A Slow Awakening: Finally, Some Evangelicals See Trumpism as a Heretical Infiltration of Their Churches

Some Evangelicals Not Supporting Trump's Third Try for the White House

Donald Trump Jr. Tells Young Conservatives "Following Jesus' Commands has "Gotten Us Nothing"

When Donald Trump Jr. spoke at a Turning Point USA gathering in Phoenix in December of 2021, and said, "We've turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference--I understand the mentality--but it's gotten us nothing.  OK?" that should have done more than "ruffled a few feathers," as he suggested.  The message in that statement, along with the entire manner in which Trump Junior, and Charlie Kirk, who is the founder of the Turning Point organization that promotes the "culture war" side of Trumpism, present their message, is the complete opposite of the Christian gospel and the way that Jesus taught his followers to live in the world.  

In his characterization of this rhetoric as "The Gospel of Donald Trump, Junior," author Peter Wehner, in a piece published in The Atlantic said, "The former President's son had a message for the tens of millions of Evangelicals who form the energized base of the GOP:  The scriptures are essentially a manual for suckers.  The teachings of Jesus have essentially 'gotten us nothing.'  It's worse than that, really; the ethic of Jesus has gotten in the way of successfully prosecuting the culture wars against the left.  If the ethic of Jesus encourages sensibilities that might cause people in politics to act a little less brutally, a bit more civilly, with a touch more grace?  Then it needs to go."  

Tyler Huckabee, in an article in Relevant magazine about the Turning Point speech given by Trump Junior, said, "Trump is probably more correct that he knows here.  Christianity is a poor device for gaining worldly influence.  Nearly every page of the gospel has stories of Jesus refusing earthly power and exhorting his followers to do the same.  In fact, there are few things Jesus talked more about than the upside down Kingdom of God where 'the last shall be first,' and 'blessed are the meek'. Moreover, he cautioned against seeking earthly influence, going so far as to proclaim, 'woe unto you who are rich'.  The most cursory reading of scripture would leave anyone with the sense that this is not a manual for getting stuff."  

Relevant is an on-line publication aimed at a younger Christian audience, with an Evangelical perspective.  So kudos to Huckabee for calling out Turning Point and Trump Junior's remarks for the heretical departure from the Christian gospel that they are.  

Those words, from Trump Junior, when reported, as they were, should have caused an earthquake shock of horror among conservative Evangelicals who claim to believe the Bible is the "inerrant, infallible, only authority for Christian faith and practice."  The fact that it really didn't do that is a clear indication that there's been a shift in conservative Evangelicalism from depending on God's Holy Spirit and written scripture, to attempting to align their mission with secular political interests and become a tool used to win elections for a demagogue.  

Turning Point Prompts Arizona Pastor's "Horrified, Terrified" Reaction 

Christian Trump Event Left Evangelical Pastor Absolutely "Terrified" 

Arizona Pastor Finds "Turning Point" Political Events to be Heresy

Trump has been a media fascination for a long time, as is anyone who appears to have such a love for money that they devise ways to accumulate it, whether they are legal, moral, ethical, or not.  Trump has trusted his worldly image, and I use the term "worldly" in the sense that the Christian scriptures describe it in its most lascivious and ungodly sense, as his personal reputation and in the rhetoric of the previously quoted writers, as his manual for success.  It would be difficult to find others, in that subculture of worldliness, whose life has been lived more in opposition to Biblical morality, ethics and orthodoxy, than Donald Trump.  

Trump's pathway to legitimacy among conservative Evangelicals is the result of a political trade-off, not a conversion experience or his acceptance of their interpretation of the Bible or any conversion experience.  His crude behavior, particularly his open sexual immorality in claiming to have had hundreds of adulterous encounters with women, publicly humiliating all three of his wives, was a turnoff for most Evangelical voters, rightly so.  He was a willing, long-time supporter of abortion rights, having taken advantage of their legality on more than one occasion on behalf of himself and at least one of his children. But they were willing to set all of that aside when he realized that they were "suckers," as he calls those with whom he makes inequitable "deals," on the issue of abortion rights.  

