It would appear that Conservative Christians played a significant role in the election of Donald Trump. Several of the issues around which he built his campaign to include abortion and sexual identity appealed to the Conservative Christians. Now that he is elected, their voice becomes especially important.

Since his election, he and Elon Musk have spent much time addressing the issue of government waste by making major lay-offs in several agencies. Indeed, there is much waste and inefficiency in government departments. However, the manner in which this has been done stands at odds with basic principles of Christian compassion. This picture reflects the attitude they appear to have taken about cutbacks.

A publicity stunt but one devoid of any sense of Christian compassion for those affected by the layoffs. Here is an interview with one of many veterans affected by these layoffs. He reflects the lack of Christian compassion.

The callousness reflected in the massive terminations, especially of veterans, and the callous manner in which they have happened is worthy of a response from ALL Christians, not just conservative ones. It is appropriate for Conservative Christians to find ways of holding government officials responsible not for the cuts themselves but for the manner in which they are happening.

Similarly, Conservative Christians need to stand up in support of those Conservative Christians who are Supreme Court justices and who have had the courage to challenge Trump. These justices have already been exposed to decidedly un-Christian attacks because they have not automatically agreed with President Trump and, in the case of Chief Justice Roberts, have held him accountable.

The Christian voices of Liberal Christians are being easily dismissed, labelling them as “Left-wing socialists” etc. This will not change. So it may be the voices of Conservative Christians that will be especially important in demanding that government officials adhere to basic Christian principles in the weeks ahead.

Then there is the Vice-President Vance, an avowed Conservative Christian Catholic who took it upon himself to justify a change in policy regarding foreign aid by referring to St. Thomas Aquinas, a reference roundly criticized by Catholic theologians. See for example https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/02/13/ordo-amoris-stephen-pope-vance-249926 for a thorough assessment of Aquinas’ idea of ordis amoris which Vance uses to justify reducing assistance to other nations.

I am not a Conservative Christian. Issues of government waste, immigration, foreign aid, even abortion are difficult ones that may indeed call for new solutions. But the manner in which they are implemented needs to be done from a position of Christian concern.

Finally, we are all called to reevaluate how well we understand Jesus’ message and how well we integrate that message into our response to the political activities of the day. I need to hold myself responsible for my response to those with whom I do not agree. Do I judge? Do I name-call? Yes, Jesus was critical but He usually was critical of the leaders of His time, not the average Jew trying to get through each day in the midst of an oppressive Roman government and a largely self-centered group of religious leaders. He challenged us all to not be judgmental, to treat each other with loving respect, to help the poor and the disenfranchised. If political leaders claim to be Christians, then we Christians, both liberal and conservative, need to hold them to their claim, using only the teachings of Jesus as our reference point.

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