires dread in the hearts of middle class America. I genuinely understand why my friends and family have chosen to vote that way, but I simply do not vote for the lesser of two evils. I vote for candidates that I believe are men or women of character and will be good leaders. I have consistently voted this way, and I do not intend to change.

Moreover, I have chosen not to vote for Donald Trump because I am confident that the American Empire, like all great empires built by men, is destined to fall from glory anyway. No politician can stand in the way of the now-inevitable collapse. When I see the work ethic, moral standards, and narcissism that pervades our nation, I believe that we are no more than a generation or two from a dramatic decline. Voting for Donald Trump will not stem the tide. Voting for Donald Trump will not change the hearts and minds of generations who have imbibed the moral, economic, and social doctrines that have repeatedly lead to the demise of the cultures that rose and fell before us. I know many people who are voting for Trump in hopes of securing a comfortable future for their children, but I think it's time that we begin to prepare our children for the uncomfortable difficulties that lie ahead.

You may think that this is an incredibly depressing perspective, but the Truth is quite the opposite. I am incredibly hopeful precisely because I do not place my trust in princes. My hope is in an Empire, a Kingdom, that is not of this world. The United States of America will come and go, but the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will persevere forever. The glory of our Lord does not depend on the United States retaining preeminence on the world's stage.

Vote for Donald Trump if you please, but remember that, if you are a Christian, you have a far better hope than any politician, particularly one as crude as Donald Trump, can provide.

4 Reasons I Affirm Paedocommunion

If you have interacted with me on social media, you know that I have always been outspoken on the issue of Paedocommunion . It is a theological position and a liturgical practice about which I am passionate. Having been raised, and having raised my children, at the Table, I cannot imagine attending a church that didn't allow PC. I hope that when I am old and gray, I will still be an advocate for bringing little children to the Sacrament. Throughout the 12 years that I have had this blog, I have written scattered thoughts on the topic, but it appears that I have never written a concise summary of my reasons for affirming PC. I was thoroughly convinced that I had, but I can't seem to locate it, so I guess I never did. So, to rectify the omission, here are four reasons I hold to PC. 1) Paedocommunion is Biblical. Any discussion of the topic should start here, and I would hope that both sides of the debate would make this assertion. However, l...

1 Corinthians, the Covenant Hermeneutic, & Paedocommunion

As an adherent to Paedocommunion (hereafter PC), I have always found it painfully ironic that Credocommunionists use 1 Corinthians 11 to withhold children (among others) from the Table. One can imagine St. Paul shaking his head as he watches theologians using his discussion of unity at the Table to divide the body at the Table. You're missing the point! he would say in exasperation. Not only does 1 Corinthians 11 not forbid PC; I would go so far as to say that there is no better defense of PC in the New Testament than the epistle of 1 Corinthians. Credocommunionist logic is pretty straightforward. 1 Corinthians 11:28 says, "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." If, they argue, one is unable to fulfill the exhortation to examine himself, then he may not eat of the bread and drink of the cup. This is a pretty logical deduction, right? Credobaptists would adamantly agree. Acts 2:38 says, "Repe...

The Real Presence & Paedocommunion: A Deeper Rift Between Reformed Churches

You're going back to Rome! Theological disagreements within the Reformed world, especially those of the last half century, often devolve into these sorts of accusations. As controversialists like Doug Wilson and Peter Leithart began to break away from the larger conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, it became clear that the rift was deeper than semantics and systematic minutiae. Much like the Reformation four centuries before, the Table was a primary point of conflict. What does it mean? Who may partake? What do we call it? These questions, along with a few more, divided Reformed brethren as the physical elements of our religion reflected deeper conflicts. Good men began to understand that the problem wasn't just in our logos, but in our pathos and ethos, as well. Paedocommunion (hereafter PC) has been one of the hottest points of contention. PC has always been normal to me as I grew up with it. I underst...

Always Reforming

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