The Art Of The Deal
The deal was proposed in 2015/16 – you vote for me and support me and I’ll deliver for you on abortion. The Orange Man in the Red Tie was promising to bring pro-life justices to the Supreme Court so that Roe v. Wade would be overturned. Being that no other political issue was nearly important and as close to the hearts and minds of many Christians, especially evangelicals, this was quite an offer.
Even as they had previously despised the man and found his character and behavior to be reprehensible, this was a hard deal for many to turn down. Ultimately, copious numbers of Christians, including around 80% of voting white evangelicals, decided to take the deal. Nonetheless, many would hold their noses as they pulled the lever in the voting booth for the Orange Man, but they reasoned that if this is what it took to save the lives of millions of unborn children, then this is what had to be done.
Ten years later, we see the aftermath. It is grievous and gruesome.
Roe v. Wade has indeed been overturned, yet abortions have only continued to rise in our country, when for the almost forty previous years they had been declining. We see now that many in the pro-life community greatly miscalculated by placing undue weight on the importance of winning the legal fight, even if it meant fighting dirty sometimes and relying on crooked characters, while simultaneously failing to realize the importance of winning people’s hearts, both individually and collectively on the issue. They ignored, even lambasted legislation that would provide practical help for mothers, young children, and families in need, which would reduce the pressures and hard conditions that often drive women to have abortions. They caused offense by demonizing women who had abortions and others who supported their choice to do so. They caused further offense by championing the very offensive Orange Man as some great savior. In the end, they won the legal battle but lost the battle for people’s hearts….. and even more unborn children have ended up losing their lives because of it.
Worse yet, they lost the champion of their cause. During this period of time when Roe v. Wade has been overturned and the Republicans control both Houses of Congress along with the Presidency, it would be prime time to create a national law outlawing abortion with only a few, but well-defined exceptions. However, the Orange Man, who has hailed himself along with many prominent evangelical Christians as the “Most Pro-Life President in our History”, no longer cares about the issue. Even as he ran for office this most recent time, he criticized states that put abortion bans in place and made it clear to Congress that they should not pursue a national ban on abortion. He got the Republican Party to drop their plank which opposed abortion and has made little to no effort of any significance to pursue pro-life policy since his re-election. Even just the other day, he told Republicans in Congress that they needed to be flexible on the Hyde Amendment – the amendment that bans the use of federal funds for abortions.
Thinking back on 2016, one would think that the Christians who voted for this man would now be absolutely appalled at what has all happened, and would be decrying this man for his double-crossing manipulation of them, yet even all the more for all the other corrupt, evil, and unChristian deeds he has committed along the way during his reign as President. Yet, we know that this could not be further from reality. Instead, the Orange Man continues to be hailed with great loyalty and admiration by so many of his Christian supporters. Far more than when they first voted for him in 2016.
Back when they were first voting for him, we heard the slogans being bandied about – “We’re voting for a president, not a pastor”, “It’s about policy, not character”, “We’re all sinners”, “King David committed murder but God still used him”, etc., etc., etc. These same Christians who had long called out Bill Clinton’s character as a disqualifier for office, now needed to justify their 180 degree turn on the subject. Things were different today, paradigms had shifted, the other side had become so much more evil, and we now had to fight differently, they argued (as if God’s principles and ethics ever change).
In the end, we have seen what has happened – it’s as if God knew what He was talking about when He told us in His Word that bad company corrupts good morals. So many Christians who once held their noses when voting for the Orange Man solely because of the abortion issue, have evolved into full-throated, fervent advocates of the miscreant man, lionizing him while believing his countless lies, no matter how ridiculous and obviously untrue they are. If there were ever a cult, MAGA is most certainly it. So many Christians have been indoctrinated and absorbed into this cult over these past ten years.
Consequently, and sorrowfully so, we now live in a country where the rule of law is routinely disregarded and disrespected by the very ones who are commissioned to uphold it. Cruelty has been normalized as a way of life. Top leaders routinely practice corruption and incompetence in the wide open and it is claimed to be good. Our country is taking over other countries, killing their people, and stealing their resources. Profuse numbers of the most vulnerable among us have been demonized, many of whom are being hunted down by a brutal and illegitimate police force….. a police force that is now murdering our own citizens. All the while, abortions have only continued to rise since that man was first elected.
None of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic support of countless Christians.
Speaking of the killing of our own citizens, the Orange Man in the Red Tie and his minions tell us that their police force is saving our country and that they killed a domestic terrorist, with the heroic agent who did the killing being lucky just to be alive after being run over by the terrorist’s vehicle.
Anybody familiar with George Orwell’s “1984”?
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
For the Christian:
“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:14-15
Yes, choose this day who you will serve.
I’m robustly pro-life, but for the public record: I refused to take that “Deal.”
Also, I just re-read ANIMAL FARM for the umpteenth time, preparatory to teaching it to my teenagers.
Joshua,
God bless your fortitude in resisting the deal. And welcome to the comments section of the Phoenix Preacher.
Good job, Kevin!
I am presently teaching Animal Farm to 7-8 grade students. Certainly relevant to our time.
