An Open Letter to Trump’s Evangelical Defenders
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However bad Trump is, and Yes, he is not a good person, he was a far better choice than Hillary.
What were we supposed to do? Vote for Hillary??? Don’t vote??? Vote for someone else?? Perhaps us evangelicals should’ve written in Elizabeth Warren or Jerry Brown for president because, hey, they behave better than Trump!
A non-vote or a vote for a 3rd party candidate was just as well a vote for Hillary. For all of Trump’s many serious faults, at the very least he appears to be sympathetic to conservative issues and loves our country.
If the author of this article is saying, don’t give Trump a pass just because he is our president or “at least he’s not Hillary,” then I will agree with him. I voted for Trump, but not because I wanted to. Of course he often/has often behaved in a horrible manner not befitting a president. But, voting for Trump is not the same as endorsing “him” as a person.
But, if he is saying evangelicals should not have voted for him in the first place, again I ask, what were we supposed to do? Would he rather we had Hillary for President??
At the end of this piece the author says it never was worth it to support Trump.
OK, Mr. French, what would’ve you had us do?
Articles like this are are annoying if not toeing the edge of silliness. I’ve read other pieces bemoaning the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils, particularly with the idea of voting for Trump. Y’all can wish for better choices all you want, but at the end of the day that is the pick-your-poison choice we so often have.
[mmartin]However bad Trump is, and Yes, he is not a good person, he was a far better choice than Hillary.
What were we supposed to do? Vote for Hillary??? Don’t vote??? Vote for someone else?? Perhaps us evangelicals should’ve written in Elizabeth Warren or Jerry Brown for president because, hey, they behave better than Trump!
A non-vote or a vote for a 3rd party candidate was just as well a vote for Hillary. For all of Trump’s many serious faults, at the very least he appears to be sympathetic to conservative issues and loves our country.
If the author of this article is saying, don’t give Trump a pass just because he is our president or “at least he’s not Hillary,” then I will agree with him. I voted for Trump, but not because I wanted to. Of course he often/has often behaved in a horrible manner not befitting a president. But, voting for Trump is not the same as endorsing “him” as a person.
But, if he is saying evangelicals should not have voted for him in the first place, again I ask, what were we supposed to do? Would he rather we had Hillary for President??
At the end of this piece the author says it never was worth it to support Trump.
OK, Mr. French, what would’ve you had us do?
Articles like this are are annoying if not toeing the edge of silliness. I’ve read other pieces bemoaning the idea of voting for the lesser of two evils, particularly with the idea of voting for Trump. Y’all can wish for better choices all you want, but at the end of the day that is the pick-your-poison choice we so often have.
I don’t blame Christians for voting for Trump as the lesser of two evils. On the flip side, I cannot defend Christians continuing to give him a pass and providing cover for him regardless of what he does. Just this week, Trump has held three positions regarding Stormy Daniels and the payment. He is clearly a huge liar. And yet, his defenders continue to go along with his new story of the hour and give him cover. And make no mistake about it. Trump is greatly helped by the evangelical cover he gets. In fact, if the evangelicals said “enough is enough” and pulled their support, he would be done.
So what should Christians do?
* They should care more about the truth than protecting Trump. They should refuse to continue to support the obvious lies that come out of the WH on a daily basis.
* They should demand justice, meaning they stop being Trump drones that claim Mueller’s investigation is a witchhunt and support an effort to find truth. If Trump is guilty, they should take a stand for getting him impeached.
* They should stop justifying Trump’s disgusting lies and behavior by always pointing out that the other side is worse. That is not a defense.
* People like Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Jay Sekulow who claim to be Christians should resign rather than work for the current administration in positions where they have to lie on a daily basis and defend evil. I do not know how they sleep at night.
The truth is that after Trump, Christianity in the US is a pile of wreckage. Who that is not a Christian would be attracted to Christianity when they see the hypocrisy, pragmatism, and disregard for truth that has become the norm? It is indefensible. I can’t even defend it to my kids when they point out how crazy Christianity has become.
GregH wrote:
Christianity in the US is a pile of wreckage.
Christianity is not a pile of wreckage. By God’s grace, this Sunday, many of God’s faithful people are going to gather and worship and give praise to their Father. Today, as the work week ends, many faithful Christians are going to meet with unsaved co-workers to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is doing marvelous things in the hearts and lives of faithful Christians all over this country. Even if God only had 8 people left in this country, as in the time before the Flood, Christianity would still not be a wreck. Christians remain a testament to God’s love and mercy.
