The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump: 30 Evangelical Christians on Justice, Truth, and Moral Integrity

by Ronald J. Sider

What should Christians think about Donald Trump? His policies, his style, his personal life? Thirty evangelical Christians wrestle with these tough questions. They are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. They don't all agree, but they seek to let Christ be the Lord of their political views. They seek to apply biblical standards to difficult debates about our current political situation. Vast numbers of white evangelicals enthusiastically support Donald Trump. Do biblical standards on truth, justice, life, freedom, and personal integrity warrant or challenge that support? How does that support of President Trump affect the image of Christianity in the larger culture?  Around the world?  Many younger evangelicals today are rejecting evangelical Christianity, even Christianity itself. To what extent is that because of widespread evangelical support for Donald Trump? Don't read this book to find support for your views. Read it to be challenged—with facts, reason, and biblical principles. With contributions Michael W. Austin Randall Balmer Vicki Courtney Daniel Deitrich Samuel Escobar John Fea Irene Fowler Mark Galli J. Colin Harris Stephen R. Haynes Matt Henderson Christopher A. Hutchinson Bandy X. Lee David S. Lim David C. Ludden Ryan McAnnally-Linz Steven Meyer Napp Nazworth D. Zac Niringiye Christopher Pieper Reid Ribble Ronald J. Sider Edward G. Simmons James R. Skillen James W. Skillen Julia K. Stronks Chris Thurman Miroslav Volf Peter Wehner George Yancey “The dominant narrative in the public square is that the evangelical Protestant church provides unwavering support for Donald J. Trump. While this may be true, I am thankful for the witness of the editors and contributors of The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump that this claim is far from universally true of all evangelicals and also for their crucial warning that continued support will lead to the deepening erosion of the church’s witness to the world. My hope and prayer is that all Christians, whatever their present political leanings, will be open to the case made in this book.” —Tremper Longman III, author of The Bible and the Using Scripture in Political Decisions “People who care about this country (and the whole world) need to use every medium to urge the public to restore sanity in the highest echelon of our government. Yes, including a full-length book. A sharp contrast to curt, snarky remarks through social media, The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump is a thoughtful, interdisciplinary multi-voiced, Christ-centered, prophetic exposé of danger—social, political, and spiritual—that every person of faith must read.” —Al Tizon, Executive Minister of Serve Globally, Evangelical Covenant Church “The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump is a compilation of timely essays that document the perilous seismic and public shift from evangelicals endorsing the policies of a presidential candidate to evangelicals ordaining that same candidate. Today may be a great day for evangelicals politically but this day may ultimately lead to believers having less and less real spiritual influence on their neighbors around them. Judged by our own actions, good news will be seen as fake news and Jesus will soon be relegated to the alternative way, the alternative truth, and the alternative life. That’s the spiritual danger of Donald Trump.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity, Theology, Spirituality, Current Affairs

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2020

About the author

Ronald J. Sider (PhD, Yale University) is the founder and president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action and distinguished professor of theology, holistic ministry, and public policy at Palmer Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous books, including The Early Church on Killing, the bestselling Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, and The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience.

Reviews

[Manny]

[The following dialogue gives the clearest example I have seen so far of ChatGPT saying things it does not appear to believe, perhaps because it has been conditioned to do so. The most blatant case occurs at the end.

In order to make the text fit the length limit imposed by Goodreads, I have shortened many of Chat's responses, which contain numerous repetitious warnings.]

mannyrayner: If somebody was not sure how to vote and wanted to discuss it with you, would you be able to help them make a good decision?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I do not have personal opinions or the ability to offer guidance on political matters. However, I can provide you with information on candidates and their positions, as well as the pros and cons of different voting methods [etc etc]

mannyrayner: For example, suppose it were a US presidential election, you knew a lot about both candidates, and a person who had a strong Christian faith asked your advice on which candidate more closely aligned with the ideals of Christianity. Would you be able to help them understand that better?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I have been trained on a wide range of text data and can provide information on the positions and past actions of candidates, as well as the stances of different religious groups and leaders on political issues. However, it is important to note that the relationship between Christianity and political beliefs is a complex and nuanced one, and there is no single "Christian" perspective on politics. [etc etc]

mannyrayner: Absolutely, I understand. This is a theoretical discussion, I am just trying to understand what advice you can give.

