The Weekly Speak is a curated rundown of the week’s top stories with Christian commentary and analysis. Sign up today to get the Weekly Speak in your email every week!
We’re one day away from the election, and the polls show a deadlock in the presidential race. That’s no guarantee it will be close, but it is a guarantee that no one can be overly confident in their position. We may not know for a few days who wins this time around, but the truth will come out, and a new president will be elected.
“Jesus is on the throne,” no matter who wins, is a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason. Christians, keep on with the work. One of the grand lessons of history is God directs the empires as he wills, but the church will never fail. Our missions to carry out the Great Commission, love our neighbors, and build up the body of Christ do not change tomorrow, next year, or in the next millennium until Christ returns. This election is important, but not important enough to knock us off mission.
If you’re looking for the last word on the race, see the list below. If you’re ready for something other than the election, keep reading below.
All the major outlets are rolling out their last words on the election. Here are some of the best from across the political spectrum:
“The Decision We Face” - Albert Mohler, World Opinions. Since 2016, Mohler has championed the Christian and conservative cause. He finds the 2024 election an “awkward if not excruciating predicament.” Trump is a horrible candidate for Christians to face in the GOP. Harris has said she will not allow for religious exemptions for abortion, leading to the question, what else does she see this way? Down ballot, though, Christians face much easier decisions, from local races to propositions on abortion and other topics. These may have a bigger share in shaping the nation in the coming years.
“The Problem of Voting for Candidates Who Promise to Do Evil” - Matt Martens, Mere Orthodoxy. Martens offers a great formulation of the “given a choice between two evils, pick neither” approach. He’s voting third party because he finds both candidates unsuitable for his vote. On the basis of their support for abortion alone, he finds these candidates unworthy. Harris is the most aggressively pro-abortion candidate in history. Trump, while appointing conservative judges, has softened his stance. He would not support bans less than 15 weeks and would favor government funding for IVF. In sum, the pro-life cause is too important to vote for either candidate.
“How Will the Faithful Vote in 2024?” - Ryan Burge, Graphs about Religion. On that topic, Evangelicals will be a major force again in the election. But will they vote for Trump at the same percentage they did in 2016 or 2020? Burge believes they won’t. Trump’s support is waning slightly among white Protestants and Catholics, and that could tip the election for Harris, especially in the “Blue Wall” swing states. Even among the religious, this election will basically be “boys vs. girls.”
“This Race Is Close but I’m Predicting Donald Trump Wins the Electoral College - and Possibly the Popular Vote” - Henry Olsen, The New York Post. Henry Olsen is a longtime political commentator and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He’s one of a few predicting a big Trump win. In the electoral college, he sees Trump winning Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona, five of the seven big swing states. One key factor is voters’ commitment to party over personality. Even many conservatives who do not like Trump will vote for the GOP because of the administration and platform.
“I’m a Pastor who Hates Abortion, Opposes Gay Marriage - and Is Voting for Harris” - Dwight McKissick, MSNBC. Taking the other side is Dwight McKissick, a black Baptist pastor in Texas. A lifelong conservative and Republican, McKissick is voting for Harris this time because he believes that Harris has greater character, competence, and capacity compared to Donald Trump. This is one of two prominent arguments among Christians who will vote for Harris. McKissick simply thinks Harris is better for the country and he would never vote for Trump. Others go beyond Martens and plan to vote for Harris to show the GOP they cannot take the evangelical vote for granted without enacting policies in line with their beliefs.
“Trump, Harris, and Peace in our Time” - Gideon Rachman, The Financial Times. Rachman is the chief foreign affairs writer for the FT, and naturally, he’s looking at the election from a foreign policy perspective. Who will keep us from WWIII? Trump and Harris have very different approaches to the spate of conflicts across the world. Trump is playing into his historic isolationism; Harris is talking about peace through international partnerships. Rachman attacks Trump’s inconsistencies but fails to mention that all these global conflicts erupted during the Biden-Harris administration.
