I’d like to respond to Rich Elfers’ recent “In Focus” column in which he dictates why no Christian should vote for President Trump (“A letter to Christian supporters of President Donald J. Trump”, published Sept. 30). This sounds very much like Mr. Biden’s rant to African Americans that if they don’t support him they “ain’t black.” It seems to me that we shouldn’t be telling people who they must vote for, based on their race or religion.

Furthermore, Mr. Elfers does not explain why we as Christians should vote for Mr. Biden. To use his own selected verses from Proverbs, he points out that the Lord hates a lying tongue. I’m quite sure the columnist hasn’t forgotten that Mr. Biden was forced to drop out of the 1988 presidential race because of serial plagiarism and lying about his academic achievements. Clearly, both men are deeply flawed (who among us isn’t?) Should we then not vote at all?

Next on the list of things the Lord hates in the Proverbs passage is “hands that shed innocent blood.” Is there any more innocent blood than the millions of pre-born babies who have been slaughtered over nearly half-a-century? And yet Mr. Elfers apparently wants Christians to support a man and a political party that gives its absolute highest priority to protecting that act. While the columnist breezes past the issue of abortion as if it is inconsequential, I can assure you that for many Christians and non-Christians alike it is an absolutely crucial issue in this and subsequent elections. Psalms 139 says “you knit me together in my mother’s womb,” and “your eyes saw my unformed body.” I suppose someone might ask a professing Christian like Mr. Elfers how he could support Mr. Biden in light of these verses, but that would be unfair. Say what you will about President Trump and his many shortcomings, and question his motives if you like, but he has been a great supporter of the pro-life movement.

Rest assured that many, if not most of us, are not blindly following an idolized man, and our hearts are not deceived, as Mr. Elfers suggests. Given our two choices we are opting to vote for pro-life over abortion; capitalism over socialism; law-and-order over rioting and looting; supporting the police instead of defunding them; upholding our immigration laws and protecting our borders instead of encouraging illegal immigration for political gains; religious freedom over religious intolerance; and for those who love this country and all that it has meant to the world instead of those who feel compelled to apologize and fundamentally change it.

I realize many will disagree with me, and that’s okay. I will not base my friendships on political outlooks, would not tell someone who they must vote for, or un-friend someone because of our differences. Nor will I mock or disparage someone’s opposing political views. Neither will I threaten to leave my state or my country if so-and-so gets elected. I just wish that were true for everyone.

Matthew Jay McCully

Enumclaw