White evangelicals are the core of Trumpâs political support, and while the overwhelming number of the presidentâs evangelical supporters may not be racist, they are willing to back a man who openly attempts to divide people by race. That would be enough of an indictment, but the situation is actually a good deal worse than that, since Trumpâs eagerness to inflame ugly passions is only one thread in his depraved moral tapestry."
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"Much of the evangelical movement, in aligning itself with Donald Trump, has shown itself to be graceless and joyless, seized by fear, hypocritical, censorious, and filled with grievances. That is not true of all evangelicals, of course, and itâs not true of all evangelicals who are Trump supporters. But itâs true of enough of them, and certainly of the political leadership of the white evangelical movement, to have done deep injury to their public witness.
I know this firsthand, from pastors around the country who have talked about the catastrophic effects of the unholy alliance between evangelicals and Donald Trump. One pastor of a large church on the Pacific Coast told me: âThere are many reasons why young people are turning away from the Church, but my observation is, Trump has vastly accelerated that trend. Heâs put it into hyperdrive.â
This pastor, a lifelong Republican who declined to be quoted by name because of the position he occupies, wrote that âfor decades Hollywood has portrayed conservative Christians as cruel, ignorant, greedy, and hypocritical. For 20 years I have worked, led, and sacrificed to put the lie to that stereotype, and have done so successfully here ⌠Because of how we have served the least of the least, city officials, school officials, and many atheists have formed a respect for Jesus and his church. And Iâm watching all that get washed away.â
He added, âYes, Hollywood and the media created a decidedly unattractive stereotype of Christians. And Donald Trump fits it perfectly. Made it all seem true. And sadly, I now realize that stereotype is more true than I ever knew. It breaks my heart. In volleyball terms, Hollywood did the set, but Trump was the spike that drove the ball home. Heâs everything Iâve been trying to say isnât what the church is all about. But sadly, maybe it is.
Itâs time to have an open dialogue with family and friends regarding hate and exclusion. Many people donât even recognize it in themselves, but itâs everywhere. We can do better. Please spread the word!
