Presidential Candidates and the War on Women

“The abuse of women and girls is the most pervasive human and unaddressed human rights violation on earth.”  Jimmy Carter

  If the War on Women defenders are looking for two overlooked violators and big targets, they have them in the two leading Presidential candidates in this fall’s election. Usually, the expression War on Women refers to policies and legislation restricting abortion. The concept has rightly been criticized by pro-life individuals from both parties. There is though a War on Women and it has nothing to do with abortion. It’s about the abuse of women before and long after birth. It’s abominable two of the greatest terrorists on women are about to be our two options for the next President.

  This is not about politics. It’s about morality. It’s about right and wrong. Because these two individuals have certain political affiliations and ideologies, many of their supporters (even evangelical Christians) are about to give them a free pass. To me, that would be a terrible mistake.

 It’s very rare for me to mention someone politically. The greatest need of our world is not the next President or who we elect, it’s the Gospel. Yet, as prophets and pastors have done through the ages, some public officials are so vile and so horribly violate God’s Word and morality, they need to be called out publically. Personally, I believe it’s the case with both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. They already are commanders-in-chief when it comes to the War on Women.

  If he were not a Presidential candidate, this nearly seventy-year old would be dubbed a “dirty old man.” The fact he was interviewed by shock jock, Howard Stern, speaks volumes. In the interview, Trump not only admitted he was a draft dodger but qualified it by saying the danger he faced from getting some sexually transmitted disease was his own “personal Vietnam…I feel like a great and very brave soldier.” He recounted that he was lucky not to have contracted diseases when he was sleeping around. The man is both a sexist and misogynist.

  His infidelity which resulted in the break-up of his marriage to then wife, Ivana, is well-known. Ultimately, he married his mistress, Marla Maples, after committing adultery for several years. That marriage too fell apart a few years later. He stalked Princess Diana, bombarding her with expensive floral arrangements after her divorce from Prince Charles and publicly regretted not being able to date her in his 1997 autobiographical book. After his divorce, in 1998, he began a relationship with Slovenian-born fashion model, Melania Knauss. Seven years later, he finally married her.

  It’s common knowledge Donald Trump is a serial adulterer. The public record of his cheating ways is well documented. This is a man who’s broken two marriage vows (so far) while flaunting his adultery in the faces of his then-wives. His values are penciled in by him to suit whatever whims he desires. He’s profited off strip clubs and appeared on the cover of the nation’s pre-eminent porn magazine, Playboy. Despite his recent, transparently phony piety, he holds nothing sacred. When asked if he’d ever asked God for forgiveness, Trump replied, “Why do I have to ask for forgiveness if you’re not making mistakes?” If a man’s wife can’t trust him to keep his vows, why would a nation trust him to keep his oath of office?

  It’s not Hillary Clinton’s fault that her husband probably has the worst record of immorality in the history of the Presidency. It is her fault though that she not only defends him, she viciously attacks the very ones he’s victimized. It was under his Presidency terms about sex which were once whispered in dark alleys became the fodder of the evening news. Parents had to turn off the television or usher children out of the room just to watch the news. All the while, the woman who wouldn’t be demeaned by baking cookies, demonized countless women and young girls her husband had used and then thrown out like the evening trash.

  Why are the foot soldiers in the War on Women willing to close their eyes to such grievous sexual harassment? How could any mother with a daughter vote for the wife of a man who destroyed an impressionable twentysomething girl who was taken advantage of by the most powerful man in the world while working as an intern in the White House. Instead of reporting his crimes of sexual harassment, White House staff moved the victim from the White House to the Pentagon.

  Then, in a very carefully orchestrated smear campaign, this young intern was branded “a tramp, tart, slut, whore, bimbo, and, of course, that woman.” Hillary, the great crusader in the War on Women called Monica Lewinsky “a narcissistic loony tune.” What if it had been her daughter? What if it had been Chelsea?

  Rather than rushing to defend and assist the victim, the First Lady blamed the victim. She sacrificed Monica on the altar of her political career, a carefully crafted political career the Clintons had built over decades while crushing women they were supposed to protect…because Bill can’t control his sexual urges. The only difference in my mind between Bill Cosby and Bill Clinton is that to my knowledge, Clinton has never drugged his victims. Yet, as there has been a national shaming of Bill Cosby, there should be a national shaming of Bill Clinton. Instead, he’s heralded like a hero and has now been drafted as the campaign manager in his wife’s march to the White House.  

  To me, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the modern day King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. The primary difference is they’re political foes rather than a political couple. Behind both is a huge wake of victims they have used their wealth and power to abuse. But they won’t get away with it. God is a God of justice and there will be a final accounting.

  God cares greatly about righteousness and a nation’s political life. It was God who ordained human government (Romans 13). Without government, society would descend into anarchy. He desires us to live “a peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:2) and to pray for “kings and all that are in authority.” 
  Yet, God also gives a nation the leaders they deserve. The first role of any government is to protect the innocent from evildoers. Yet, two of the leading candidates this election cycle are the very ones who brazenly abuse the innocent. While the Bible commands us to respect and submit to government, it never requires us to vote. If these two are the candidates come November, Bible-believers have a terrible dilemma when they enter the ballot booth. How can a Christian vote in good conscience for two of the most evil people to darken the American political landscape? 