Thanks, Bob.
It’s always good to have the support of a fellow heretic. 🙂
“Back when they were first voting for him, we heard the slogans being bandied about – “We’re voting for a president, not a pastor”, “It’s about policy, not character”, “We’re all sinners”, “King David committed murder but God still used him”, etc., etc., etc.”
Can’t help thinking of Luther’s comment that the Bible is a wax nose — it can be twisted to say almost anything!
Without careful exegesis, this is what will happen.
We all are guilty of this sometimes. That’s one reason we need each others’ input and wisdom.
But the Scripture twisting currently going on is in a class by itself. Egregious and evil.
a major issue, as I see it, regarding pro-life labeling is that it only regards pregnancy and abortion. So-called prolife folks refuse to fund on-going health care, nutrition, early childhood education, child care, foster care, any form of respite care, etc. and of course, decidedly anti-life when it comes to death penalty conversations. As long as this is the case, these folks should stick to the label “anti-abortion” and give up “pro-life.”
regarding the evangelical sell-out to the current president, I’m reminded of Esau selling out his birthright for a bowl of stew. The consequences are real and they are coming.
Fil
Great point!
bob1,
Yes we are all guilty of twisting things to our liking. The real danger then is when we’re not open to the input and wisdom of others.
fil,
Yup, many “pro-lifers” really are only “anti-abortionists”. Not all, but many. And then many of those won’t even or can’t even acknowledge the difference.
The death of Renee Good in Minnesota is a water-shed moment in the anti-fascist movement afoot in America. How one views the videos likely identifies where on the spectrum he/she resides. The administration’s language blames Good for her own death and seeks to make a warning from her demise, all while ignoring the constitutional protections for citizens, protesters, and immigrants. The failure to allow local and state resources investigate the crime is all the evidence needed to conclude the administration will sweep this under a rug and increase the ICE efforts there and in other Blue states. Without question, the Orange Administration is the most corrupt and dangerous in our history.
Yet, a remnant remains that hasn’t bowed a knee to the current administration and Duane Arnold’s piece “Between Silence and Spectacle” next door offers much needed counsel on how to proceed.
filbertz, In addition, it’s being reported that DOJ prosecutors have resigned because they’ve were pressured by their superiors to investigate Renee Good’s spouse. It’s hard to imagine anything more despicable than bringing the full weight of the federal government to bear against a grieving mate solely because she used nasty language when interacting with federal agents. This is not a pro-life or pro-family administration; this is a heartless one without fellow feeling or compassion, which can also be seen in the policies they’ve implemented that hurt children.
There’s been enough ink, and huge amounts of zeros and ones expended over abortion, to probably go out past the orbit of Pluto.
And yet nary a word about non-procreative sex practices that couples could engage in.
I am staunchly anti-abortion, but what ever happened to reason and common sense?
Trump’s “deals” are always swindles. It’s been that way for decades; I was aware of it as far back as the 1980s. The contractors that worked for him on his building projects learned the hard way. He only knows one kind of “deal”: zero-sum. And he couldn’t care less about aborted children; he does not value weak or helpless people in any way, and children are the weakest and most helpless people of all.
I lost one of my best friends over the same argument that I used for not voting for Trump in 2018 and again in 2024. He was only anti-abortion because it got him votes, and we are now seeing the peak of the crazy-although I think it will only get worse. What I am noticing about Christians who I know voted for him is that they are either becoming increasingly disillusioned with politics, or they are not saying anything at all. I don’t think they know what to say. The Emperor has no clothes, but they don’t have have the guts to admit it.
Linn, these folks who are growing disillusioned are stuck without a place to go–their view of Democrats have been framed for so long as radical, leftist, commies, socialists, antifa, and so forth, and independents are disorganized and/or without identifying structures. But it’s also a process of recognizing there’s a wide field with many options and not a binary choice. When asked, I simply say I’m a moderate and then follow with an invitation/explanation; ‘the middle is where the important work gets done, not on the extremes.’
The emperor has no clothes, no plan, no scruples, no conscience…
fibertz
“But it’s also a process of recognizing there’s a wide field with many options and not a binary choice. ”
So now you are brining a new definition for what it means to be “non-binary.”
😉
Kevin:
I agree we are all guilty of what you posted.
“Yes we are all guilty of twisting things to our liking.”
This is a very short way of defining what is called “iniquity.”
In modern Hebrew it still holds the same idea, “to twist, distort” especially with words.
One can take a law and twist it to their own perspective or benefit.
“This is one of the four main words indicating sin in the Old Testament. This word indicates sin that is particularly evil, since it strongly conveys the idea of twisting or perverting deliberately. The noun carries along with it the idea of guilt from conscious wrongdoing
Baker, W., & Carpenter, E. E. (2003). In The complete word study dictionary: Old Testament (p. 814). AMG Publishers.
