On October 12th, American author, Eric Metaxas, known for his thorough knowledge of Christianity and U.S. history, published an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Should Christians Vote for Trump?”

Metaxas wrote the article in response to the increasing number of Christians wanting to renounce their vote in the coming elections. “Many say they won’t vote because choosing the lesser of two evils [Trump and Clinton] is still choosing evil”, he wrote.

Metaxas challenges that notion, and questions whether refusing to vote will ever save the “children in the Middle East who are forced to watch their fathers drown in cages by ISIS”.

“It’s a fact that if Hillary Clinton is elected, the country’s chance to have a Supreme Court that values the Constitution—and the genuine liberty and self-government for which millions have died—is gone.” He states, and throws us the question, “Shall we sit on our hands and refuse to choose?”

 
He agrees that American have a difficult choice to make, and draws on the anti-Nazi martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer to point to the need to overcome this:

“He most infamously joined a plot to kill the head of his government. He was horrified by it, but he did it nonetheless because he knew that to stay ‘morally pure’ would allow the murder of millions to continue. Doing nothing or merely ‘praying’ was not an option.”

 
Bonhoeffer may not be very well known, but he was the only notable Christian who was able to see through Hitler’s true intentions during the dark godless times of Nazi Germany.

Since the time of Otto von Bismarck, the majority of German Protestants had defended their national policy. This trend grew ever stronger after receiving heavy blows in WWI and also throughout the Nazi regime. There were said to be over 3,000 clergymen in support of Hitler in 1932.

At first the Catholic Church had opposed the Nazi Völkisch nationalism, anti-Semitism, and the denial of the Old Testament: it was forbidden for Nazi party members to go to Mass and receive sacraments, and for Catholics to become a Nazi. But they eventually found a compromise. In July 1933, the Vatican signed a negotiation treaty with Nazi Germany for guaranteed rights of the Catholic Church in exchange for the clergy’s abstention from political activity. In other words, it was a treaty that allowed the church to continue religious activities in exchange for political ones: it was a gesture of surrender to the Nazi regime, and this naturally received a warm reception in Germany.

As a result, the Catholic Church became influenced by the Nazi political ideologies, and began to disobey its own doctrine: for instance, introducing sterilization.

Some people seem to think that religions lose their purity when they become involved in politics. But this is wrong, as seen in Bonhoeffer who was a political thinker and yet a deeply religious man at the same time. His book “Life Together” (1938) completed in just one month, teaches what it means to be a true believer.

At the time, the Church had narrowed its sphere of responsibility under the pretext of ‘guaranteeing the protection of religious activities’. As a result, they were not only unable to protect the people from Nazi atrocities, but ended up helping the Nazis. Guaranteeing the protection of religious activities was their selfish act of self-protection.

Metaxas says, “[your vote] is a vote for those who will be affected by the results of this election”, and that doesn’t just mean the people in the U.S.: it includes all of the people around the world. If Hillary becomes president, her promised foreign policy will fail to end ISIS abominations.

On the other hand, it is the Republican members of Congress who are seriously committed to democratizing China, and resolving the problem of North Korea.

Dearest Christians (and all who value freedom): what is important is that you consider how your one vote can drastically alter the lives and happiness of billions around the world. You have an obligation to exercise your voting rights.

Religion is the epitome of good judgement, and it is the stronghold of conscience. A world in which religion remains silent, is a world overrun by evil. Your choice is between clinging to inner purity, or to actually go out and lead the world in the right direction. The Presidential Elections can be seen as a place where the strength of your belief in God is put to the test.(Hanako Cho)