I’d be careful about slandering the Bride of Christ.
If you want to say that some Christians are acting like a pile of wreckage, fine.
Political activism is reshaping what it means to go to mainline Protestant churches in the Trump era, with tensions bubbling between parishioners who believe church should be a force for political change, and those who believe it should be a haven for spiritual renewal. Galvanized by opposition to Trump administration policies, these congregations, which typically are theologically liberal and historically white, are turning themselves into hubs of activism. For some congregations, that shift has prompted a surge in attendance—especially among young people—something mainline Protestant churches haven’t seen in decades. Liberal churches are organizing rallies, taking on racial issues and offering sanctuary to undocumented immigrants. Some clergy have returned to the front lines of protests, where they are playing more prominent roles than any time since the Vietnam War.
[John E.]I’d be careful about slandering the Bride of Christ.
If you want to say that some Christians are acting like a pile of wreckage, fine.
I am happy with how I said it but thanks.
GregH, you said “Trump is greatly helped by the evangelical cover he gets. In fact, if the evangelicals said “enough is enough” and pulled their support, he would be done.”
I agree with everything you said, except for after Trump Christianity in the US is a pile of wreckage. (It already had problems well before Trump.)
Not to put all this on you or be argumentative, but I still pose the question in my mind of what are we Christians to do and I still have yet to hear a good answer?
One option could be to get all evangelicals to put in another candidate or pressure the Republicans to endorse a better candidate for 2020.
But, those two options are likely not going to happen and it is very probable that we will be again left with a choice again of Trump vs. (insert your uber liberal democrat name here). A vote for someone other than Trump is effectively a vote for the democrat.
Honestly, do we want that to happen?
So, we don’t want Trump, but we don’t want a democrat either.
Again, that is likely going to again be our choice in 2020.
[mmartin]GregH, you said “Trump is greatly helped by the evangelical cover he gets. In fact, if the evangelicals said “enough is enough” and pulled their support, he would be done.”
I agree with everything you said, except for after Trump Christianity in the US is a pile of wreckage. (It already had problems well before Trump.)
Not to put all this on you or be argumentative, but I still pose the question in my mind of what are we Christians to do and I still have yet to hear a good answer?
One option could be to get all evangelicals to put in another candidate or pressure the Republicans to endorse a better candidate for 2020.
But, those two options are likely not going to happen and it is very probable that we will be again left with a choice again of Trump vs. (insert your uber liberal democrat name here). A vote for someone other than Trump is effectively a vote for the democrat.
Honestly, do we want that to happen?
So, we don’t want Trump, but we don’t want a democrat either.
Again, that is likely going to again be our choice in 2020.
I think that if evangelicals pulled their support, Republicans would be quick to back off Trump and get a real candidate for 2020. You have to believe that almost every Republican politician in DC despises Trump and knows that he is poison to their future. The ONLY reason more of them do not take a stand against him is because Trump continues to be popular with enough of the Republican base to the point where it would be suicide to buck him. Evangelicals make up an enormous chunk of that base.
Roughly 35% of the US is solidly pro-Trump. That includes 80% of the 26% of the country that is evangelical. If evangelicals pulled their support, Trump’s 35% would go to roughly 15% and DC would have the guts to finally dump him overboard.
Mmartin can you please explain this “A vote for someone other than Trump is effectively a vote for the democrat.”
How is a Christian following their conscience and voting for someone other than probably the worst presidential candidate in at least 100 years voting for a democrat?
I can respect another believer’s choice to vote for Trump but I can’t understand how anyone can sit in judgment of another believer who sees it differently. And by the way I’m not convinced that Hillary, fiend that she is, could do much worse.
[John E.]Amen, John!GregH wrote:
Christianity in the US is a pile of wreckage.
Christianity is not a pile of wreckage. By God’s grace, this Sunday, many of God’s faithful people are going to gather and worship and give praise to their Father. Today, as the work week ends, many faithful Christians are going to meet with unsaved co-workers to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is doing marvelous things in the hearts and lives of faithful Christians all over this country. Even if God only had 8 people left in this country, as in the time before the Flood, Christianity would still not be a wreck. Christians remain a testament to God’s love and mercy.
I’d be careful about slandering the Bride of Christ.