Most of the people I’ve met who said they were pro-life and so were opposed to abortion, mostly Christians, weren’t really opposed to abortion. They mostly would allow abortion in the case of rape, incest, and sometimes the need to save the life of the mother. In other words, they drew the line regarding what abortions should be legally sanctioned and what abortions shouldn’t in a different place than people who they called pro-abortion. I don’t know why the fetus would become less than a human life deserving the protection of law in the exceptions that these people would allow, but that’s what they said they believed. It never made sense to me; I wish someone could explain it in a way that would make sense.
Robert F,
I am pro-life (womb to tomb) and have always opposed abortion while allowing for a couple exceptions and being willing to compromise on a couple others.
The main exception I allow for is when the life of the mother is in serious danger. I believe that is an impossibly hard situation – having to choose between the mother or the infant, and I don’t think it should be up to the state to decide who is to be saved. I think such a decision should be reserved for the family who is having to deal with such a grievous situation.
I also think an exception should be made for when there is no viability for the infant to survive the pregnancy (such as an ectopic pregnancy which also threatens the life of the mother) or if the infant’s development is seriously malformed to the point where doctor’s believe there will be no quality of life for the child – only pain and suffering, no ability to interact or connect with others, and an early death. I again see this as an impossibly hard situation for which I think the decision should be reserved for the parents as to what to do.
On rape and incest, I believe these are also hard situations, but ones in which the baby’s life should not be ended. I don’t think it should be ended because of the wrongdoing of others, despite the difficult circumstances. However, since so many others believe these should be exceptions, I am open to compromising on them if this would be what it would take to outlaw all other abortions, except of course, for the exceptions I already mentioned. Rape and incest account for such a tiny percentage of abortions, that I’d be willing to compromise on the 1% in order to save the 99%, with the hope that we could eventually still save the 1% down the road.
I hope this helps answer your request for an explanation, at least a little bit.
Kevin,
That is a perfectly understandable and well-thought out position. Unfortunately the vast majority of “Christians” are only pro-life until the baby is born (regardless of what your position is in regards to the role of government in health care, child care, dealing with poverty, etc.). But if these “pro-life Christians” are so adamant it is not the job of government to deal with those things, then ALL those Christians and churches need to emulate the example of John Wesley. When his income rose significantly (even to over £1,400 in a year), he deliberately kept his expenses low (to £30 per year) and gave the surplus away. John Wesley’s royalties at one time gave him what today would be an annual income of $160,000. Yet he lived like someone today might at an income of $20,000. The rest he gave away. But I guess the draw of stadium seats and coffee bars in church and having your McMansion is too much.
There is a saying that nature abhors a vacuum. Maybe the reason is that government is involved is because of the vacuum created by the dereliction of American Christians of their duties and responsibilities indicated in Scriptures and ignoring the teachings therein.
the orange-atang sitting in office was more interested in stacking the supreme court with far-right leaning justices and could get those because each one checked the anti-abortion box. Now he has a much more valuable resource at his disposal and he can shed the pretense of being a pro-life advocate. He used the voters and the politicians to pocket the supreme court and has turned his back on both.
Kevin H
I approach this subject very cautiously. When the matter remains abstract, one can speak in the clean language of principles and imagine oneself unwavering in their defense. However, what happens when the question is no longer theoretical—when it is my daughter, a fourteen-year-old whose life will be unalterably changed, or my wife whose life I have vowed to protect? Moreover, in that moment the conversation shifts because the cost is no longer borne in the abstract but carried in the flesh. I have seen this in pastoral counseling for decades: the trembling parents, the overwhelmed teenager, the husband who cannot pray without breaking. The issue is no longer about winning an argument or maintaining ideological purity; it is about living with a decision, carrying a grief that does not fade, and standing before God under the weight of love, covenant, and responsibility. Principles still matter; however, when the cost is personal, their demands become immeasurably heavier, requiring a humility and moral seriousness that abstract debates rarely acknowledge.
Kevin H and Duane.
Just to clarify my position, since my “question” did not: My position regarding abortion is like Duane’s. In addition, I tend to think a two week old fetus is not a human person and should not be accorded the legal protections of one, but a six month old fetus is and should be.
Duane,
I agree that when it comes to real life situations, there is a much greater heaviness and sensibility. You’re right that it’s something that can’t be dealt with in just a sterile abstract way.
Yet as you say, principles still matter. It is my conviction from my best understanding of God and Scripture, that humans cannot decide at what arbitrary point an unborn child counts as a human soul that has full protection and right to life, and thus before that point their life would be negotiable based on circumstances. We would be entering into a realm that I believe belongs to God alone.
I have never personally been close to such a situation as you surely have been in your pastoral ministry, thus I lack the experience of such gravity. I would think that great compassion and understanding would be needed, but that the principles to show care and empathy should also be accompanied by principles that respect God as the sole authority of human life.
I made a decision quite a while ago that I personally wouldn’t discuss issues like abortion and gay rights publicly if I could possible avoid it.
These are pastoral conversations that require great sensitivity and the help of the Holy Spirit.
I know that’s an unpopular stance, but it’s also one I’m convicted to keep
I am tempted to ask each “pro-lifer” who supported Trump because of abortion, that if Trump at least left the $2 after kicking you the curb like a 2-bit whore.