The Republican Party

In today’s world the view of the Republican Party and what it stands for draws radically different reactions depending on who you ask. For many people throughout the US, regardless of their belief, their definition of the Republican Party starts and stops with our current president, Donald Trump. Now this can be a fair judgement, simply because the Republican Party elected him as their candidate for president. So should we as Christians be a part of this party?

Well, first here is a quick look on their history. The Republican Party was founded in 1792 by supporters of Thomas Jefferson as a party who wanted a decentralized government with very limited powers and very pro constitution. Ironically enough, this party was known as the Democratic-Republican Party, which in the 1830’s turned into the Democratic Party (which is know the arch rival of Republicans). Overtime the people who remained a part of the Republican Party started to reach national attention on one of their main platform issues of anti slavery. This led to them electing Abraham Lincoln as their first Republican president. Over the next hundred years, this party remained at the forefront of racial issues including abolishing slavery, giving minorities and women the right to vote, and being instrumental in getting rid of Jim Crow laws in the deep Democratic south. So how does a party that was in part established to combat racial issues, become identified as a white supremacist party, that many would argue supports the wealthy minority of the country, while ignoring the the middle class and or those stuck in poverty.

I think this goes back to an issue of perception. One of the key platforms of the Republican party used to be that they favored limited government. This simply means that the less government the better. Therefore, the less taxes, the less government aid, the less messing with other countries affairs, the better. Now a government that acts in this way, in a way, does benefit the wealthy. It also however, helps out the middle class as well. It takes less of their paycheck and also allows for people to live their everyday life without fear of government intervention. This helps promote business growth, the ability for people to spend more money (which helps grows the economy) because people have more money to spent. Remember, taxes is the government simply taking money that you have worked for and spending however they see fit.

Now the issue with this is, how does less government aid lift up those who are poor or struggling with their life. It all comes down to what do you believe the governments job is. Do you think it is the governments job to take care of those who for whatever reason are unable to care for themselves or is it the people who live in that society to care for those less fortunate than themselves? The majority of the Republican Party, believes that it is not the governments job. Rather people, charities, and charities should take a larger part in helping those in need. Which admittedly, is something that many people seem to not to do in today’s society. And I think as Christians, we should be admittedly ashamed that we have forced the government to help the poor instead of doing it ourselves. There is an over abundance of wealth within much of the Christian church within the US, so why haven’t we done more to help those around us? (Just some food for thought there) Now obviously, the people in this party remained split on this issue, with some thinking the government should take a larger role, while others wish the government would give out less than it does. There are other issues that affect this party as well. Issues such as the right to life within the womb. The republican party believes that a child has a right to its own life, while still in the mothers womb. Now as to when this life begins is an argument that divides many Republicans. Other topics that divide republicans can be related to the USA’s involvement within other countries affairs. Some believe that we should not meddle with them at all, while others think that we need to be active in how we are involved in other countries as it provides a way for us to protect issues that might affect the US. So as you can see, there is no clear cut thing to identify someone as a Republican. People within the party are divided in what they believe on almost every issue there is within politics.

This leads us back to one of the most divisive figures in politics and even the Republican Party. And that is Donald Trump. This is someone with morally abhorrent behavior who openly has mocked or seemingly racially targeted those of different races, demeaned women, and insulted and mocked people with disabilities. There is no excusing this behavior on any level, what so ever. There is also no denying that as President, he has also been successful in growing the economy, stabilizing foreign relationships and introducing solid policy options (at least as far as Republican beliefs go). So what should we as Christians do when viewing this Party? Is it okay to excuse the garbage and definitely unchristian ways that their leader has acted simply because he has good policy options? The short answer is no. I don’t think you can excuse this behavior, which is one of the reasons I did not vote for him and most likely will not in the future. However, I think there needs to be a separate distinction made between the very real Christian and morally ethically good platforms of the Republican Party (such as the pro life, racial inclusiveness, free speech and limited government) and those within the party who do not believe or support those beliefs. Thus to sum up, I think you can be a Christian and support some of the policy options that Trump or the Republican Party have made, while refusing to excuse his behavior and being willing to demand a change during the upcoming election cycle.

Now obliviously, there is much more to the Republican Party’s beliefs, for example their views on how to fix the economy and climate change (though they and the Democratic party have a history of kicking the can down the road on these issues). Another big area of contention currently, is immigration. Personally, I favor a much more streamlined and easier approach for immigrants to get into our country legally. However, these are arguments that I do not have the time or energy to go into currently but might possibly in the future. I will list a few people to go and listen to if you would like to learn more on these or other issues.

Ben Shaprio Show – A conservative, debaterish type, who while somewhat aggressive, has very knowledgeable and up to date opinions on the current political climate. You will never be bored while listening to this.

The Federalist Radio Hour -This is led by Ben Domenech, and they interview and talk with political and policy leaders. It is a great podcast for listeners hoping to jump into the mechanics of policies without having a lot of experience in Washington.

The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg – Jonah Goldberg from the National Review discusses the political and cultural issues of the day. He has unique takes on the presidency and the cultural shift the country is witnessing.

And here are a few other names you can look up on your own. – Andrew Klavan: Michael Knowles: Dave Rubin: Steven Crowder:

If you have any thoughts or concerns on what I said, or would like me to address something I might have overlooked, leave a comment. Thanks for you time and I hope what I said makes a bit of sense. My next post will be explaining a bit about the Democratic Party and once I finish that, I hope to spend some time going over some ways both of these parties can improve and how you can get involved in formatting change, if you are so inclined, for either party.