“As it turns out, character does matter. You can’t run a family, let alone a country, without it. How foolish to believe that a person who lacks honesty and moral integrity is qualified to lead a nation and the world! Nevertheless, our people continue to say that the President is doing a good job even if they don’t respect him personally. Those two positions are fundamentally incompatible. In the Book of James, the question is posed, ‘Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring” (James 3:11 NIV). The answer is no.”

– Focus on the Family Founder James Dobson

If a president “will lie to, or mislead, his wife … what will prevent him from doing the same to the American public?”

– Rev. Franklin Graham

These are but just two of the comments from Evangelical leaders who thought President Bill Clinton should be removed from office for “immoral behavior”.

At the time, an overwhelming majority of Evangelicals thought immoral leaders could not govern adequately. As late as 2011, 30 percent of Evangelicals still held this belief.

Then in 2016 there was a strong shift with 72 percent of Evangelicals now holding the belief that personal moral failings were no longer a disqualifying factor for public officials. A dramatic shift of opinion in just a few short years.

What changed? Donald Trump, who captured 81 percent of the white Evangelical vote with a promise to appoint Conservative Judges, build “the wall”, and to limit immigration.

It was often thought that Evangelicals values were deeply held beliefs and ironclad. We now see that for many Conservative Evangelicals, politics trumps piety.

Gavin T. Ferringer

Lock Haven

Submitted by Virtual Newsroom