Christians turned out in droves to vote for President-elect Donald Trump. According to exit polls, 81% of white evangelicals voters cast their ballot for Donald. While some Christian voters do not agree with Donald on many of his policies or ethics, his stance on certain issues most closely aligns with their own. However, many conservative Christians genuinely believe that Donald is a great Christian leader, elected by God, to steer this nation back on the right track. I'm not convinced.

Only recently have I felt comfortable publicly admitting I am Christian and today I want to speak directly to the conservative Christians who played a pivotal role in electing Donald Trump. Not only do I find your support baffling, but I find it to be a complete bastardization of the faith. You have every right to pledge your allegiance to Donald, but he is in no way the Christian leader you claim he is. I will explain why by pointing to biblical examples of Jesus Christ, who as a Christian, should be the ultimate example of a loving leader. It’ll be fun, I promise. Just like Sunday School on Potluck Day.

Let’s start with the big question: Is Donald Trump even Christian? It’s unclear. Christian minister Paula White is credited with Donald’s alleged conversion, stating earlier this year “I can tell you with confidence that I have heard Mr. Trump verbally acknowledge his faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of his sins through prayer, and I absolutely believe he is a Christian who is growing like the rest of us. I know that from many personal conversations.” Who am I to decide if someone is Christian or not. I do know that Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-16 says “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” So let’s talk about the fruit, starting with love.

What is the greatest commandment in the Bible? Jesus also says in Matthew, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If Donald loved his neighbors like he loves himself, he would be overflowing with kindness, because he loves himself so darn much. In fact, Donald often displays a lack of humility, a trait that Jesus built his entire ministry on. Jesus credited nothing to himself, but rather attributed all of his success and sustenance to God. Donald has pledged that he alone will make America great again. As for his neighbors, I needn’t remind you of his plans to build a wall on the Mexican border, to ban Muslims or at least force them to be tagged and tracked. If Donald has his way, it would be very difficult for Jesus to make it into this country. Jesus, conversely, loved the insider and outsider alike, rebuking those (often religious zealots) who did not extend kindness toward the marginalized.

Jesus was a pacifist. Supporters at Trump rallies have routinely berated and even acted violently toward protesters, who more often than not are black. Instead of discouraging the violent behavior, Donald egged them on, saying things like “I want to punch him right in the face” or “Knock the crap out of him!” You will not find a single story in the bible where Jesus demonstrates or encourages this behavior. Quite the opposite, as it were. When Peter, in an effort to protect Jesus, cut off a man’s ear, Jesus told Peter to stop fighting and proceeded to heal the man’s ear. As an aside, isn’t it interesting how Christians and the Ku Klux Klan, an actual hate group, can both pledge support for Donald Trump?

I do not consider Donald Trump a strong Christian leader, especially when compared to a loving and wise Jesus. I have no qualms with anybody who supports Donald, but I wholeheartedly disagree, based on my understanding of who Jesus is, that Donald is the Christian candidate we should put our trust in. I understand that many Christians supported Donald almost exclusively for his views on abortion. We’ll tackle that in part 2 and I’ll explain why that issue alone doesn’t make Donald the ideal choice for the Christian voting their beliefs. Until then, I would love to hear specifically from Christians who did vote Trump and what brought them to that decision.