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Saying "Good-bye" to the Super Woman Syndrome

“I learned more about Christianity from my mother than from all the theologians in England.”   John Wesley

  Mother’s Day, though a good holiday, isn’t a biblical one. In our day of cataclysmic change, the role of mothers specifically and women in general has radically changed since 1914 and that first Mother’s Day. God’s Word and the standards of what it means to be a godly woman though will never change. Yet, there’s tremendous pressure to “conform” to the standards of a godless world when it comes to the roles of women. Sadly, these false standards of what it means to be a woman often invade the church.

  Fortunately, the derision of stay at home mothers seems to have abated in recent years. Probably, the cultural disparity hasn’t changed much since Hillary Clinton’s demeaning remark about stay at home moms in 1992, “I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas….” Rather, it’s so rare today to find a stay at home mom, it’s a moot point. The Bible doesn’t commend either working women or stay at home ones. The woman of Proverbs 31 was definitely a working woman, though within the then acceptable confines of an agrarian society. Yet, there are many other areas where a Christian woman feels pressure to conform to the standards of this world that have nothing do with being a godly mom.

  One of the most flagrant is appearance. From Madison Avenue to Hollywood, all showcase women of flawless beauty. It’s ironic that even female newscasters of conservative Fox News, for the most part, look as if they’ve walked off the stage of a beauty pageant. Rachel Maddow couldn’t get a job at Fox even if she was the next Sarah Palin. Fortunately, there’s been push back with the featuring of oversize models. Every woman feels the pressure to focus more on her outer appearance than her inner one.

  Closely related to our obsession with appearance is sexuality. Last week The Wall Street Journal carried an article, asking if lovers should reveal to a new partner how many sexual partners they’ve previously had. A Texas State University study found that the average number of sexual partners was eight. (Results weren't broken down between men and women.) Lisa Mattson, who’s sex life is used an example in the article felt she’d greatly upped her morality standards when she met her now-husband, 11 years ago, in that she dated him three to four times a week for a month before she had sex with him. Sexuality is the cultural currency that makes one valuable. High schools are attacked as prudish if they dare to tell a girl her dress is too revealing for prom. Wives, married to men addicted to porn, feel pressure to commit acts they feel are revolting. All of this is passed off as normal. A woman committed to purity and holiness is ridiculed as old fashioned and hopelessly out of touch.

  Then, pity the mother who confesses that her brood is not taking music lessons, dance lessons, involved in after school sports, on a traveling team, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church youth group, FFA, etc. Everyone “knows” a good mom fills her children’s lives with activity. A mom who seeks to maintain some sanity in the family schedule is caricatured as nearly being neglectful and possibly should even be reported to social services.

  Then, in this physical beauty crazed, sexually charged, frenetic activity parenting culture, a mom is only successful if she’s also a dietician. Good moms give their family “good” food. Add to that, some have nearly spiritualized that it must be “natural.” Visit a Christian bookstore and prepare to be assaulted by countless books on “biblical” diets like Slim For Him; More of Jesus, Less of Me; The Daniel Plan; Made to Crave…to name just a few. To suggest Scripture has a biblical diet is akin to suggesting that the opening lines in Macbeth, “Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble” indicate Shakespeare meant his play to be a tale about cooking. Mark it down, a moms isn’t going to be scolded at the Bema Seat because she served her family GMO foods.

  All of these, and there are others, are all manmade values. While at some level, they’re good things to practice – they have little to do with godliness. A pagan Buddhist could have these same values. There’s no spiritual merit here and they do little for your family in the Kingdom.

  So what does contribute to being a godly woman? What are some biblical values a woman who loves the Lord should focus on?

  Stay submitted to Christ. Loving obedience and humble surrender before the Lord are actions that put our lives in right perspective before Him. Neglecting time with Jesus will only result in following a wayward, self-focused heart that often forgets the lordship of Christ. Our lives are not our own; we were bought with the blood of Christ.

  Stay in Scripture. God’s Word is the only sure guide for being wise, godly and a good mom. It tell us the inerrant truth and acts as our guide. As with counterfeit money, Christians can discern counterfeit messages because we are so thoroughly familiar with truth and the original.

  Stay in Prayer. Prayer is part of our submission to Christ, as we realize our need for communing with the Father of all truth. Gaining wisdom through prayer is like grocery shopping: shop on an empty stomach and you’re more likely to make poor decisions that suit our immediate needs. The person who fills up on a hearty meal before shopping makes wiser decisions and can discern options more clearly. When we stay in prayer and Scripture, seeking wisdom and discernment, we’re more likely to see life with a clearer understanding of Biblical, gospel-centered truth.

  Stay in the local church. The Church is Christ’s bride and His instrument for accomplishing His will and spreading His glory to the world. The Church is comprised of individual believers who, when submitted to Christ, in His Word and in prayer, can teach and encourage each other in all truth (Colossians 3:16). The local church is one of the few places that will encourage you to be a godly Mom, based on truth from God’s Word.

  “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). 

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