Evil?

Language matters. For example, the language we use to describe this country’s current political divide and the choices we face this November. Some see the choice as between good and evil, and others, the lesser of two evils.

I’m not a professional theologian, but I view most of life through a theological frame. It’s simply how I think virtually all of the time. By “theological frame” I mean how everything relates to God, specifically the God revealed to us through Jesus Christ.

So how did we get here? Does the biblical concept of evil shed any light?

A lot of my theological work these days employs a tool that I call the Law of Threes. It’s based on the hypothesis that any biblical concept can be described with a triad of rubrics or overarching elements, usually three single words. For example, my triad for faith is belief, trust, and obedience. Triads aren’t so much definitions as “working descriptions” or hypotheses. I use them as long as they seem helpful, and feel free to alter them when I sense one of the three elements should be replaced. (There’s more to it than that, but hopefully, you get the idea.)

So, what’s my triad for evil? Retribution, chaos, and ruin. I’ve been spending considerable time in Genesis lately, where evil virtually always includes all three. 

Consider the murderous act by Adam and Eve’s son, Cain. After feeling slighted when God favored his brother Abel’s sacrifice over his own, rather than learning from the experience, Cain began making plans to kill his brother. God attempted an intervention: “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7). Cain doesn’t rule over it but gives in to his urge for revenge, despite the chaos and ruin he assuredly knows it will bring to his family and community. 

It’s important to note that, biblically speaking, evil never has the last word. Good and evil aren’t equal powers duking it out with the long-term outcome uncertain. God’s mercy extends even to those who’ve allowed evil to reign over their hearts (including Cain, who receives God's protection and whose descendants are blessed). We witness this ultimately at the cross – arguably the most evil event in human history. Jesus’ response? “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.” So if I apply the word evil to our current political situation, I want you to know that I’m not separating it from mercy. I would argue that the greater the evil, the greater the need for mercy and compassion.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

So, what’s the difference between evil and sin?

Here’s my triad for sin: failure to love God, failure to love others, and insisting on one’s own way. This triad demonstrates how sin is primarily relational. 

To understand how sin relates to evil, we must examine its consequences. Often, they include some form of retribution, chaos, and ruin – which, you’ll notice, is my triad for evil.

What’s the difference? Retribution or vengeance, chaos, and ruin are typically unintended consequences of sin. Sin tends to be blind. When we’re sinning, we usually don’t consider the consequences. When we’re our best selves, we learn from consequences and eventually make different choices.

Evil, on the other hand, thrives on retribution and intentionally tries to wreak havoc and ruin. People overtaken by evil find pleasure in creating chaos and destruction. Vengeance is like a drug.

Any of us is capable of evil. Because of trauma, feeling slighted, or being attacked, all of us have the capacity to vengefully wreak havoc – you know, like turning over the tables of the money changers. This is the danger of attempting to be prophetic when feeling prophetic. “Righteous indignation” can quickly become a cover for our evil impulses.

However, an evil act does not make a person evil.

Are there evil people? We can probably agree that there are people who regularly give way to their evil impulses, who regularly succumb to their desire for revenge and have little or no qualms about wreaking havoc and destruction. A telltale sign is a lack of remorse or willingness to change.

So, let’s apply this understanding of evil to our current politics, specifically to this presidential election. Are the choices before us between good and evil? What about the lesser of two evils? 

I’m going to offer a third option: I see the choice as being between normal and evil.

Consider January 6. Something took people over that day that I can in good conscience describe as evil. Many of us watched it unfold on television. Like some of you, I’ve watched documentaries with additional video footage. I also saw all of the January 6 congressional hearings. They made for spellbinding television. Almost all of the recorded testimony was given by Republican supporters of Donald Trump – his lawyers, campaign managers, and family; as well as White House staff, state election officials, and national security advisers. The testimony of police officers was especially gut-wrenching.

The evidence for Donald Trump’s irresponsible behavior and dereliction of duty on January 6 is overwhelming, conclusive, and damning. Donald Trump’s reckless words stirred up a riot that included an attack on the Capitol. For 187 minutes, Trump stayed glued to his television, watching 140 police officers being beaten with riot shields, baseball bats, hockey sticks, and flagpoles. He refused to act even when notified about insurrectionists entering the Capitol, threatening the lives of Congress members as well as his own Vice President – gallows intended for Mike Pence having already been constructed outside the Capitol building.

