I’ve been disturbed by Evangelical’s public display of support for Donald Trump for some time now. I was dismayed when they made a deal with the devil for Supreme Court Justices in 2016. While I had doubts about their sincerity, when they maintained that their 2020 support was because he was pro-life, I gave them little benefit of much doubt.
I listened in disbelief as Evangelical leaders like John McArthur maintained that Trump was the only Christian option. For years their support was cloaked in moral necessity, but lately they have grown either comfortable or desperate, and their unwavering support has revealed something much deeper, bordering on admiration of the man himself.
The picture above was posted by a Christian blogger with whom I have written as a guest blogger. It was posted with hearts and American flags. The comments suggested the blogger’s implication was perceived. The light of heaven was shining on Donald Trump and they loved it. I fear something has gone terrible wrong. Something is broken. Evangelicalism is broken. Broken by a misguided longing to conserve a sinful American history that has been shamefully wrapped in the Christian flag. And it’s blinding them to the same behaviors for which history has harshly judged previous generations.
Fake News
If I may speak to you directly, you are sacrificing once again your relationship with your brothers and sisters of color. And what you can’t seem to live down is that this is not new. This mania we have all seen before.
When you join in the use of the fake news label to dismiss “liberal media” reports that reflect negatively and minimize incendiary statements and downright meanness, we are not deaf to it’s echos from history. We hear the echos of Southerners blaming liberals media agitators for stirring up trouble as that media displayed to the world, images of fire hoses and police dogs turned on people of color. We know why we like the media, and we know why you don’t.
Socialism
Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement were often suspected of being Communist. And the accusation alone was enough to scare off and stifle the participation of good Christian folks. Today’s weaponized labels of choice are Socialism and Marxism. Honestly, I don’t know if you are deceived or the deceiver. Either way, we have more to be afraid of and more to fight for than a label.
Pro-life
It has not escaped our notice either that you have historically allied with the Republican party because it was the party of family values, moral decency, pro-life, and the conserving of Christian values. The coming of Donald Trump, in all he is, has me believing your commitment to the Republican Party goes beyond Christian values. That you have been reduced to a single issue with the Trump administration, says that pro-life is the only value you have left. It’s time to think deeply about why you are holding on to this conservatism. What really are you trying to conserve, and is it worth it?
I’m pleading with you. Come back from the edge. You were running well, who hindered you from obeying the truth. You’re participating in parades, shouting your praises at rallies, regurgitating hackneyed rhetoric. I wish to change my tone with you but I am perplexed about you. This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. It’s time for the good people who historically do nothing to stand up and do something.
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