Several pundits who claim the title “evangelical” publicly oppose President Trump. Citing his character, they argue that the president is so flawed that they cannot allow their witness to be sullied, regardless of his favorable policy achievements. Some have even gone as far as to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden.
Character is always relevant. But does Biden’s character surpass Trump’s? I would argue that, with regard to his deepest-held beliefs, Vice President Biden has displayed a more flawed character than Trump.
The dictionary defines character as “the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.” The word’s origins describe an “impress” like a signet ring or mark which bears the image of the press. Consistency demands correspondence between one’s stated beliefs and one’s outward actions. For either candidate, we must ask: Do their policies match up with their most deeply held public beliefs?
Trump has claimed to be a pragmatic businessman and outsider. Religiously, he claims to be a nominal member of a mainline church. But the thrice-married candidate has never emphasized his particular faith or doctrine as a significant part of his platform. Though he has enjoyed record support of evangelical Christians stemming from his policy views, Trump has not claimed that he has an understanding of faith that is orthodox.
Though referring generally to God, Trump becomes awkward when getting specific. He wasn’t active in his church. He refers to books of the Bible strangely. And he eschews key spiritual fruits like repentance, forgiveness, and humility. He often employs bombast and hyperbole when describing his achievements and juvenile and demeaning language when describing his opponents.
Despite his lack of orthodox faith, Trump does not lack transparency. You know what he thinks. (In fact, some might say you know too much what he thinks.) He’s never made claims of pious devotion, and his public comments match that reality. Yet, his policy achievements line up with conservative Christianity in a striking manner. It is likely he supports those views out of pragmatism rather than orthodox faith.
Conversely, Biden has very publicly claimed a deep Roman Catholic faith. In recent campaign ads, a fellow parishioner testifies Biden’s faith “motivates everything — Joe’s beliefs, his values, the kind of President Joe would be.” Boasting about his deepest beliefs, California Sen. Kamala Harris observed that Biden would be a “practicing Catholic” as president. In his speeches, Biden routinely quotes Bible verses, especially those addressing social policy.
And yet, on many issues, he and his party are at odds with fundamental teachings of what he claims to be his deeply-held religious views. For example, on abortion, the party he leads believes in a woman’s right to abort her child with virtually no restrictions. In fact, though he used to support the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funds from being used to fund abortions, he now believes that the government should directly fund abortion. Biden’s views on abortion are so much at odds with the faith that he has been described by one Bishop as “not a Catholic in good standing” and has been refused the central sacrament in that faith, the Eucharist.
And on “lesser” issues, Biden is sharply at odds with his church. On marriage, Biden once agreed with his church that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, voting for the Defense of Marriage Act, which codified this definition. Now, he endorses same-sex marriage, and he has even officiated at same-sex weddings. On religious freedom, Joe once agreed with his church that religious freedom was a fundamental human right, voting for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Now, he believes that transgender rights supersede those of religious Americans.
So, in this election, we have two candidates. One candidate publicly boasts that his traditional, orthodox faith is a core part of his being, but his policy views are at great odds with that faith. The other candidate has never claimed an orthodox faith is a core part of his being. Which one do you think has more character?
Jeffrey S. Trimbath is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and he holds his M.Div from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has been active in the conservative movement for over three decades.
