Here’s how I think Scripture would have Christian leaders and laypersons respond to the 2020 U.S. presidential election results, as we presently understand them:
1. Christians should promote justice and peace by allowing the election process to play itself out, without drawing conclusions: Like wild fans at a football game arguing over a disputed play before the referees have made a final ruling, too many progressive and conservative Christians claim to know how the election will pan out. Again, to use the metaphor of a football game, we can listen to the sports commentators all we want, but only the refs decide; similarly, we can listen to political pundits all we want, but only Congress decides who the next president will be.
If they have integrity, apparent winners–whether professional athletes or politicians–will not want to rush the process; in fact, they even more than the apparent loser should want the integrity of the process openly and thoroughly considered and then concluded, once and for all. In his monologue on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, comedian Dave Chappelle wisely said, “I would implore everybody who’s celebrating today to remember it’s good to be a humble winner. Remember when I was here four years ago? Remember how bad that felt? Remember half the country right now still feels that way.” It’s worth watching.
Progressive Christians should enthusiastically encourage the legitimate pursuit of legal recourse available to President Trump, while conservative Christians should strongly contest any conspiratorial claims that would undermine the election’s integrity. In doing so, both will be voices of humility and healing. In the name of both peace and justice, progressive Christians should refuse to join our ever-misleading news media in “calling” the election (and if they’ve already done so publicly, they should apologize publicly), while conservative Christians should refuse to join–and aggressively decry–any baseless claims of fraud (and if they’ve already done so publicly, they too should apologize publicly).
We are absolutely free to acknowledge, observe and report the voting numbers, but we can’t (yet) authorize them. We can even draw preliminary conclusions, as long as we qualify them as such.
Regarding the integrity of vote-counting itself, I confess I need some help: I have progressive Christian friends who are absolutely convinced that the systems, structures and institutions of our nation are deeply, almost hopelessly stained by racial prejudice, especially in the halls of justice at the local levels. Yet they are now insisting that in those same halls it’s utterly inconceivable to suggest that any political/ideological prejudice exists that might corrupt the election process. Conversely, I have conservative Christian friends who are absolutely convinced that systemic racism is largely a myth and that the halls of justice at the local level are packed with “good people” (with the occasional “bad apple”). Yet they are now suggesting that in those same halls it’s altogether probable that there has been political/ideological prejudice that has corrupted the election process.
Is either of these coherent? Well, it’s possible. But both seem grossly simplistic.
2. Christians should neither gloat nor get upset: To the extent that we regard President Trump as an enemy, we are to heed the wisdom literature’s admonition (Prov. 24.17-18):
“Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his anger away from them.”
Interestingly, the very next verses apply rather well to Christians who regard former VP Joe Biden as an enemy (24.19-20):
“Do not fret [i.e., get upset] because of evildoers,
or be envious of the wicked,
for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.”
In short, it’s wrong to gloat, and it’s just not worth getting upset: the wicked come and go, but they mostly go.
3. Christians should respond with both gratitude and grief: If we’ve been hoping for an end to the Trump administration, although we can’t gloat, it doesn’t mean we can’t be grateful. But we should do so mindful that we have Christian brothers and sisters who disagree–some of them strongly–with us.
Further, just because we may be grateful to see the president go, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be grateful for the undeniably good things he’s accomplished: the lowest unemployment rate for minorities in U.S. history; the passing of the First Step Act; the truly historic and unprecedented successes in diplomacy in the Middle East; indeed, on the foreign policy front, he has walked away from the longstanding posture of American exceptionalism, leaving only Democrats believing the founding myth that America is a “city on a hill,” unique in its ability to shine the light of “freedom” in an otherwise “dark” world.
If we’re unable to acknowledge and acclaim at least some of these successes (and do so publicly), we need to do some serious searching of heart.
While conservative Christians need not get upset (political power, as I’ve said in previous posts here and here, just isn’t that important), they’re entitled to grieve what they see as a genuine loss, should the former VP be the conclusive winner. Progressive Christians may disagree with this, but they shouldn’t have disdain for it either.