What did Donald Trump say when he heard his Vice President’s life was in danger? “So what?” For three hours and twenty-seven minutes, Donald Trump did nothing except watch the events unfold – apparently, looking to see if the insurrectionists might be successful. (And this is a “stable genius?”) It was a dereliction of duty, it was criminal, and it was evil. It was evil because it was intentional. It was only after it became clear the insurrection effort was going to fail that Donald Trump called one of the rioters and told them to stop, which they did. Before this, Trump resisted pleas from White House officials, Republican congressional leaders, security advisers, his family, and even Fox News celebrities Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Brian Kilmeade.

Whether we use the word evil or not, it should be evident that Trump’s behavior on January 6 has disqualified him from running for any office again. Most of the discourse during this presidential campaign has been about policies, qualities, and qualifications. But within any ordinary moral universe, these would be moot issues. It would be like a bank's board of directors discussing and debating the qualities and qualifications of an applicant who once tried to rob that very bank. 

We can talk about policies and qualities until we’re blue, but only one of the candidates has disqualified themselves. We know that there were Republicans who did not vote for Donald Trump's impeachment because they were afraid for their safety and that of their families. (Mitt Romney, who did vote for impeachment, has spent $5000 daily on security.) Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, hinted that Trump was guilty but believed that the courts should decide. As expected, Trump’s lawyers have gummed up the legal process so that nothing will be decided until after the election.

What happened on January 6 was evil. But is Donald Trump evil? Was what Donald Trump did on January 6 out of character or consistent with his character? 

Before I answer that, let’s consider Kamala Harris. I encourage people to watch PBS’s Frontline episode about the two candidates, which includes helpful information about their childhoods and upbringings. I doubt that it will change your vote, but it will help you understand each candidate better. Nothing I’ve learned about Kamala Harris makes me think she doesn’t fall within the range of what I would call a normal person or candidate for President. My purpose in this post isn’t to recommend her. I’m just saying that she’s the only candidate who hasn’t disqualified herself.

I suspect some people would call Kamala Harris and Democrats in general evil because of their position on abortion. Here again, distinctions are important. Some would describe Harris as being pro-abortion. I don’t know anyone who’s pro-abortion. Like the majority of Americans, including many who have strong negative feelings about abortion, Harris is pro-choice, not pro-abortion. 

Sociologists use the term “wicked problem” to describe issues like abortion. Rather than a wicked problem being a moral judgment, it describes an issue that’s so complicated it resists simple analyses or solutions. Roe v. Wade was a recognition by the courts that abortion is a wicked problem. Like most Americans, the judges believed that there comes a point in a pregnancy where most Americans would view abortion as wrong. But ultimately, the question is who gets to decide and when. Because wicked problems defy simple solutions, there often have to be compromises – like between the rights of the fetus and the rights of the mother. (Part of the wicked problem for Christians is that the Bible never directly talks about abortion. I sometimes say that I’m more conservative about abortion than the Bible is! On the other hand, I believe that theologically, it would be difficult for followers of Jesus to make a case in abortion’s favor, except in rare instances.)

Because I believe abortion is a wicked problem – a problem that resists simple analyses or solutions – I’m willing to give Kamala Harris the benefit of the doubt. I feel uncomfortable with how Democrats generally talk about abortion. Still, I don’t see them as evil for recognizing this as a wicked problem, something that’s really, really complicated, especially when it comes to who has the right (I prefer the word responsibility) to decide. I’m also moved by the fact that Democrats’ policies are known to decrease abortions. That’s because many people (not everyone) who claim to be pro-life appear to be actually only pro-birth. They think the government’s responsibility stops after the baby is born.

Getting back to Donald Trump, was he acting out of character on

January 6?

January 6 wasn’t a one-off. On almost a daily basis, Donald Trump’s words are vindictive. He threatens his opponents. His speeches are chaotic, and he seeks to divide the nation instead of uniting it. (Has your family been more united or less united since 2016?) I’m not the only one to call him the chaos candidate. He’s always saying we live in a hellhole of a country that only he can save – although our current economy, as an example, even with its ongoing challenges, is the envy of the world right now. Inflation is down, manufacturing jobs are up, interest rates are down, and wages are up – and this after suffering a pandemic heart attack. (Crime rates are also down, by the way.)  Trump’s speeches are smoke and mirrors, geared to inflame and divide. Most importantly and diabolically, they are full of lies, usually a firehose of lies. The MO of the biblical Satan is that he is a liar. That’s his superpower, and it is Donald Trump’s as well. The Washington Post Fact Checker team documented Trump’s making over 30,000 false or misleading claims during his four years in office. Unfortunately, over time, people become inured and inoculated. 

