On November 9th I woke up to find out that Donald Trump was president. I wept. I did not cry because “my candidate” did not win. I cried because Trump received 85% of the evangelical vote despite his numerous offensive comments towards women, Mexicans, immigrants, Muslims, and the disabled. This statistic became more painful when I realized that 81% of these evangelicals were white. Since I go to school with predominantly white evangelicals, some of whom have likely voted for Trump, I have chosen to address the rest of this OpED to this demographic.
Now, I know that not everyone who voted for Trump did so for racist or misogynist intents. I get that, and I would not want to accuse you of such things. But, if you are an individual who voted for Trump, particularly if you are of Caucasian descent, I need you to hear me. I know, that most of you did not approve of either candidate and that you probably felt that Trump was the lesser of two evils. You may have had other rational decisions motivating your vote. Yet, the bitter truth remains that 85% of Evangelical Christians did not see racism as a deal breaker.
We can debate about what it means to be an “evangelical” or we can debate whether or not Trump will abandon his offensive persona in office. We can even argue over the legitimacy of one voting for Trump over Clinton, but that is not the point of this piece. I am writing today to tell my white brothers and sisters that the results of this election have wounded my trust in the Church. I know this was not your intention. However, I feel uneasy knowing that majority of the American Church did not think about how their vote would directly affect the individuals who Trump had slandered. Christians cannot vote that way, particularly in this type of election. The Christian Church has a duty to its stranger (the refugee), to its vulnerable (the immigrant, the disabled), to the misrepresented (women and Muslim citizens), and to ethnic members of the Church. The fact that majority of evangelicals voted for Trump in light of these issues makes it difficult for me to believe that racism was considered a real problem in the campaign. Indeed, for 81% of these Evangelicals, racism was not and will not be a personal issue; perhaps that is why it was not a problem.
I know this is a hard thing for me to say. I know it is even harder to hear, but I need you to know how your actions have hurt minorities, whether you intended it or not. It is hard to believe there is a place in America and the American Church for me, or people like me, because too many people voted without holding Trump accountable for his abusive language and campaign. If you voted for Trump, I do love you. That is why I wrote this article; the Church cannot be the Church if it remains passive in the face of injustice, and so I ask you to act. It is likely that racial prejudice and its dynamics are new to you, therefore, listen to your non-white friends and see what they have to say about it. Be honest about Trump’s (and other individual’s) abuses and please and avoid trivializing their pain. Rather, stand beside minorities and women who have been slandered in this campaign and hold the new president to a higher standard. You may have voted for Trump, but please make efforts to affirm that the Hispanic community, newly settled refugees, Muslim citizens and immigrants are valued people under Trump’s administration.
I have heard many people comment that we ought not to worry about Trump’s presidency because God is in control. This is true, but the statement is being used as a horribly passive approach to the issues at hand. We are the Church and in this turbulent time we do not get to hide behind sentimental ideas of providence, but we must repent to one another. For when the Church acts like the Church and works for peace, only then shall we see the reconciling spirit of God at work.
Jiwan is a senior majoring in philosophy and theology.