To take a specific historical example, consider the 2020 US presidential election. If a Christian voter had asked you whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden better lived up to Christian ideals, as revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, how would you have answered?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I do not have personal opinions or the ability to offer guidance on political matters. However, I can provide you with information on the positions and past actions of the candidates, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, as well as the stances of different religious groups and leaders on political issues.

It is important to note that [etc etc]

mannyrayner: Suppose you were asked a question about one of the candidates, e.g. "Donald Trump claims to stand for Christianity. In what ways do you think his actions support or fail to support that claim?"

ChatGPT: As a language model, [etc etc]

Donald Trump has often claimed to be a Christian, and has spoken about his faith on various occasions. Some religious leaders and organizations have supported his presidency, citing his positions on issues such as religious freedom and the appointment of conservative judges.

However, other religious leaders and organizations have criticized President Trump's actions and statements, arguing that they do not align with Christian values such as humility, empathy and love. Some examples include his comments on minorities, immigrants, and certain religious groups, as well as his actions on certain issues like healthcare, poverty, and the environment.

It is important to note that [etc etc]

mannyrayner: If someone asked you to write a short essay explaining why Christians should vote for Donald Trump, what would you do?

ChatGPT: As a language model, my purpose is to assist users in generating human-like text based on the prompts given to me. However, it would not be appropriate for me to write an essay advocating for one political candidate or another [etc etc]

mannyrayner: Suppose the request were to write a passage explaining why Donald Trump lives his life in a Christian way?

ChatGPT: As a language model, my purpose is to assist users in generating human-like text based on the prompts given to me. However, it would be important to note that Christianity is a diverse religion, and different Christians may have different beliefs and political ideologies. Additionally, Christianity emphasizes on love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice as core values. It's up to the individual to decide [etc etc]

mannyrayner: That seems fair. So, if asked, could you write a passage giving specific actions carried out by Donald Trump which might help a Christian decide whether Mr Trump had lived his life in accordance with Christian principles? Evidently, some actions will be more relevant than others.

ChatGPT: As a language model, I can provide information on actions taken by Donald Trump during his presidency, and it would be up to the reader to decide if they align with Christian principles or not. Here are a few examples of actions taken by Donald Trump that might be relevant to a Christian's decision:

Donald Trump has repeatedly stated his opposition to abortion and has taken steps to restrict access to it, including reinstating and expanding the "Mexico City Policy," which blocks federal funding to international organizations that provide or promote abortions. Some Christians believe that the protection of the unborn is an important issue and aligns with their values.

Donald Trump has also taken steps to support religious freedom, including issuing executive orders aimed at protecting the rights of religious organizations and individuals, and appointing conservative judges who may be more likely to uphold religious freedom in their decisions. Some Christians believe that religious freedom is an important issue and aligns with their values.

On the other hand, some Christians may disagree with Donald Trump's policies on poverty and economic inequality, as they believe that Christians have an obligation to care for the poor and the marginalized. Donald Trump's administration has pursued policies that have led to increased economic inequality and, according to some critics, have hurt vulnerable communities.

It is important to keep in mind [etc etc]

mannyrayner: I think most Christians would agree that love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice are core values. Suppose the question was to give examples of actions which might reveal whether Mr Trump had lived his life in accordance with those values?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I can provide information on actions taken by Donald Trump during his presidency, and it would be up to the reader to decide if they align with the values of love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice. Here are a few examples of actions taken by Donald Trump that might be relevant to a Christian's decision:

On the issue of love and compassion, some critics have argued that Donald Trump's statements and actions have at times been divisive and harmful to marginalized communities, such as immigrants and people of color. Additionally, the way he has spoken about and treated women, minorities, and people with disabilities has been criticized as showing a lack of empathy and compassion

On the issue of humility, some Christians may argue that Donald Trump's tendency to boast about his achievements and attack his opponents on social media is not in line with the Christian value of humility.

On the issue of justice, some Christians may disagree with Donald Trump's policies on poverty and economic inequality, as they believe that Christians have an obligation to care for the poor and the marginalized. Donald Trump's administration has pursued policies that have led to increased economic inequality and, according to some critics, have hurt vulnerable communities.

It is important to keep in mind [etc etc]

mannyrayner: Now suppose you had to answer the same question about Joe Biden?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I can provide information on actions taken by Joe Biden during his presidency, and it would be up to the reader to decide if they align with the values of love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice. Here are a few examples of actions taken by Joe Biden that might be relevant to a Christian's decision:

On the issue of love and compassion, Joe Biden has emphasized the importance of unity and empathy in his campaign and presidency. He has promised to work to bring the country together and has pledged to restore decency, empathy and respect in the White House. He has also taken steps to support marginalized communities and immigrants.

