“But he did it first” is not a valid, Christian response to immorality
Since Donald Trump was elected, there has been no shortage of disagreement from the left and right side of the aisles. (Ok, that’s putting it lightly, but hey…)
One disturbing trend, that has also taken root with many Christian Republicans is to overlook the moral failures of our current president, or, in many cases, justify those failures by pointing to the immorality of past presidents (which, coincidentally, is of an opposing political persuasion). As an example, I recently came across the following tweet that seems to encompass what I’m trying to say.
Bill Clinton paid Paula Jones $850,000 for her silence. Bill Clinton had ongoing sexual relations with an intern AS POTUS!!!!
— Jali_Cat (@Jali_Cat) May 3, 2018
The way the left is acting about Trumps personal life upteen yrs ago is PURE desperation. It’s quite comical really.
Keep up the great #MAGA WORK DJT!
You can see what I mean, right?
Some people are so bought-in to the Trump hype and the desire to undo what past liberal presidents have done, that they are willing to justify immorality in the name of “Making America Great Again.”
Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that good things have happened under the Trump administration - many of which we don’t hear about because they go against the narrative that much of the media wants to portray (but, that’s a different post). I’m also no fan of Bill Clinton, what he did, or what he stands for.
That said, we also can’t use his moral failings to justify those of Donald Trump, or to distract from that immorality. If we are Christians, if we believe in the absolute truth, we need to hold that same standard for everyone, not just those politicians we agree with.
Yes, what Bill Clinton did with Monica Lewinsky was wrong. But so is what Trump did. Just because one failing happened while the person was president and one when the person wasn’t shouldn’t make a difference. We are referring to their character, their values, and their example. In both cases, whether president or not, they should not be ignored.
So, rather than justifying the actions of the person whose politics we agree with while vilifying the actions of the person with whom we disagree, why don’t we hold them both to the same standard? Why don’t we say that, yes, they were both wrong, they both need to be called to repentance, and pray for them both that they would repent and trust in Christ. Ultimately, that’s all that matters and that’s where our focus should be.