Evangelical Epiphany
We are in Oklahoma City tonight. We’ve just driven 864 miles from Knoxville, Tennessee, across the length of that state, across the Mississippi and then across the girth of Arkansas and into Oklahoma to the midpoint of that state. One of the first things I saw this morning was a 300 foot cross outside a evangelical church in Tennessee. Along the way on Rt. 40, the thing I saw the most (other than trucks in every imaginable form….except no TeslaTrucks) were churches; Baptist, Evangelical, Pentecostal. This is very much the Bible Belt. When I think of Oklahoma I think of several things including that this is the venue of Oral Roberts University, a few miles north of here in Tulsa.
My friend Barbara O’Connell, the Martha Stewart (only in the good ways) of my AFMC motorcycle group, grew up in a San Fernando Valley evangelical family. When I wrote her husband Frank’s biography, I took note that the only way she could get a higher education and get out of her highly restricted home life was to go to Oral Roberts University. I guess it’s like a good Mormon kid going away to school at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah or a good Catholic kid going to Holy Cross. What could go wrong with a kid’s upbringing if they stayed in the hands of their lord?
One of the things I’ve found most difficult to understand in the current political landscape, is how the evangelical Christian community or the Mormons can maintain their support of Donald Trump through all the sordid revelations about his lust-filled lifestyle (the Access Hollywood bus quotes, the Stormy Daniels affair, the 15,000+ proven lies since being in office, etc., etc.). I have heard many theories including Jesus’ acceptance of imperfect men, his obvious Right-to-Life stance, and his emphasis on filling the courts with like-minded conservative judges. It all seemed like a sell-out to me and while not surprising, since I tend to think Uber-religious folk are constantly in need of hypocrisy and rationalizations to keep their religion in step with their actions, it has always been very disappointing to me. I don’t like Mike Huckabee, but at least I can understand why evangelicals might like him.
So imagine my surprise today when I learned that Christianity Today has come out with the surprisingly strident view that Trump needs to be removed from office. They are not opining on impeachment and removal versus voting him out in 2020 (they consider that refinement of view to be too worldly for their consideration). This is a magazine started by the Reverend Billy Graham, and it don’t get more evangelical than that. Their editorial said, “That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.” Wow, right from the top.
What prompted the editorial was, indeed, the same thing that drove Democrats to finally push through articles of impeachment this week. It was the actions of Trump in the Ukraine that they deemed “profoundly immoral”. And while it was great to see Trump’s actions unmasked for what they are, it was the fact that the magazine castigated the followers of trump for allowing him to get away with this immorality that really resonates with me.
The editor who penned this great expose said that he has had criticism from many evangelicals that he should call out Trump’s failings, but that he believed it was important to be patient and give him a chance to prove he could do better. Apparently the intensive impeachment coverage pushed his view over the top and he felt he could no longer remain silent. Since it is not likely that all evangelicals will agree with this view, it’s interesting to see that the divisiveness of Donald Trump has permeated the most loyal of his hard-line supporters. Let’s not forget that in the past, some evangelicals have declared Donald Trump to be the second coming of Christ. That would put him on par with Mohammed, which I find hard to imagine someone making a strong case for.
The Bible Belt in America is alive and well based on the huge crosses I’ve seen, the final one today displayed on the lighting of a large building in downtown Oklahoma City, which I could see from Rt. 40. Evangelical Christians are part of the base (perhaps one of the most solid pieces of the core) that supports Donald Trump. I might be getting out ahead of myself, but I am hoping that this crack in the evangelical wall may portend that people can be pushed too far with the nonsense that Donald Trump spews out each day. Those of us of conscience that know that the populist appeal of Donald Trump is not truly people-friendly have been wondering for years now when the penny was going to drop that Trumpism is just the latest version of Peronism, with the people being used for the selfish purposes of Donald and his cronies. We all knew it was a just a matter of time, but it has been shocking how much people who want to believe can take before they give up the faith. I never thought the evangelical community would be an early adopter of a more realistic view of the emperor without his clothes. That is perhaps what makes this editorial in Christianity Today so meaningful. I choose to think that it is a clear signal that the end is near for Mr. Trump. My Trump epiphany is to have this man-child unswaddled and shown to be the Rosemary’s Baby he really is.
So true Rich. When I was in the army I was invited to watch a nice movie called “Rosemary’s bay”. I was not aware what it was about, until I watched it. It still shocks me and reading your message I can only agree. This man needs to be removed from office for the sake of the American people as well as the rest of the world. Really sickening to read and watch all of this saga.