[Below are excerpts from a letter written by Wayne Grudem, Distinguished Research Professor of
Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Arizona.]
Dear Zachary,
Thank you for your thoughtful, honest email explaining
why you felt frustration and anger about my public support of Donald Trump. I'm
glad that you wrote as you did rather than leaving the matter unspoken.
…
My own assessment is, I think, a middle-ground
perspective. Trump has flaws, but (by God’s grace) he has, overall, done many
good things as president. The mainstream media often refuses to say anything
positive about him, but a balanced evaluation would also point out that he has
a remarkable ability to get things done that no one else had been able to
achieve:
- massive tax
cuts,
- ending thousands of government regulations,
- moving our embassy to Jerusalem,
- building hundreds of miles of 18-foot to 30-foot high
border wall, and
- persuading NATO allies to increase their share of the
funding.
He has admirable courage, faithfulness to his promises,
remarkable energy and diligence in the performance of his presidential duties,
deep patriotism, and what seems to be a dominant motive of seeking what is best
for the country (captured in the slogan, “Make America Great Again”.
…
What will Trump do in a second term? The best basis for
predicting his conduct in a second term is his conduct for the past four years.
If in a second term Donald Trump acts in the way he has acted in his first
term, this will bring:
- a continued
strong economy,
- a strengthened military,
- better trade terms with other nations,
- a secure border,
- more originalist judges,
- stronger protections for unborn children,
- strong employment and wage growth,
- greater energy independence,
- greater school choice,
- more safety in inner cities,
- protection of religious freedoms, and
- greater liberty for Americans in general.
…
It has seemed to me recently that the strategy of the
political left has been to deemphasize policy arguments (where their
progressive policies cannot prevail in elections) and to focus their efforts on
attacks against the person they are running against. To put it in simple terms,
many prominent Democrats have shifted from arguing, “The Republican candidate
has bad policies” to arguing, “The Republican candidate is a bad person.” (And
even, “If you support Trump you are a bad person” – which stifles healthy
political discussion.)
…
This approach has been helped by a shamefully biased
mainstream media including the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, NBC,
CBS, and ABC. I receive a newsfeed each morning from the New York Times and the
Washington Post, and their blatantly biased reporting reveals a hostility
toward President Trump unlike anything I’ve seen regarding any other political
leader in my lifetime.
