It remains a mystery who so many evangelical Christians support President Trump. How can they possibly endorse a man who is a serial adulterer, has bragged that he enjoys sexually assaulting women, and cannot name his favorite verse of the Bible? Are evangelicals merely supporting Trump because they think he will appoint federal judges who agree with their radical, right-wing view of the world?
Whatever political calculus, one member of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) now says he will renounce his church for their failure to speak out against Trump.
Lawrence Ware, who serves as co-director of the Center for Africana Studies at Oklahoma State University and has been an ordained minister at the Southern Baptist Convention for nearly a decade, has written an open letter to the SBC in which he notes:
“As a black scholar of race and a minister who is committed to social justice, I can no longer be part of an organization that is complicit in the disturbing rise of the so-called alt-right, whose members support the abhorrent policies of Donald Trump and whose troubling racial history and current actions reveal a deep commitment to white supremacy.”
Ware also goes on to state that large numbers of evangelical Christians, such as those in the SBC, consistently tell pollsters that they strongly support Trump’s policies while at the same time being openly hostile to social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter:
“I love the church, but I love black people more. Black lives matter to me. I am not confident that they matter to the Southern Baptist Convention.”
During the administration of former President Bill Clinton, evangelicals were critical of the fact that Clinton had an affair while serving as head of state. Yet they remain silent on Trump’s numerous affairs and the fact that he cheated on his first two wives. That kind of hypocrisy suggests political expedience has replaced morality or principles to many of these so-called followers of Jesus.
Donald Trump may well be the most immoral man to ever serve as president. He’s a bully, a braggart, and a liar. But he has the ardent support of millions of people who call themselves Christians. It brings to mind a line from the New Testament, a quote from the man they claim as their savior:
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)
Featured Image Via Twitter
