Almost from the time Donald Trump’s upset victory in the presidential election was beyond doubt, the religious right has been warning us against opposing him. Their explanation? Any opposition to Trump is being driven by witchcraft, demons, and the devil himself. For that reason, if we oppose Trump, we oppose God’s plan for America–and we’re not only committing sedition, but putting ourselves at risk of being cursed.
One of the worst of those warnings came in August, when Trump’s primary spiritual adviser, Paula White, declared that it was God’s plan to put Trump in office–and therefore, those who oppose him are “fighting against the hand of God.” Well, on Saturday, after a torrent of criticism, White admitted that maybe, just maybe, she shouldn’t have said that.
White was on hand for the Religion News Association’s annual conference in Nashville. During a question-and-answer session featuring White and several other charismatic evangelists, White was asked about that fatwa.
White was surprisingly contrite, saying that she was “a little fired up” and got caught up in the moment. In the process, she admitted that “I said some things, invariably, that I wish I wouldn’t have said” and had been “taken out of context.” When asked about her claim that God “raises up” a leader and “sets one down,” she said that she believes that is true of any leader. She believed Obama had been lifted into the White House by God, and would have said the same had Hillary Clinton won the election.
When asked what she meant when she said those who oppose Trump were “fighting against the hand of God,” White said that she was talking about “different kinds of prayer.” She said that by nature, “we can be a rebellious and stubborn people,” and we can often find ourselves “fighting against the hand of God.” Nonetheless, she said that she regretted using those terms “because of the responsibility of the role that I have.”
Although White has been in the public eye for the better part of a decade and a half, she usually avoided the press until being tapped as Trump’s spiritual adviser. For anyone who watches the religious right, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Most fundie pastors steer clear of the mainstream press, and limit their appearances to Christian outlets. They’re thus used to appearing before audiences who fawn over them.
When Roland Martin, who was one of many who let White have it for her original remarks, heard this, he offered White a chance to explain herself further on his show.
I still want @Paula_White to come on @TJMShow and @tvonetv to explain https://t.co/zt1xxKcJEq
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) September 10, 2017
The obvious question–was White’s change of heart genuine, or was she saying it just for the cameras? This isn’t an idle question. There have been quite a few instances where religious right leaders say one thing to the mainstream press, and another when they’re preaching to the choir.
Take Franklin Graham, for instance. You may recall that in 2012, he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he wondered if Obama was a closet Muslim. After being kicked up, down, and sideways for that statement, he seemingly walked it back, telling CNN that he just had a problem with Obama’s pro-choice views. Just days after that, however, he dropped by Tony Perkins’ show, “Today’s Issues”–which airs on hundreds of Christian radio stations nationwide–and openly questioned the Christian faith of anyone who supported Obama.
For that reason, while we’d like to hope that White has come to her senses, we’ll have to wait and see if she says the same thing the next time she shows up on Christian TV.
(featured image courtesy White’s Facebook)