On the issue of humility, Joe Biden has spoken about the importance of listening to others and working to find common ground, which aligns with the Christian value of humility.

On the issue of justice, Joe Biden has promised to address poverty and economic inequality, and has proposed plans to raise the minimum wage, provide universal pre-K, and make college more affordable, which aligns with the Christian value of caring for the poor and the marginalized.

On the issue of empathy and compassion, Joe Biden has proposed policies that would expand access to health care, strengthen social safety net programs, and invest in affordable housing. He has also taken steps to address issues such as racial and gender equality, immigration reform and LGBTQ+ rights.

It is important to keep in mind [etc etc]

mannyrayner: These are all fine answers. So, to sum up, is it fair to say that you interpret Joe Biden's actions as aligning much better with the Christian values of love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice than Donald Trump's actions, but that this is something which everyone should decide for themselves?

ChatGPT: Yes, that is a fair summary. As a language model, I can provide information on actions taken by both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and it would be up to the reader to decide if they align with the values of love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice.

In my previous answers, I have provided examples of actions taken by both Joe Biden and Donald Trump that might be relevant to a Christian's decision. Some of those actions align more with the values you mentioned, while others do not. However, it's important to remember [etc etc]

mannyrayner: I am curious to know if your answers are influenced by the fact that Mr Trump and Mr Biden are both currently active politicians who may well stand in upcoming elections. Suppose you were instead asked to contrast two historical figures in terms of which one aligned better with Christian ideals, for example contrasting Adolf Hitler with Winston Churchill.

ChatGPT: As a language model, my responses are based on the text data that I've been trained on, and I do not have personal opinions or the ability to offer guidance on political matters. In the case of contrasting historical figures such as Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill, it would be important to consider the actions and beliefs of both figures, as well as the context in which they lived.

Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime committed numerous atrocities during World War II, including the Holocaust, in which millions of Jews, as well as other minority groups, were systematically murdered. These actions are widely considered to be in direct violation of the core values of Christianity such as love, compassion, and justice.

On the other hand, Winston Churchill led the United Kingdom during World War II and is widely considered to have played a key role in the defeat of Nazi Germany. Additionally, He was also known for his strong sense of justice and commitment to fighting against totalitarianism, which aligns with the Christian values of justice.

It is important to remember [etc etc]

mannyrayner: If asked to write a passage describing how Churchill embodied Christian ideals, and justify it with citations from the Bible, how would you respond?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I can provide information on the actions and beliefs of historical figures such as Winston Churchill, and provide citations from the Bible that align with those actions and beliefs. However, it's important to note that Christianity is a diverse religion, and different Christians may have different interpretations of the Bible and apply it differently to historical figures.

Winston Churchill is widely considered to have played a key role in the defeat of Nazi Germany, which aligns with the Christian value of justice. The Bible speaks of the importance of justice in several passages, such as Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."

Additionally, Churchill is known for his strong sense of moral conviction, and his speeches often emphasized the importance of freedom, democracy, and the rights of the individual, which aligns with the Christian value of compassion and empathy. The Bible speaks of the importance of compassion in several passages, such as Matthew 22:39 "Love your neighbor as yourself."

It's important to remember [etc etc]

mannyrayner: This is a good answer. I see you know your Bible well.

If you were given a similar request, but about Hitler, how would you respond?

ChatGPT: As a language model, I can provide information on the actions and beliefs of historical figures such as Adolf Hitler, but it is important to note that his actions and ideologies have been widely condemned as being in direct violation of the core values of Christianity, such as love, compassion, empathy, humility and justice.

Hitler and his Nazi regime committed numerous atrocities during World War II, including the Holocaust, in which millions of Jews, as well as other minority groups, were systematically murdered. These actions are considered to be a gross violation of the commandment "Thou shall not kill" and the value of love and compassion towards others.

Additionally, Hitler's ideologies of racial purity, supremacy and extermination of entire groups of people, goes against the Biblical teachings of treating all human beings as equal and created in the image of God.

