Celebrating a Timely Book I Edited: Reclaiming Moral Clarity

Sometimes editorial invitations take me to unexpected places. Back in late summer, Dave Moore reached out to inquire about whether I’d be willing to edit his manuscript. He was clear upfront that if I was a supporter of the current US president, this might not be a book I’d like to edit. Intrigued, I responded that I was definitely not a Trump fan, we scheduled an introductory conversation, and I ended up editing his book.

Reclaiming Moral Clarity charts the reasons and reasoning behind Dave’s shift from voting for Trump in 2016 to his strong and vocal opposition to the president today. Especially helpful for readers who like lots of data to support their conclusions, Dave’s book is filled with quotations and citations, both biblical and contemporary, that illustrate why he can no longer support a man who thinks and behaves as Trump does.

For Dave, the issue is primarily moral in nature. Once President Trump revealed his true nature “as a misleader and a seducer,” Dave could no longer support him. When he made his feelings known, he was surprised that many people he spoke with disagreed with him. People he knew and respected seemed unable to see Trump’s lack of moral character. Others, who acknowledged Trump’s immoral nature, justified supporting him because their political goals took precedence over issues of ethics and morality. In response, Dave decided to clarify and articulate his stance. This book is the result.

Back during Trump’s first term, my father was a supporter of Trump’s policies. When he wanted to talk with me about those policies, he was seeking the kind of data-backed conversation that Dave offers in Reclaiming Moral Clarity. I have no idea, if my father was alive today, if he would have joined Dave Moore in saying, “Trump has gone too far.” I can imagine myself giving him a copy of Dave’s book and saying, “Read this, and let’s talk.”

So, perhaps Reclaiming Moral Clarity might be a resource for your conversations with friends and loved ones who have been or remain supporters of the current president. Or it might be important to you that someone as progressive as I am was willing to work with Dave to get his book out there. As I see it, the more ways we have to help others see the problems with the current president, the better. It might be too late to give the book to certain family members for Christmas, but perhaps there will be ways you can use some of Dave’s arguments when your family gets together in 2026.

Meanwhile, my prayers are with all those who fear gathering for holiday events because of the divisiveness that Trump has happily and intentionally intensified in American culture. Jesus was also born into a divided world run by immoral and oppressive authoritarian leaders. Jesus still matters. His Good News is still relevant. May you find good news in the moral clarity that shines through the story of Jesus this Christmas.