By Bryce Shockley, Contributing Writer and Matthew Pertz, Opinion Editor
Christians face a dilemma when deciding between the two major presidential candidates. Now more than ever, it is unbelievably important for Christians to make a clear dividing line between the church and the world. In this article, I want to provide my support for a viable, conservative option.
Evan McMullin is a candidate for whom evangelicals can confidently cast their votes. He volunteered to help resettle refugees for the U.N. in Jordan, worked for the CIA in the Middle East for ten years and served as the Chief Policy Director for the House Republican Conference. He only declared his intentions to run for President three months ago, saying, “It’s never too late to do the right thing, and America deserves much better than either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can offer us.”
McMullin believes respect for life is the most important measure of our humanity. Clinton’s pro-choice policies dehumanize children in the womb and revokes the rights of the unborn, while Trump has taken dozens of different positions of the issue. McMullin wants to protect the dignity of both mother and child by replacing abortions with resources to prevent unintended pregnancies and promote adoptions.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]McMullin wants to protect the dignity of both mother and child by replacing abortions with resources to prevent unintended pregnancies and promote adoptions.[/perfectpullquote]
On immigration, McMullin has realistic goals that include securing the borders of our nation while focusing on serving our economic interests. The contrast between him and Trump is made clear on McMullin’s website, where he writes, “Our debates and our policies should reflect the civility and tolerance that helped forge a nation out of immigrants from every nation on earth.”
McMullin essentially has one slim path to win the White House. His hope is to win Utah, where he’s been polling within two points of Trump. He then hopes that neither Trump nor Clinton can reach the required 270 electoral votes, meaning the House of Representatives would decide the next president. There McMullin feels he will have an excellent chance of winning the Repubican-controlled House given his consistently conservative background.
This campaign is a difficult one we all have to face head-on. McMullin is an excellent candidate who has both realistic expectations and expansive dreams for the future of this nation. This election does not need to lead Christians to a decision between the lesser of two evils; it can serve as a beautiful way for believers to stand in the face of these wicked options and tell the world our allegiance is to a different kingdom. It is my prayer the kingdom of God will continue to inform and shape our minds much further than this election.
