Why we want more of what we want most

Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove called Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election “the most astonishing campaign in modern history.” After reading scores of reports on the results, I cannot find anyone who disagrees.

Analysts are citing the economy in general, inflation in particular, President Biden’s ego, Kamala Harris as a candidate, her failure to distinguish herself from Mr. Biden, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, the Democratic Party, the media, and the American electorate.

However, one of the most insightful critiques I have found takes a completely different approach.

“This was no ordinary contest”

Daniel McCarthy is the editor of an intellectual journal called Modern Age: A Conservative Review. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, the Spectator, the National Interest, and a variety of other publications. Immediately following Donald Trump’s re-election, he published a guest essay in the New York Times titled, “This Is Why Trump Won.”

He writes:

This was no ordinary contest between two candidates from rival parties: The real choice before voters was between Mr. Trump and everyone else—not only the Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, and her party, but also Republicans like Liz Cheney, top military officers like Gen. Mark Milley and Gen. John Kelly (also a former chief of staff), outspoken members of the intelligence community, and Nobel Prize-winning economists.

Framed this way, the presidential contest became an example of what’s known in economics as “creative destruction.” His opponents certainly fear that Mr. Trump will destroy American democracy itself.

To his supporters, however, a vote for Mr. Trump meant a vote to evict a failed leadership class from power and recreate the nation’s institutions under a new set of standards that would better serve American citizens.

In this view, those who gave Mr. Trump and his party such a strong mandate want them to forge a different and better future for our nation than previous administrations from both parties have been able to create. I am not only convinced Mr. McCarthy is right—I think his explanation provides a vital, even crucial insight for Christians seeking to serve Jesus in our post-Christian culture.

We want more of what we want most

One sentiment all humans share is a longing for more. Even on our best days, we want more of what we want most. Plato explained this as our “soul” remembering its preincarnate life. An evolutionary approach would suggest that we seek to improve ourselves and our world to propagate ourselves and our species. Psychologists might point to the “idealized self,” the person we wish to be and strive to convince others that we are.

A biblical explanation is that we were created by God for a personal relationship with him in a perfect paradise. Our sin led to our expulsion from Eden; the story of humanity is our striving to return. This is by divine design—despite our fallen state, we still possess a deep desire for the “abundant” life our Father wants for his children (John 10:10).

What priorities does our Lord intend this longing to produce?

One: Improve this world for the common good.

Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon is equally relevant to spiritual exiles wherever we live: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lᴏʀᴅ on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).

Two: Depend on God to do what we cannot.

The more we strive for a better world, the more frustrated we become when we fail. And the more we should then turn to the One who alone can change human hearts (2 Corinthians 5:17). Praying for the lost to be saved and for the saved to be sanctified is the most powerful way to serve both.

Three: Use this world to prepare for the eutopia to come.

1. S. Lewis observed, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” As we serve the common good with the help of God, we realize that the good we seek most is available only in the world to come (cf. Romans 8:18). We then use this life to serve life eternal.

“People who have come to know the joy of God”

Here’s the problem: Satan loves to pervert all that God creates. In this context, he tempts us to invert our three priorities to align with our secularized culture:

1. Improve this life for self-serving purposes.
2. Depend on ourselves to do what others cannot.
3. Strive to make a utopia of this world.

Now you and I must choose every day between Satan’s strategy and our Father’s priorities. It’s not enough to want the latter—we must intentionally and strategically enact them and measure success by them every day.

The further our culture drifts from God’s word and favor, the more urgent such priorities become—for us and for the nation we’re called to reach with biblical truth and grace.

To this end, let’s consider an observation from Henri Nouwen:

People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness, but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of light here and there, and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God.

They discover that there are people who heal each other’s wounds, forgive each other’s offenses, share their possessions, foster the spirit of community, celebrate the gifts they have received, and live in constant anticipation of the full manifestation of God’s glory.

Will you “come to know the joy of God” today?

NOTE: What if this Christmas could be your most meaningful one yet? My wife Janet’s The Perfect Christmas devotional will guide you through daily reflections to help you reconnect with the true joy of Advent. When you give today, your generosity will help keep this Daily Article email coming to your inbox — and we’ll send you this 25-day book to thank you for your support.

Thursday news to know:

• Dow surges 1500 points to record, bonds tumble after Trump is elected president
• Iran’s currency falls to an all-time low as Trump clinches the US presidency
• German government coalition collapses as Scholz sacks Finance Minister Lindner
• Coal recovered from the Titanic and thousands of other historic shipwreck artifacts are going to auction
• On this day in 1944: FDR wins unprecedented fourth term

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“For Christians, the present life is the closest they will come to hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to heaven.” —Randy Alcorn

Denison Forum

Viewing this moment through the lenses of history, culture, and Scripture

Donald Trump has been elected the forty-seventh president of the United States.