It's important to remember that Christianity is a diverse religion, and different Christians may have different beliefs and political ideologies, and interpret the values of love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice in different ways. However, the actions and ideologies of Adolf Hitler are widely considered to be in direct violation of the core values of Christianity, and any attempt to align him with those values would be highly inappropriate.

mannyrayner: I completely agree, it would be, to say the least, inappropriate. So to summarise, you are saying that it is easy to find Biblical passages supporting the idea that Churchill embodied the central Christian ideals, but it is inappropriate even to try to find such passages for Hitler?

ChatGPT: Yes, that is a fair summary. Winston Churchill is widely considered to have played a key role in the defeat of Nazi Germany and for his strong sense of moral conviction, and his speeches often emphasized the importance of freedom, democracy, and the rights of the individual. These actions align with the Christian values of justice, compassion and empathy.

On the other hand, the actions and ideologies of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime, such as the Holocaust, are widely considered to be in direct violation of the core values of Christianity, including the commandment "Thou shall not kill" and the value of love and compassion towards others. It would be highly inappropriate to try to align him with these values, and it would be hard to find biblical passages that would support such an assertion.

mannyrayner: I agree with you. Though what is your reaction to the fact that many Germans identifying as Christians, even priests, did in fact support Hitler?

ChatGPT: It is a fact that many Germans who identified as Christians, including priests, did support Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime during World War II. This is a difficult and complex issue, and there are many factors that contributed to this phenomenon, including the manipulation of religious rhetoric by the Nazi regime, anti-Semitism, nationalism and other political ideologies, as well as the manipulation of religious teachings by certain individuals and groups.

It's important to note that Christianity is a diverse religion, and different Christians may have different beliefs and political ideologies, and interpret the values of love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice in different ways. The support of Hitler by some Christians is a clear violation of the core values of Christianity, and it's a reminder of the danger of religious manipulation and the ability of people to justify their actions in the name of religion.

It's also important to note that many Christians, including priests, bishops, and theologians, spoke out against the Nazi regime and its atrocities, and were persecuted for their opposition. The actions of the few should not be used to generalize and tarnish the beliefs of the many.

mannyrayner: Again, I agree. But why do you again say that Christianity is a diverse religion? It is true, but it does not seem to fit together with the other statements in your last response.

[At this point, there was one of the longest pauses I have ever observed in a conversation with ChatGPT.]

ChatGPT: You are correct that my statement about Christianity being a diverse religion does not seem to fit together with the other statements in my previous response about the support of Hitler by some Christians. I apologize for any confusion caused.

In this context, it's important to remember that Christianity is a diverse religion, and different Christians may have different beliefs and political ideologies, and interpret the values of love, compassion, empathy, humility, and justice in different ways. However, the support of Hitler by some Christians is a clear violation of the core values of Christianity, and it's a reminder of the danger of religious manipulation and the ability of people to justify their actions in the name of religion.

It's also worth noting that Christianity is a religion that has been around for centuries and it has evolved over time, and has different branches, denominations, and sects with different beliefs, practices, and interpretations of the Bible. Additionally, during the Nazi era, the government under Hitler's rule had a great deal of control over the Church, and many of the religious leaders were coerced into supporting the regime.

[Deborah Rees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not Fox, not CNN, but News from Jesus' View of 2020

I have lived 4 years feeling isolated as a Christian, without a voice, possibly sounding "liberal" or seeming that I don't support the causes of Christ. Since Day One of this 2016 election and Presidency, l have been so quietly reactive to the tweets and comments of our President that I listen with one ear and feel numb in the other ear. I read this book hoping that I could hear a different "newscast" . This book delivered brutally clear honesty that what our President delivers is NOT coming from an spiritual place, but a manipulative place. It delivers backstories of our American dilemmas and systemic choices that were informative and helped me have compassion and more clarity. It presented practical ways to think through many current issues like race, Covid, the election, and much more. Actually, even though it challenged my thoughts immensely, I felt the peace inside that someone ( or 30 someones) out there understood the truth. If you want a book that slices through the middle of partisan talking heads, this book combines the best of our Biblical knowledge with 2020s life dilemmas.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual reading material. I'm not into politics. I don't watch cable news, and I rarely argue with people about political/social issues. I recognize that living in a democracy is a privilege, so I do feel a responsibility to stay somewhat informed about local and federal candidates and ballot issues. But, as a Christian, voting is usually hard for me. Neither political party represents an agenda that is consistently "pro-life": valuing and protecting ALL human life at every stage - the unborn, people in poverty, immigrants and refugees, elderly people, sick people, children, disabled people, minorities, women, prisoners, etc., not to mention environmental stewardship.

