Skip to main content

The Idolatry of Christian Trumpism

 


If there's one person I wish my conservative evangelical loved ones would listen to (instead of cable news talking heads) is David French. He is conservative in his politics, loves Jesus, cares about truthfulness and is a voice of decency and reason. He points us toward a deeper love of God/neighbor and the truth. 

For example:

"There is a dramatic difference between:
1) verifying, then reporting;  
2) dumping, then demanding others disprove
The first practice is journalism. 
The second practice is partisanship -- or perhaps profiteering."

And this:

"I'm noticing a trend from a certain brand of right-wing pundit:
1. Tweet out claim of vote fraud to "seek answers."
2. Don't tweet the answer.
3. Condemn "media" for not empathizing with Americans who distrust the election outcome.
Bad faith from start to finish."

David cares for the Church enough to expose her idols, which is why today he published these words to his brothers and sisters in Christ:

"It’s time for conservative Christian leaders to shed any form of fear and to speak against conspiracies and against slander with the same boldness that many of them spoke for Trump. Again, this isn’t just about “witness.” It’s about justice. It’s about law. It’s about peace."

We Christians need to be diligent about culling the voices that are shaping our loves, listening to a spectrum of good and wise teachers. They shouldn't think just like us either; there is wisdom to be found on both sides of the center line, from conservative Protestants such as David and conservative Catholics such as Ross Douthat to liberal evangelicals such as Michael Wear and Miroslav Volf. And it is good to listen to our black brothers and sisters as well, who have a perspective that we white evangelicals don't have, such as Thabiti AnyabwileAmeen & Mika Edmondson to name a few.* 

(S)he who has ears, let them hear.


*I realize that all my recommendations above are men; I have plenty of wise women that I pay attention to and they will be introduced in future posts. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Truthful lips

  “Truthful lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only for a moment.” Prov. 12:19 We who follow Jesus and believe his words from Genesis to Revelation can be assured of two things: He is truth and His words are trustworthy. He cannot lie. Likewise, we who are representatives of Him here on earth are to hold fast to that which is true, speak truthfully to each other, and use right judgement in discerning good from evil. “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” - Luke 8:17 Truth endures over time and more importantly, in eternity. Lies, while they may deceive for a season, eventually self-implode, making themselves known by their inevitable self-destruction. Truth is true whether we believe it or not – the effect that truth has on our hearts has no bearing on its objective truthfulness. Depending on the state of our hearts, truth may be received with gladness and humility or rejected in...

The World is Watching

The world is watching. They take note who we speak up for, what things make us angry, what we praise, justify or stay silent about. They are taking particular interest in our in-fighting. "The Church is not to be found at the “center” of a left/right political world. The Church is to be a species of its own kind, confounding left, right, and middle, and finding its identity from the “center” of God’s life." - Rich Villodas Looking at 1 Corinthians 1:11-13, 30-31 with an eye to politics and the division seen within the Church (as the world goes, so do we): My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  One of you says, "I follow Trump"; another, "I follow Biden"; another, "I follow Bernie"; still another, "I follow Christ".  Is Christ divided? Was Trump crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Biden? It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for...

A Liturgy During a Pandemic

  Today, the US hit a milestone of 300,000 deaths officially attributed to COVID-19. In less than four weeks, 50,000 people have died in this current surge of infections. As the leading cause of death in 2020 it has left a lot of heartbroken families struggling with loss of breadwinners, caregivers and loved ones.  Lord, have mercy.   In the midst of this sobering news, the mass vaccination campaign has begun. I am grateful for the scientists who have worked hard to provide a measure of protection for those most vulnerable to serious or deadly infection.  I've found it hard at times to pray extemporaneously during the weariness of the past 10 months as the coronavirus has ravaged the world and radically changed our daily lives. I've found the following prayer  a helpful template when words fail me: A Liturgy During a Pandemic   O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people as we cry out to you; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compass...