Just yesterday, Trump called Harris a communist and said that she has let 13,000 murderers into the country. And then he claimed that murder is in a person’s genes, and “we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” He's also noted that “it would be very dangerous” for anyone to admit they were voting for Kamala Harris at one of his rallies because they would “get hurt.” 

So all undocumented immigrants are murderers? I take that personally. The majority of them are Christians, my spiritual sisters and brothers. (By the way, studies show that crime rates among undocumented immigrants are less than the rest of the population.)

Harris supporters would “get hurt” if they were to show up at one of his rallies?

Retribution, chaos, and ruin. Caroline Giuliani, daughter of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, has spoken about her father's slide from being the most popular mayor and possibly person in the country after 9/11 to becoming a laughingstock. She said Trump ruins almost everyone that comes close to him.

Hannah Arendt wrote: "This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want."

There are legitimate reasons why Trump was called our liar-in-chief during his first term. But what about his being our Commander-in-Chief?

He’s called people who’ve died for our country suckers and losers and said the same about John McCain, who spent five years in a POW camp. Trump’s former Chief of Staff, John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine General, has written in his inside account of the Trump White House that when he and Trump visited a military cemetery where Kelly’s son was buried, Trump said that he was puzzled why people would make that kind of sacrifice.

This was our Commander-in-Chief, and he wants to be Commander-in-Chief again.

Speaking of chaos, Kelly has said about a Trump second term: “It just simply would be chaotic, because he’d continually be trying to exceed his authority but the sycophants would go along with it. It would be a nonstop gunfight with the Congress and the courts.”

Most importantly, John Kelly offers this evaluation of Trump: “The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me… He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life.”

Take that in. The most flawed person Kelly has ever met in his life. Tell me again why Trump should be re-elected?

Listen to what others have said who worked in Trump’s White House and cabinet:

“There is only one man who tried to overthrow our democracy, and that happened on January 6… We swore an oath to the Constitution. We did not swear an oath of loyalty to Donald Trump.” (Alyssa Farah Griffin, Former White House Director of Strategic Communications)

“I do regard him as a threat to democracy, democracy as we know it, our institutions, our political culture, all those things that make America great.” (Mark Esper, Former Secretary of Defense)

“We don’t take an oath to a king or a queen or to a tyrant or dictator. And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.” (Gen. Mark Miley, Former Chairman of Joint Chiefs Of Staff)

If someone was applying for a job in your church or company, and these were their character and job references, would you hire them? 

Recently, a bipartisan group of 741 national security leaders – some of the biggest names in the field – endorsed Harris. “To the American People,” they wrote. “We are former public servants who swore an oath to the Constitution. Many of us risked our lives for it. We are retired generals, admirals, senior noncommissioned officers, ambassadors, and senior civilian national security leaders. We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We are loyal to the ideals of our nation – like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law – not to any one individual or party.

“We do not agree on everything, but we all adhere to two fundamental principles. First, we believe America’s national security requires a serious and capable Commander-in-Chief. Second, we believe American democracy is invaluable. Each generation has a responsibility to defend it. That is why we, the undersigned, proudly endorse Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States.

“This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.

“We do not make such an assessment lightly. We are trained to make sober, rational decisions. That is how we know Vice President Harris would make an excellent Commander-in-Chief, while Mr. Trump has proven he is not up to the job.” 

Friends, there is only one qualified candidate. The other is both unqualified and disqualified. I’ve suggested that the choice in this election is between normal and evil. I’ve tried to clarify what I mean by evil (retribution, chaos, and ruin). It’s one thing for Donald Trump to be reckless with the lives of our families, communities (e.g. Springfield), and women and men in uniform. It’s another thing for us to carry out what would amount to a reckless act of voting him into power again. 

Donald Trump deserves our compassion. When you learn about his upbringing and the people who influenced him as a young man, his current behavior is no surprise. It’s time for us to do an intervention. A good friend of mine was recently arrested for possessing a weapon and drugs. I talked with him a couple of days ago. He said being caught was the best thing that could've happened to him.

I regret having to say it, but Donald Trump needs to be in prison, not in the White House. That’s the most merciful thing that could happen to him. The lives of 140 women and men in blue and their families will never be the same – including the families of the four officers who've committed suicide. Trump should never have been re-nominated. It’s up to us to ensure he goes no further and gets the help he needs.

Normal vs. evil. Those, as I see it, are the choices. 

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