As the Iowa Caucuses Commence the 2020 Presidential Election, How Should Evangelicals Respond?

Southern Evangelical Seminary President Dr. Richard Land Points to SES Courses in Politics, Religion, Economics and More That Relate to Current Headlines

February 4, 2020

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—As the Iowa caucuses signaled the official start of the 2020 presidential election cycle, and as the impeachment process concludes, many Americans across the political spectrum find themselves whiplashed by competing political claims and headlines.

Surveying this situation, Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES, www.ses.edu) President Richard Land noted that many Evangelicals may find themselves asking, “How do I make sense of all this as I prepare to help fulfill my biblical citizenship responsibility by casting my ballot in the primaries and in November?”

“Competing candidates’ election claims, party platform assertions and lingering disagreements over the impeachment controversy have roiled the political waters to the point that many Evangelicals and other Americans are casting about in search of some firm guidelines to give them some discernment in navigating this political maelstrom,” Land said. “In the 2016 election cycle, many Evangelicals found themselves faced with the perplexing dilemma of having to make a choice between what they perceived to be a lesser evil—Donald Trump—vs. a greater evil—Hillary Clinton. I would place myself firmly in that group.

“When I voted for President Trump,” Land continued, “I found his chief attribute to be that he was not Hillary Clinton. It appears that in the 2020 election cycle, once again many Evangelicals will be faced with a similarly imperfect or less-than-desirable choice in the presidential race and in the various senatorial, gubernatorial and congressional races. As Evangelicals seek to navigate these troubled waters, they should remember that it is unwise to make the perfect the enemy of the good, and they shouldn’t make the lesser evil the ally of the greater evil by refusing to participate all together. There have been many times in our history when even deeply flawed political leaders have still been capable of doing some great things for the country.”

These issues and this political dilemma are directly addressed in some of SES’s course offerings in the winter, spring and summer modules, which are offered in a variety of formats such as live streaming, online and on campus. Courses that address relevant subjects such as political, philosophy and economics are among the many options.

Courses can be taken for-credit via SES’s degree and certificate programs, and audit options are also available. Evening courses are tailored toward working adults, and live-streaming allows for classroom engagement anywhere in the world. The courses offer students of all ages valuable insights that will help them engage the ideas of today’s culture regardless of the ministry context or stage of life. View a sampling of winter-spring courses here or email admissions@ses.edu.

Read more about Southern Evangelical Seminary and SES President Dr. Richard Land, as well as his radio feature, “Bringing Every Thought Captive,” which airs on nearly 800 stations nationwide, here.

For more information on SES, visit its web site at www.ses.edu or its Facebook page, follow the SES Twitter feed, @sesapologetics, or call (704) 847-5600.

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To interview Dr. Richard Land of Southern Evangelical Seminary, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Jeff Tolson, 610.584.1096, ext. 108, or ext. 102.