The Silence of Christian Conservatives

King Saul had his orders: “…go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” (1 Samuel 15:3) He was God’s man. Anointed by the prophet Samuel as the first king of Israel, he had seen how God’s hand was upon him, doling out defeats against the enemies of God, armies far more sophisticated and numerous than the armies of this new rag tag nation. This would be a simple victory. With God on his side and over two hundred thousand strong, he knew he would make short order of this enemy. And so, as the LORD would have it and as the Bible conveyed it, he struck down the Amalekites, “…from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.” (1 Samuel 15:7) He had done what God had commanded with one exception: “Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.” (1 Samuel 15:9) This was clearly a violation of what God had commanded him to do. Why Saul? Why ignore what the LORD had commanded? “…for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” (1 Samuel 15:15) To give to the LORD. It was about saving the best to offer to the LORD. Is he telling the truth or is this a lie?

Last week the world watched in horror as thousands of President Trump’s supporters descended upon the Capitol Building in what can only be called a seditious insurrection. When it was all done six individuals lost their lives and the Capitol Building was ransacked. The Vice President, the U.S. Senators and House of Representatives were swept off to undisclosed locations to protect them from the frenzied crowd. Capitol Police, outnumbered vastly, in some instances did everything they could to hold off the intruders, and oddly in other cases were letting rioters in unobstructed with one officer being seen taking a selfie with a rioter. For the first time since 1812 the U.S. Capitol was laid siege to. For the first time a Confederate flag, a symbol of treachery and racial oppression, flew in those hallowed halls. Those who were behind this act of treason had just gathered to hear President Trump tell them, “We are going to have to fight harder” and, “You’ll never take back our country with weakness,” promising, “After this, we’re going to walk down and I’ll be there with you.” As he made his way back to the White House, the frenzied crowd made its way to the Capitol Building with intent of stopping the certification of the election. The images that filled our screens were surreal and almost third world. Is this really happening to the capitol of what many have called “the World’s Greatest Democracy”?

The incendiary and divisive rhetoric over the last four years from our President has polarized our nation. What has emerged is a blind loyalty to President Trump that overlooks his lack of compassion, narcissism and aversion to the truth, especially amongst the Religious Right or Christian Conservative community. Disregarding his moral failings, they have embraced this President, writing these character issues off by simply stating “all have sinned.” With the election of President Trump along with a Republican House and Senate, Christian Conservatives saw the opportunity to finally challenge Rowe v. Wade. With Sen. McConnell’s calculated blockage of most of former President Obama’s judicial nominations including that of Justice Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, it ensured that the new political powers that be would be able to set the legislative agenda for the country for years to come. And as President Trump continued to nominate and the Republican Senate continued to confirm one pro-life justice after another, Christian Conservatives more and more aligned with this president because he was delivering what so many other Republican presidents could not because they were hindered by the need for a super-majority confirmation. As a result, from my estimation, they have viewed President Trump’s failings and breaches of integrity, as well as those of other lawmakers like Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham as the price you have to pay to get things done in Washington. I have had Christian Conservative friends say things such as, “Their good outweighs their bad,” and, “Who am I to judge them,” and, when all else fails, “I’m voting for a policy and not a person.” Then there is one of their favorites sayings, “All politicians are corrupt.” What they are not saying, which their actions imply, is that they believe that the ends justify the means. Why do I say this? Because, policies aside, I do not see them speaking out against the atrocities and complete lack of integrity and moral fiber in this president. Instead, I see them making excuses or saying nothing at all. Where is that moral outrage that they made so very clear when it was discovered that former President Obama’s pastor said something negative against the United States? Mind you, former President Obama spoke out against what Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright had said. Yet, because he was associated with someone who said something that they found offensive he had to suffer reputation damage and lost the support of a great deal of Christian Conservatives. Fast forward, President Trump has repeatedly said things that are not only offensive in Christian circles, but are also anti-American and treasonous. Yet Christian Conservatives are silent. And when they do speak, they simply say, “We all need Jesus.”

I have tried to grapple with this. As an ordained minister out of the Reformed tradition I have a lot of very good friends who are self proclaimed Christian Conservatives. I too, consider myself in that category. Because I know them, and have witnessed their hearts in other matters, my heart aches to give them the benefit of the doubt. Surely they see and understand the gravitas of the situation? Surely they can see through the charade that is being put before them? Yet, consistently I have seen them defend a president whose policies do great harm and have remained silent regarding behaviors that clearly violate Scriptures and bring a mockery to the Christian faith. They have concluded, right or wrong, that despite the faults of the man he is advancing the cause of Christianity and thus deserves to have our support. In light of the coup d’tat that took place on January 6, 2021 I must disagree.

What is the similarity between this and the fall of Saul I reference in 1 Samuel 15? As I reflect upon that passage it is not lost on me that Saul stated, “…for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” Either he is lying regarding the intentions of their actions or this was indeed the goal. How can we discern his intent? I believe the text provides us some insights:

And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-23

What is missing from Samuel’s rebuke of Saul is an indictment that Saul is lying. Instead, this statement challenges Saul’s motivation, accepting his rationale. Saul spared the best of the Amalekites’ possessions for the purpose of pleasing the LORD. They were to be a sacrifice to God. By not challenging this as a complete falsehood Samuel is giving Saul the benefit of the doubt. Instead, he tells Saul that “…to obey is better than sacrifice…” He does not leave it there but continues by saying, “…presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.” A presumption is a belief on reasonable grounds or probable evidence. It was reasonable for Saul to believe that God would accept a sacrifice of the very best, the first fruits if you will, from their efforts. Remember, he had just been rebuked by Samuel regarding offerings. Front of Saul’s mind is making sure he has an offering that he can present to the LORD that will be pleasing to Him. But Samuel says there is something more important to God than the very best that we have to bring Him – obedience.