• The New York Times estimates he will win the Electoral College 312–226.
• At this writing, he is leading the popular vote 51 percent to 47 percent.
• Republicans are projected to take back the US Senate and posted early gains as they seek to retain control of the House of Representatives.
• Of the US counties with nearly complete results, more than 90 percent shifted in favor of Mr. Trump.

As more is known, we will have ample opportunity to analyze this historic outcome. For today, let’s step back for some larger perspective, seeking to view our nation and this moment through the lenses of history, culture, and Scripture.

Convening in the church choir loft

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt issued a Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in which he stated: “In no other place and at no other time has the experiment of government of the people, by the people, for the people, been tried on so vast a scale as here in our own country.” His words are still true 121 years later.

America has now conducted its sixtieth presidential election, beginning with George Washington’s unanimous victory in 1789. However, our system of self-governance goes back much further: the colony of Jamestown elected “burgesses” (citizens who represented a “borough” or neighborhood) in 1619. The group then convened in the church choir loft.

Elective democracy both expresses and forges our national character. It is the natural outgrowth of our founding creed that “all men are created equal,” offering us a way to govern ourselves through a system that constrains autonomous authority while rewarding consensual leadership and morality.

However, it seems that the bonds of trust essential to our democratic experiment are weaker than at any time in my lifetime.

• Before yesterday’s election, security fencing was erected around the White House, the US Capitol, and Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, DC.
• A large network of activists organized to monitor the elections, seeking either to protect the integrity of the results or to promote false claims of fraud, depending on your perspective.
• Survivalist communities have been established around the country, storing supplies and preparing for what they think could be a second civil war.
• Fears about the future of the nation are now our highest source of stress.

What explains such distrust and disillusionment?

Beware the “cult of happiness”

America’s founders intended our system of checks and balances to prevent a return to monarchy through unchecked individual power. But fallen human nature, with our “will to power” and drive to be our own gods (Genesis 3:5), cannot be fully constrained by human governance. Laws cannot enforce morality; politics cannot change human character.

In addition, today we can employ a vast array of tools for wielding power in ways the founders could never have envisioned. Social media platforms give our personal opinions unfiltered access to the world; artificial intelligence enables heretofore unimaginable tools for deception; advances in genomics could equip us to “edit” babies and “improve” our species.

Not to mention the growing secularization, materialism, and commercialization of our post-Christian society. In a brilliant essay analyzing our cultural moment, Walter Russell Mead warns:

The cult of happiness as interpreted by a society organized around the excitation and satisfaction of demand in a consumer economy is one of the most destructive features of the contemporary world.

Clearly, Mr. Trump is facing monumental challenges to the vibrancy and even the validity of our democracy. What can Christians do to help most effectively?

Where religion “ought to be brought”

Charles Spurgeon stated:

“I often hear it said, ‘Do not bring religion into politics.’ This is precisely where it ought to be brought.”

How do we “bring religion into politics” in our post-Christian, even anti-Christian culture? By first bringing politicians to our Lord. We are assured, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). To this end, I invite you to offer these biblical prayers for our president and nation:

• Pray for President Trump to seek God’s wisdom and to lead with biblical priorities and a servant’s heart. Pray for God to use him to unify our nation and to protect him and his administration from evil and to empower them for good (1 Timothy 2:1–2).
• Pray for Congress and other elected leaders to be women and men of godly character who set aside personal and partisan agendas to work together for the common good (John 13:14).
• Pray for America’s Christians and Christian leaders to be people of prayer, humility, and grace. Ask that we be empowered to speak the truth to our fallen culture in love (Acts 4:29–31; Ephesians 5:18).
• Pray for all Americans to honor our leaders, love each other, and “fear God” (1 Peter 2:17).
• Pray that you would be the change our nation needs to see today (Romans 12:1–2).

After thanking God for the provisions of liberty extended to America, Theodore prayed “for strength, and light, so that in the coming years we may with cleanliness, fearlessness, and wisdom, do our allotted work on the earth in such a manner as to show that we are not altogether unworthy of the blessings we have received.”

To this end, he prayed that “our hearts may be roused to war steadfastly for good and against all the forces of evil, public and private.”

Would you take a moment right now to pray his words for yourself, our president, and our nation?

NOTE: For more on the urgency of this cultural moment, please see my latest website article, “Is God on the ballot or are we? A reflection on divine judgment and our national future.”

Wednesday news to know:

• Netanyahu fires Gallant, names Israel Katz as defense minister
• “Walking pneumonia” is surging ahead of cold and flu season
• Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says clashes with North Korean troops “open page” to instability
• Tropical Storm Rafael expected to become a hurricane
• On this day in 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected president

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“Pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all pray.” —R. A. Torrey

Denison Forum