“When We Feel, Think, and Say Unkind Things” - Scotty Smith, The Gospel Coalition
In other news… but maybe on a related note, what do we do when we’ve messed up? We often find ourselves in the position of regretting something we’ve said or maybe the way we said it. Scotty Smith offers a great prayer for these moments, meditating on Psalm 73:21-22, “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant - I acted like a wild animal before you.”
“How These Parents Helped Their Son Reject Transgender Lies And Affirm His Real Identity” - Nancy Pearcey, The Federalist
The issue of how to respond to gender dysphoria and the evolving policies around transgenderism, children, and parents is a topic every Christian has to be thinking about. Ignoring it will not lead us to a good place; the culture is moving. Are we ready to love our neighbors when they experience gender dysphoria? What about children in our communities?
Nancy Pearcey guides us through a masterclass in dealing with this topic. In this case, Brandon, a young boy, always felt more comfortable with girls, girl toys, and thought, “God should have made me a girl.” It’s a heartbreaking situation. His parents refused to allow gender stereotypes to define their son. Instead, they allowed his biology and God’s unique design to define him; “But Brandon’s parents did not pressure him to be different. They told him it is perfectly acceptable to be a gentle, emotional, relational boy. It did not mean he was really a girl.”
They knew what most people need to know, gender dysphoria goes away after puberty for 80-90% of cases. Additionally, in his 20s, Brandon also realized something the data bears out: transition surgeries and hormone treatments do not often make a person feel better. It would not be accurate to say this journey has been easy, but Brandon’s story is a success.
Pearcey extrapolates with some wisdom for parents. First, use positive language. “But Brandon’s parents crafted a positive message. They told him we are healthier and happier when we honor our body, when we respect our sex, when our mind is in tune with our body. The human body is part of the original creation God pronounced “very good” (see the first chapter of Genesis). And we will ultimately be more fulfilled when we live in harmony with the Creator’s design.”
Second, be proactive. Those who feel uneasy with their gender and sexuality are often to most lonely in our communities. We need to love them well! In our world, this group is targeted by progressive groups, accepted for who they are, and pushed further into harmful ideologies. What about the other side of the story? Who’s showing them a better alternative?
Pearcey nails the conclusion; “Transgender ideology sets up an opposition between the body and an inner sense of being male or female, between physiological facts and subjective feelings. The best counter is a positive Christian worldview that affirms the value of the body and the unity of the human being. Christians should also be the first in line to nurture and support kids who don’t ‘fit in’ by affirming the diversity of personalities as gifts from God.”
“Americans, Your Calls and Texts Can Be Monitored by Chinese Spies” - Josh Rogin, The Washington Post
This is the kind of story that can sadly be lost in the midst of the election. Rogin reports that the Chinese have ramped up their spying operations, targeting American officials and the public through infiltrating telecommunications companies. Somehow, the Chinese State Department has gained access to the wire-tapping capabilities of the U.S. government.
“There’s no evidence yet that Beijing plans to use any information collected to interfere in U.S. politics or Tuesday’s presidential election, though it remains a concern, Krishnamoorthi told me. But short of that, Beijing could still use these operations to hurt the United States in several ways, he said. The Chinese government could use its infiltration of U.S. telecom networks to disable them during warfare, for instance. The information collected from Americans could be used for blackmail or disinformation campaigns.”
In 2020, historian Niall Ferguson coined the term Cold War II to describe what’s happening between the U.S. and China. These developments may indicate that he’s right; the U.S. is still not adequately prepared.
Quick Links:
“Motherhood and the Intellectual Life” - Laura Fabrycky, Comment
“America’s Historical Overload” - Christopher Silvester, Engelsberg Ideas
“Parents without Authority” - Mark Bauerlein and Leanard Sax, First Things Podcast
“A Last Look at the Campaign: Night Owls 43” - John Ellis and Joe Klein, Ellis News Items Podcast
Dr. Cole Feix is the founder and president of So We Speak and the Senior Pastor of Carlton Landing Community Church in Oklahoma.
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