If you want to say that some Christians are acting like a pile of wreckage, fine.
If you think Christianity in the US is a wreck, please unplug from the media, get off the internet, and go meet up with some of the good folks in your local church.
If you don’t have any good folks in your local church, leave it and find one that has some. I think some people here could make some suggestions.
I’m a PK. I’ve grown up in the church—one that differs from where I am now theologically, incidentally—but I couldn’t be prouder of the influence my home church has had in its community in the name of Christ.
Christianity happens on the ground and in the dirt. It’s happening all around us every day, empowered by God’s Spirit, and it’s beautiful. If you don’t see it, I honestly feel sorry for you. Open your eyes or get on your feet.
Here is an example of how absurd this all is. I just saw an evangelist in the fundy world post an article on FB in support of Sarah Sanders who was unquestionably treated horribly by the “comedian” in the press dinner a week ago. It was one of those “stand against bullying” kinds of things.
Someone wrote in below (OK, my wife) and said that he was right. Sanders was treated shabbily and she should not be treated that way even if she chooses to work for an even worse bully of women.
The evangelist deleted the post right away. I don’t know why and I am not ascribing motives. He may agree but just not want to alienate his base. But I have to say that it is a disgrace that in Christian circles today, we can’t state the obvious: it is hypocrisy of the highest order to complain about that comedian bullying Sarah Sanders while ignoring the fact that Trump is the most famous bully of women in the country. You can’t even say that in Christian circles though. Christians will not tolerate anyone speaking the truth about their new savior Donald Trump.
Pathetic…
…by French’s column, but then remembered that I didn’t really vote for Trump as much as I voted against Clinton. Joe’s comment about Trump being a serial womanizer and adulterer with shady business practices sums it up well. Yes, he is, and he was running against the wife of a serial womanizer and adulterer, who had shady business practices and clear evidence of a huge opening for blackmail by foreign powers. Right or wrong, I took what I thought was the lesser risk.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
I’m a Christian, Greg, and I “tolerate it.” In fact, I more than tolerate it. I’ve written close to 30 #NeverTrump articles and have had millions of people read them. I’ve even received death threats for my very public opinions of Donald Trump. My #NeverTrump bona fides are as established and secure as David French’s.
But your overgeneralized stereotyping and harping at Christians is tiresome. There are many Christians that will not respond negatively at all if you express displeasure for our President and point out his many, many moral and intellectual failings. If you’re ever in DC, I can introduce you to a bunch. To make the universal claim that “Christians will not tolerate anyone speaking the truth about their new savior Donald Trump” is a dishonest claim.
[John E.]I’m a Christian, Greg, and I “tolerate it.” In fact, I more than tolerate it. I’ve written close to 30 #NeverTrump articles and have had millions of people read them. I’ve even received death threats for my very public opinions of Donald Trump. My #NeverTrump bona fides are as established and secure as David French’s.
But your overgeneralized stereotyping and harping at Christians is tiresome. There are many Christians that will not respond negatively at all if you express displeasure for our President and point out his many, many moral and intellectual failings. If you’re ever in DC, I can introduce you to a bunch. To make the universal claim that “Christians will not tolerate anyone speaking the truth about their new savior Donald Trump” is a dishonest claim.
I would suggest you settle down John and don’t get offended so easily. Anyone that has any intellectual honesty at all knows that when I say “Christians,” I am not referring to EVERY Christian. To suggest otherwise is just silly. You know fully well that evangelicals overwhelmingly supported Trump and they still overwhelmingly approve of him to this day. There are plenty of polls that tell you that.
You seem fairly impressed with yourself. Why should I care if millions of people have read your articles? What does that have to do with the point?
My point is that I know more about this than you do. My point is that I understand better than you and have experienced on a level you don’t understand the angry responses from fellow Christians over contra-Trump opinions.
Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I’m not sure that you realize how your tone affects your message. Whatever truths you have to offer (and I agree with much of what you say about Trump), your vitriol obscures that truth. Imagine how your brothers and sisters in Christ reading this thread who voted for Trump feel about your stereotyping. You are not helping. You are only making it harder to get Trump supporters to see the truth. This is not a game for me, Greg.
LOL. Got it John. I am going to retract what I just said here (and erased). I have no time for or interest in spatting with someone I don’t know. You have done a lot of reacting to me here lately for some reason but from now on, I am just going to ignore your comments. Best wishes.
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