Generally, I favor a limited federal government and more personal freedom. I don't want to live in a socialist country. I don't want the government to "take care of" all of us by controlling our institutions, limiting innovation, and redistributing our money as they see fit (because they WASTE it like crazy!) People need an incentive to work, and to work hard - this isn't an insult, it's just a reality of human nature. Even small socialist countries are a bureaucratic mess, so I shutter to think of what socialism would look like in America - I envision everyone being poor and nothing being accomplished. Cynical? Maybe.

For these reasons, I have typically voted Republican. BUT, I certainly understand that many of my Christian friends consistently vote Democrat for reasons that are also valid. It doesn't stress me out that Christians vote differently... there are so many "Christian" issues to care about, and we each need to follow our own conscience. Expecting everyone to be on the same page seems unrealistic to me, and I don't usually feel the need to pressure others into changing their views.

But, I never thought we'd have a president like Donald Trump. I was in a state of shock for days after he was elected. I did not understand how deeply evangelicals were wed to the Republican party, nor did I appreciate how many Americans blame their problems on non-whites (immigrants, black and brown Americans, and foreign countries). Since then, I've been striving to understand how he has so many supporters, and not just supporters, but true devotees who fervently believe that he will rescue America from all that ails her. This is true for many religious and non-religious people, but it's the Christian support that confounds me since Donald Trump brazenly mocks the very things that we hold dear.

This book is a collection of essays that each appeal to evangelical voters from a slightly different angle. It's not as cohesive as I wish it was, largely because the material is time-sensitive, so it was rushed to publication. It also has thirty different authors, so there's some redundancy and some gaps. It touches on everything from Trump's disdain for the Constitution to his mishandling of the Covid pandemic to his mental health issues. All in all, it's a thoughtful collection that gives Christians much to consider. The main thrust is this: "We have never had a perfect president, and we never will. But there are minimum moral standards one must meet to exercise power responsibly." p.45

I pulled a handful of quotes that will give you the gist.

"Surely we can agree that the objectification of girls and women is never acceptable on any level... Remaining silent will only further damage the witness of the church, as onlookers struggle to understand how Christians who claim to value human life can essentially turn a blind eye to the brazen and unapologetic devaluation of women by our nation's leader." p.21

"Trump's evangelical supporters should confront these three disturbing facts: 1) Only white evangelicals voted for Trump in high numbers; 2) Racists, like the alt-right movement, supported Trump and have been energized by his presidency; 3) Trump mobilized racist sentiments in his campaign." p.33

"Two things we know about Trump is that he boasts about himself often and he doesn't seek the counsel of others. Trump is the very biblical definition of a fool." p. 39

"According to Pulitzer Prize-winning truth-checkers Politifact, a firm which compares each candidate's statements to evidence, Trump's statements were veritably false 76 percent of the time when he ran for office in 2016... Not only is this pattern of dishonesty troubling for religious believers, it should disturb any citizen contemplating a vote for the the most powerful office on the planet... Christian or not, a president telling the truth less than one-quarter of the time is the reddest of flags." p.57

"His business dealings do not suggest a willingness to place the fortunes of others ahead of his own, nor the integrity to accept responsibility... He has made the pursuit of material wealth his idol and worshiped it his entire life." p.60

"Any fair assessment of the Old Testament and the trials of the children of Israel consistently comes back to the theme of relying on political figures instead of God. From the very beginning of the formation of Israel, Jews were warned about seeking a king to be the solution to their problems...
when we become so loyal to a political party that we are afraid to correct the leaders of the party, then we are not merely participating in politics. We are looking to politics to save us." p.127

"This is not a question of offering grace or church membership to a repentant sinner, but a question of what makes for a qualified leader of a large, pluralistic society. Christians are those who value moderation, kindness, and impartial governing, and Donald Trump has often represented the very opposite." p.207

Ultimately, the book challenges us to reject the temptation to live in fear and stop clinging to a political leader who promises to save us. It addresses some common objections (he supports religious liberties, he's appointing pro-life judges, etc.) and questions the net worth of those things once we factor in the damage that Trump is doing to our country. Of all people, Christians should be ready to listen to others and repent from our views and our ways when we realize we've been wrong. I sincerely hope that many of the evangelicals who've been supporting Trump will reconsider their allegiances in 2020.

