Dennis Prager, the popular talk show host, can’t understand why conservative Jews or evangelical Christians are criticized as hypocritical for supporting a man as sinful as Donald Trump. So Dennis made this one of his “Ultimate Issues Hour” discussions on his radio show and invited me as his guest. He talked about how he, a committed Jew, has defended evangelicals many times.
“I hear this all the time—and it’s people who call themselves Christians who are writing this—’You guys are giving such a black eye to religion and to Christianity specifically for supporting such a sinful man,'” Prager says. “The argument to me is staggeringly immature, but you deal with it all the time.”
The reason it’s a false argument, according to Prager, is virtually anyone, including those on the left, will support a sinful person if they support the policies they like. Prager offered a hypothetical example: If a known dishonest Democrat supports abortion rights, the left would vote for that person even if the Republican opponent were a highly moral person who opposed abortion.
“Theirs is a phony argument. The left lies with the ease that you breathe. We’re voting for a president, not a pastor. People sin, my friend,” Prager said to his listeners. “Grow up.”
I got permission to use the interview in its entirety on my “Strang Report” podcast. I know you will want to listen. Click here or click on the podcast icon in this story to hear for yourself.
I’ve admired Dennis Prager from afar. I enjoyed meeting with him in person. I’ve never met a committed Jew who seemed so genuinely concerned about the evangelical community. It’s good to have a friend like Dennis Prager.
I appreciate that Prager is willing to call out the hypocrisy on the left. And for an example of what he’s talking about, just think of when the Stormy Daniels scandal blew up in the news. At that time, several liberal TV stations like MSNBC and CNN asked to interview me for an evangelical perspective in the matter. “How can evangelicals support such a man?” they asked.
Prager asked me how I handled that question. I told him I was honest about Trump’s moral failings but also pointed out that Trump’s policies are much more in line with biblical values than Hillary Clinton’s are. (You can watch my interview on MSNBC here and my interview on CNN here.)
Many Christians who support Trump have never said he was perfect or even a righteous man. In fact, some of the prophecies about Trump before he won the election said that God was raising him up as a King Cyrus figure. If you remember what the Bible says about King Cyrus, you know he was a Persian king God used to bring His people back to Israel. Cyrus was not a godly man, but God used him anyway.
But the left doesn’t care about biblical morality until they can use it as a weapon against Christians. And lest we forget, Trump is not the only imperfect president we have supported. Many of our presidents have committed adultery and divorced their spouses. Some even committed perjury, unfortunately. But when it comes to Trump, the rules change, and suddenly Christians are hypocrites for voting for him.
The bottom line is that Prager is right—Trump is a political leader, not a pastor. I think he’s done a wonderful job in leading this country and keeping the promises he made to the American people.
And I’m grateful he is authentic. He doesn’t change his demeanor, appearance or accent depending on who he is talking to. (Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama often did that very thing when standing before different audiences.) Trump is just Trump—same business suit, same way of speaking, same views.
Although the liberal left may use hypocritical arguments to undermine Trump’s support, we can choose to stand firm on the issues that matter to us. We can refuse to back down from biblical issues like abolishing abortion, supporting Israel and protecting our nation.
I encourage you to listen to Prager’s and my discussion. I think you’ll find his perspective as an Orthodox Jew regarding Trump and his policies very interesting. And if you like what you read and hear, be sure to share this article with your friends and on your social media!
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