Also, to the extent that progressive Christians truly believe that President Trump has been a truly tragic figure in American politics, he is to be lamented, not lampooned. If he is our enemy, Jesus would have us pray for him.
4. Christians should be highly suspicious of all “national news” outlets, whether conservative or progressive: The news media is once again the biggest loser here. The press loves to prophesy–i.e., to tell us the future. And again and again they’ve proven they’re horrible at it. They all claim to know “where this is all going.” The truth is: we have no idea.
Please, understand: journalists have a degree in…journalism. They are experts in nothing and yet report on everything. Further, they claim to give us a report on “what happened today” in our nation of 330 million people. They claim to be “live” historians, giving us a blow-by-blow of history as it happens. This is laughable; it’s illusory. At its best it’s luck; at its worst it’s lies. On the whole, the daily national news claims a legitimacy it just doesn’t have.
So when asked, “What’s happening right now in our nation?”,” Christians should be altogether comfortable, responding, “I really don’t know, but I’m not sure anyone else does either.” If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s what James 4 told us 2,000 years ago, deservedly chiding us: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow?”
In short, no one is in control, and none of us has a clue what’s going to happen next, including the news media.
5. Christians, individually or collectively, should never marry themselves to an ascendant political figure or party: Church history shows again and again that when Christians closely affiliate themselves with an emperor, monarch, prince or president–be they progressive or conservative, it deeply compromises effective gospel witness: outsiders assume that if they want to declare their allegiance to Christ, they must also do so to the king.
Generally speaking, it’s far safer (spiritually) to be the king’s foes than the king’s friends. To long for political power or to lament its loss–both are unwise and a waste of time.
6. Christians should love their neighbor, be they progressive or conservative. In the past month I have actively ministered to COVID-19 patients, one of whom died; I read Scripture, prayed and wept with their spouse in the final days of their life. At my church and at the seminary where I teach, every precaution imaginable has been taken to be safe, not least because we have a wonderful elderly portion to our congregation. I have also been very intentional about supporting local family-owned businesses that are on the brink of bankruptcy, due to the lockdowns; I’ve prayed for and wept over these small business owners who are terrified of another nationwide lockdown and the taxes that the Biden tax plan will supposedly call for.
The former does not make me a progressive, nor does the latter make me a conservative. It makes someone who’s trying to figure out what it looks like to love their neighbor.
On a computer screen, people are primarily political positions. In a community, people are, well, people, neighbors in need, whom Jesus would have us love.
Hope Unbroken 
The voices of humility and healing you describe seem to be examples of “consider[ing] others more highly than yourself”. Can this be done without affirmation? Where does humbly and honestly acknowledging our lack of omniscience intersect with dealing with something like Qanon? It seems there are indeed ways of seeing the world and politics that can be judged to be foolish, even with limited perceptions. What does loving our neighbor look like in these cases?
Yeah, great question. My short answer is this: when it comes to ideological disagreement, there’s nothing like an honest question, respectfully asked. Honest questions do two helpful things simultaneously: First, they affirm and dignify the other, because we (who aren’t sure) are asking someone (who may well know); we are acknowledging, “Hey, maybe I’m missing something. Help me!” But, second, honest questions call the other to give an account, because we assume their perspective has a good deal coherence, that it can account for the world as we experience it, etc. When someone can’t answer honest questions (about matters that really influence people’s lives and livelihoods), but they instead engage in any manner of rhetorical gymnastics, I think it’s fair to move from merely asking to admonishing, and in specific situations even further action is called for. The first amendment was never designed to enable someone to yell “Fire!!” in a theatre nor to voice threats about assassinating a political figure. Hope that helps.
I believe how you view president trump has a lot to do with the business politics and policies of where you live. I can tell you that out here near the ‘oil patch’ and in an area where people like to fish and hunt, that people are threatened by Biden’s policies…
I think there’s a lot of truth to that: just look at the “maps” from election night, and one can see the contrast in the urban vs. suburban vs. rural vote. Sometimes I wish our news media would be intentional about not only having ethnic minority voices but also having the voices of persons from a diversity of regions and industries. Thank you for sharing!