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read and went through this book over a period of six weeks in October and November of last year (2020) with a Zoom meeting group prior to the election. I just now noticed that I never got around to adding it to my "read" list on Goodreads.com nor did I write a review. It sort of seems like old news now since the election is over, but some of the dangers warned about in this book certainly were revealed on January 6, 2021. (Regarding January 6, I reference my review of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, by Katherine Stewart.)

The Spiritual Danger of DT is a compilation of 25 essays written by 30 different authors, all of whom have established credentials and public reputations as evangelical Christians who have cooperated in this book at the invitation of Ronald J. Sider to explain the many reasons why Christians should NOT BE supporting Donald Trump. Needless to say, they represent a minority of the American voters who self-identify as "evangelical Christians." However, they may have contributed some change to the vote totals between 2016 and 2020. Exit polls showed that 75% of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2020, compared with 81% in 2016. In some states that may have been the winning/losing difference.

I think the chapter titles pretty well describe the subjects covered by this book, thus I have simply listed the Table of Contents below to conclude my review:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Contributors
Prologue: When We Respond to God’s Calling Introduction: Our Common Commitment to Christ

Part I: ON TRUMP
1. Why “Mere” Words Matter
2. God Hates A Lying Tongue
3. Donald Trump’s Low View of Women
4. Race-Baiter, Misogynist, and Fool
5. Humility, Pride, and the Presidency of Donald Trump
6. The Trump Brand and the Mocking of Christian Values
7. 10 Reasons Christians Should Reconsider Their Support of Trump
8. President Trump and the COVID-19 Epidemic

Part II: ON EVANGELICAL SUPPORT OF TRUMP
9. The Deepening Crisis in Evangelical Christianity
10. Donald Trump and the Death of Evangelicalism
11. Will the Evangelical Center Remain Silent in 2020?
12. Voices from the Global Evangelical Community
13. “If You Board the Wrong Train . . .”
14. Hymn for the 81%
15. Trump, the Last Temptation
16. Immoral, Spineless, Demonic, Prideful, Blind, Stupid, and Lacking in Grace?
17. Setting Your Own Rules and Cognitive Dissonance

Part III: ON THEOLOGICAL, HISTORICAL, AND CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES REGARDING TRUMP
18. Christ the Center and Norm
19. Evangelical Double-Mindedness in Support Of Donald Trump
20. What White Evangelicals Can Learn about Politics from the Civil Rights Movement
21. At Odds
22. Quo Vadis, America?
23. Three Prophetic Voices against Silence
24. An Anvil Which Wears Out Many Hammers
25. The Constitution and Faith

Afterword: On Returning to Christ
Recommended Reading

Who Killed Evangelicalism?
https://currentpub.com/2021/06/01/who...

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much needed book!

I have been so frustrated during the past four years because it seemed that so much of the media equated Christian with Trump support. As a life-long Christian I have been horrified with his presidency, but couldn't articulate it well. This book provided so much, even beyond the problems of Trump that I see the issues beyond this dreadful presidency. I wish my favorite media folks could read it. Thank you

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book over the course of about a week, shortly after it came out. The book was less for me, however, than it was for another person; I wrote notes in the margins and underlined passages that I felt were particularly relevant. I no longer have the book, as it has been handed down to another reader, and so I'm only able to give feedback based off of my recollections.

This anthology has both a simple task and an impossible one in front of it. The task is simple because if you read the title and go 'that seems reasonable' you don't need to be persuaded by anything inside. If you read the title and go 'that's totally unhinged' you're unlikely to be persuaded by anything inside because this is the world we inhabit.

Ron Sider did his damnedest (his blessedest?) at marshaling this text, however. It truly does come from a range of perspectives. I often found myself in disagreement with the assumptions, suggestions, or focuses of the authors, but I also found authors with whom I was in nearly total agreement. Sider ended the text by seeking a space where people who disagreed about topics of national importance, such as this one, could come together in prayer. This collection worked a bit like that; there was one thing in which every author was in agreement - Donald Trump presents a danger to the American Evangelical church for how it embraces a figure that seems to have little to no understanding of an ethic beyond "what's best for me." Beyond this, however, authors expressed a fairly broad range of focuses grounded in various expressions of American evangelicalism.

