Evangelicals continue to grapple with the results of the 2024 election, with many celebrating President-elect Donald Trump’s resounding win. John Piper, however, was not one of them. Taking to X after Trump was declared the winner, Piper wrote, “Presidential election results. Having delivered us from one evil, God now tests us with another. ‘The Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.’ Deuteronomy 13:3.” While not explicitly stated, many evangelicals interpreted Piper as referring to Trump’s election as “evil.” Piper has been openly critical of Trump in the past. During the 2020 election, he encouraged Christians to vote for neither Trump nor Biden. During preparations for the 2023 election, Piper appeared to feel much the same, saying, “At times, it happens in a fallen world that a vote for any proposed candidate is so offensive, so morally compromised, so misleading that it may be a matter of greater integrity, more faithful obedience to Christ, and a clearer witness to the truth if we do not vote for any of the proposed candidates.”

Megan Basham, author of Shepherds for Sale, which criticized the shift towards liberal policies through members of what is called “Big Eva,” criticized the post. “I have long benefitted from Pastor John and his ministry. But this is incredibly disappointing,” she wrote. “Trump’s policy positions pose some problems for Christians, yes. But the two sides were not morally equivalent. We should al[l] be rejoicing this morning that he did not hand us over to leadership with the most wicked policies this nation has ever known. What we received last night was mercy. Praise God.” Samuel Sey, who writes the blog “Slow to Write” and has been openly critical of Trump’s lax attitude toward abortion but also criticized voting for Harris or refusing to vote at all, pushed back on Piper. “You have been a blessing to me, but I think you’re failing to rejoice over God’s mercy,” he wrote. “Persecuted Christians in other nations wish they had Trump as their president. Trump’s lesser evil shouldn’t be ignored. But God’s ‘small’ mercies shouldn’t be ignored either.”

Others, like Neil Shenvi, author of Critical Dilemma, which outlines the troubling infiltration of Critical Theory into the religious realm, defended Piper. “Guys, Piper didn’t say ‘Trump is the greater evil’ or ‘Christians should not have voted for him’ or even ‘I wish Harris had won.’ He’s reminding us of what ***many of us were saying when, eg, Trump eviscerated the GOP’s pro-life platform.***” he wrote. Piper’s post’s vague nature and the division amongst evangelicals further underscores the difficulty evangelicals faced this election cycle with a weakened pro-life stance within the GOP and a blatantly pro-choice push from the Democrats.

Pro-life leader, Lila Rose, who had toyed with the idea of refraining from voting for Trump this cycle, posted just before the election that she had ultimately decided to vote for him. “ I have repeatedly voiced opposition to the recent changes in the Republican platform and in the positions taken by Trump and Vance, urging them to change course,” she wrote in a lengthy post. “Some progress was made: When enough pro-life allies expressed outrage and threatened to withhold their vote, Trump reversed his position on Amendment 4, which would legalize abortion through all nine months in his home state of Florida, and expressed his opposition to it.” While lamenting the shift left from the GOP, Rose ultimately decided that the damage to life from a Harris presidency was too great to ignore. “We must continue our fight to secure the respect for human life in both political parties, and across our culture,” she added. “The protection of our children cannot be negotiable—America’s future depends on leaders who protect its most vulnerable.”