I've heard some Evangelical leaders make what is an absolutely heretical statement according to Biblical doctrine, in justifying their support for Trumpism, that God sometimes uses evil men to accomplish his purposes.  That is a complete distortion and misinterpretation of God's movement in human history as recorded in scripture.  The Bible's does describe events where God's purposes are achieved in the course of human history and through specific historical events, but there is never a place where God's involvement ever allows evil to prevail over good, or where God ever requires or commands his people to give loyalty to anyone who is characterized as evil because they do not acknowledge his existence and his eternal power.  

To be honest, I think the appeal of Trump, Charlie Kirk, Don Jr., and the whole train of Trumpism's apologists finds fertile ground among Christians, and specifically Evangelicals, is that they truly do not believe in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  All of those principles, starting with the Beatitudes at the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where he speaks of the depth of Christian character in meekness, mournfulness, humility, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart and peacemaking, then goes on to talk about turning the other cheek, loving enemies and going the extra mile, are the strength and power of the Christian gospel.  Thinking that the "culture war" rhetoric of Trumpism, and the more worldly approach which includes threats of and use of violence, hostility, and a Machiavellian "win at all costs" approach is denying that the power of God works through the Christian gospel.  

I'm glad to see that there are some church leaders and Christians among the Evangelical branch of American Christianity who are able to see that Trumpism, and the white supremacy and Christian nationalism that it pushes for its own benefit are destructive heresies which mislead Christians and deny the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some of us have seen this for what it was, and what it has become, from the very start.  It is not an approach that will make America great again, nor is it one that will bring the Christian church in this country to its long-desired revival.  It is counterproductive to both of those things.  And it has been allowed, for whatever reason, to go on for far too long.  

For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.  Jude, the Apostle, his Epistle to the church, Verse 4 

Heresy in the Church, Hypocrisy in Patriotism

The intrusion of right-wing politics, conspiracy theories and the whole host of fear-mongering falsehoods has intruded on conservative American Christianity for at least three generations now, going back at least to the Reagan administration and the days of Jerry Falwell's "Moral Majority."  There is where the boundary was crossed between praying for government and influencing government to trying to use the power of government to promote the church and its ministry and mission and to a revival of what was once called "Anglo-Israelism," or Christian Nationalism involving a re-interpretation of American history along the lines of that promoted by David Barton.  

The decline of conservative Evangelicalism in America can be traced to that period of time.  Long critical of "liberal theology" that they claimed was the cause of the decline of mainline Protestant denominations in the United States, conservatives were confronted with declining church attendance and membership, offerings were dropping, and it seemed that in spite of all kinds of marketing efforts and changes in the way churches worshipped and did evangelism, the declines got steeper.  

The last decade has been what many Evangelical leaders are publicly admitting is a "disaster."  Mainline Protestant churches have stabilized, to some extent, but Evangelical declines continue.  Absent from virtually all conservative Evangelical churches and denominations is the majority of Gen X and almost all millennial generation members.  There's been an obvious shift in the overall dependence of conservative churches on political influence and power, tax dollars to prop up sagging ministries, like schools, and endorsements of politicians.  That's the reason for the decline.  "Religion that requires the government's support to sustain it is bad religion," said Benjamin Franklin. 

Turning Point's rhetoric about the Constitution is hypocrisy.  If they cared one whit about the Constitution, they would never have supported, in any way at all, the efforts of their insurrectionist president to overturn its provision of the peaceful transition of power, based on the lie of a stolen election.  In attacking the sanctity of American elections, which are the most secure in the world, and then attacking Congress while they were certifying its results, these insurrectionists and traitors sent a very loud message that they can never again be trusted with any kind of political power in this country.  Those who are being arrested and charged deserve everything that they are getting.  Some are still unjustly figuring out how to avoid the law and get by with their traitorous attack on this country.  

Two of the church's Apostles, Peter and Paul, wrote about the connection between God's authority and human government.  Paul spoke of this to the Roman Christians in Romans 13:1-7, Peter to churches he knew well in I Peter 2:13-17.  These passages are authoritative for Christians and any Christian who believes these words needs to open their eyes and see what is happening.  Save your churches and separate them from these ungodly, evil intruders.