As I reflect upon this reality it becomes clear to me that there are indeed some enterprises that we engage in with the idea that we are sacrificing the best we have in order to please God and in the end we miss God because we fail to recognize that God is looking a people whose life reflect obedience to Him. What I am talking about are the details of what we are presenting to God. In short, it is not about the “what”; it is about the “how”. With this in mind, there are three truths that jump out at me as I read this passage and reflect upon this presidency, the insurrection and the call to Christian Conservatives. I would like to challenge my Christian brothers and sisters with:

God has called us to a place of Spirit-filled self-awareness.

Samuel comes to Saul and immediately he says, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 15:13) That’s a strange greeting. “I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” Why greet Samuel with that fact? Because He knew he did not do what God told him today. However, it became important for him to make a case for his personal obedience. In our Christian walk we tend to justify everything that we do. We come up with “godly” excuses as to why we do or don’t do some things. God sends the most unlikely people in our lives to hold a mirror up so that we can see ourselves. I do believe that God has raised up Donald Trump for this hour. However, I do not believe it is so that the conservative agenda can be codified and advanced in our society. Instead, I believe it is so that the Church would finally confront the “ugly” that has been hidden and ignored for so long. We have aligned with leaders who have said what we have wanted to hear but in some cases have not demonstrated the level of moral integrity that demands our loyalty. We have believed the lies, feeding off single news feeds, fueled by soundbites, describing our fellow Americans as enemies and embracing radical ideas that not only contradicts our American ideals but also violates our Christian principles of righteousness and justice. Foundational to the Christian faith is the fact that we are all broken and in need of a Savior Who forgives of our sins and restores our relationship with God. The life of the Christian is a life of heartfelt repentance, where we see our flaws, acknowledge and repent of them to the LORD, and turn from them, showing, as John puts it, “…fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8)

God has called us to be compelled by conviction

When challenged by Samuel regarding the background noise of bleating sheep and mooing cows, Saul responds, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” (1 Samuel 15:15) There are two things of note here. First is Saul’s use of pronouns. When it is something that is not quite what God said to do, “they” did it – they spared the best of the sheep and oxen. When it is something that lines up with what God said to do, “we” did it – we have devoted the other to destruction. Clearly he realizes his lack of obedience regarding this matter. Yet it is someone else’s fault. Second is Saul’s lack of ownership of the results. Not only was the commandment given to him with the expectation that he carry it out, but he defers to the will of the masses rather than fall in line in obedience. He sees the gap here. Hence the use of the pronouns so that it is not his fault. He misses God because he allows the people to dictate what should happen with the best of the spoils instead of obeying God. In his heart he knew better. Yet he did it anyway. Saul is leading by consensus instead of conviction. My heart grieves because today I hear from Christian Conservatives excuses for the lies and turmoil that is being perpetuated. There is very little willingness to stand up and be counted when we observe these breaches of integrity. Instead we hear the pronouns aimed at dividing us – “them people”, “those folks”.There is something wrong with a Christian that will not call sin “sin” and challenge amoral leadership. Succumbing to the fear of being singled out or being viewed differently will never result in a society that is pleasing to God. The cause may seem right. Yet, for the Church to be the prophetic voice of life that we have been called to be in this world we must not be moved by the masses but must instead be compelled by Biblical conviction.

God reminds us the ends never justify the means

The task given to Saul was clear: “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them…” (1 Samuel 15:3) This concept of “devote to destruction” means to devote to God and then destroy it so that there will be no human use of it. As he processed this command, he reasoned that eventually what was spared during the onslaught would be offered to God and God would be happy with it. It was after all the best and they would bedevoted to the LORD. Yet, though Saul had an offering that, apart from these circumstances that would have been pleasing to the LORD, in this circumstance it was not. Why? Because God did not approve of the “how”. His expectations were clear. We Christians claim we walk by faith and not by sight. Yet, we are willing to “bend the rules” to bring about the ends that we believe God has intended for our lives. We accept breaches of integrity and turn a blind eye to the words and actions of those whom we support politically in order to get a desired political result. What this passage tells me is that the end does not justify the means. Our Lord is looking for a people who understand that lives are a not just a reflection upon how good He is but also that we trust in in spite of what we are going through. If we truly walk by faith then we must believe that we have been called by God to hold to His standard and live our lives in accordance to His Word especially when we do not see how it will work out. This is a life of no shortcuts. It becomes something that we can do when we first embrace that God honors faithfulness. We have to believe that He will keep and take of us if we remain faithful regardless of what I see around me. This will only become a part of our lives when we accept that God owns the results. No matter what I do I cannot determine the outcome. I am not speaking of a fatalism that says do not do anything because I cannot change the future. I am talking about trusting that God is at work in my life. In short, God is in control.

As I reflect upon my response to those images of January 6, I, like so many other people of color, am shocked but not surprised. I am shocked because I did not expect it. I am not surprised because I understand what the perpetrators are capable of, having seen this story before. More sobering to me is the silence of the Christian Conservative community, those of us who know what God requires. Instead of being that shining light on a hill we have hidden our lamps. My challenge to us is to be the Church. Speak truth to power. Be the salt of the earth. Now is the time to search our hearts and expose those areas that are not pleasing to God. Now is the time to have spiritual courage to let our voices of righteousness and justice be heard even if others do not agree. Now is the time to do right and trust God for the results. Now is the time to show the world Who Christ is through our works.

“Our purpose is to fight the decay we see not become the decay we see.”
Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates, Senior Pastor, Progressive Baptist Church