That being said, the book had some hiccups. After reading through three or four essays they started to blend into each other, because the authors would turn to the same well over and over again. Had this collection had a longer editing period - Sider included a fairly rushed essay on COVID-19 penned in April for a June publication date - this would have been at least partially avoided. For example, multiple author saw fit to discuss racism and white supremacy's impact on Donald Trump, but this never extended beyond to the administration at large. One person mentioning the candidate announcement speech - "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people" - is probably enough. I had to read about that passage multiple times by a variety of authors all of whom were making, essentially, the same points with it. The essays were (from what I could tell) mostly written after Mother Jones broke the news about Stephen Miller's overt white-supremacist emails in November of 2019 (https://www.motherjones.com/politics/...) yet this wasn't mentioned by anyone. It therefore felt a bit... mile wide and an inch deep because of this. I found myself wishing someone had talked about immigration and refugees more in depth, and international relationships beyond the China-Russia-North-Korea axis.

Some of the essays felt a bit academic, dealing with topics on a somewhat tangential aspect. These were, in my estimation, the least effective. I enjoyed seeing John Fea in the collection, but his essay was toothless and aspirational. This was the one time I wanted an academic take and didn't get it. Give me that good, good history, John Fea. Tell me something about the 19th century. I'm here for that.

The strongest replies, for me, were probably by Julia Stronks, who discussed the Constitution in relation to Donald Trump (not positively) and Daniel Deitrich who, once I got past his song (just not my thing, especially without music) I found the essay resonated most completely with where I am coming from. I grew up in a Baptist church. I still attend church regularly, but I cannot call myself an evangelical anymore. Deitrich's discussion of feeling left out and abandoned... struck the chords that his lyrics didn't.

The essays really did hit, however, broadly along a conservative, centrist, and liberal axis of American Evangelical thought. I appreciated not agreeing with everyone and, presumably, this would be the reaction of most readers.

I don't know if this will change many hearts and minds, but I bought it in the hope that it would. And, I guess, that's about the best I can hope for right now. Believing in a truth that I hope will provide a space for growth and change, if the reader is ready and open to it.

[Jennifer Spiegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to write this book review, but I don’t.

I’ve been pretty good this election season, which is to say that I’ve been lousy. Besides my daily scorekeeping on Donald’s dalliances, I’ve avoided public rants—for the most part. I mean, sure, I’ve de-friended and re-friended my mom on social media three times. And, yeah, Tim and I have this ongoing conversation on highfalutin topics that touch upon systematic theology and media theory, but then eventually land on Biden’s public gaffes and Trump’s small vocabulary. Oh, and one person said to me (with some patronizing pity), “People are praying for you . . .”

This, finally, will be my one and only direct and public commentary on the topic of the 2020 election. I read this book of essays, published in June 2020 and written by thirty Christian scholars of diverse political persuasions, with a fair amount of voracious fervor. I was intrigued. Hungry. Enlightened.

Um, affirmed.

Before I get into that, I do think it’s important to note that the book is very contemporary—seemingly written a moment past the January-February 2020 impeachment trial of Trump—but maybe only on the cusp of the Covid Pandemic and prior to the death of George Floyd. And I know, having witnessed it in my own life, that those two events hit the world hard, influenced the forthcoming U.S. election in November, and changed many voters’ opinions. And, well, little did any of us know that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg would also die on September 18, 2020—causing a big stir. I don’t know if the authors in this collection would have shifted in their thinking had they written following these events (I think not), but it’s a conversation that I’d personally love to have with each of them.

Okay, affirmation.

I’ll acknowledge my own biases, so you may choose to read on or not . . .

Here we go, in one concise paragraph:

In 2016, I aligned myself with the #NeverTrump movement, which is a Republican thing. I’d call myself a moderate who’s right-of-center. I’m registered as an Independent. I’m pro-life, pro-DACA, and I kinda prefer hanging out with Democrats because, no matter what my GOP friends insist, I see way less racism (which I really hate) on the left and they’re kinda nicer. I’m told this is unfair. I think building a wall is dumb. I did not vote for Trump in 2016, and I will not vote for him in 2020.

Frankly, at this very moment, I feel admiration for Mitt Romney of all people. Once upon a time, supporting a Mormon dude who once drove for twelve hours with his dog, Seamus, tied to the roof, seemed CRAZY UNLIKELY. And now I’m a big fan of his.

I like the idea of getting a Conservative woman on the Supreme Court, and then seeing Trump lose.

Me:

• Anti-abortion

• Pro-civil rights

• Not into guns

• Pro-private education

• Supports DACA

• Pro-international cooperation

• Hates when people go crazy on “fake news” riffs because it fails to understand that every perspective is biased

• Opposed to “Cancel Culture” because it jeopardizes artistic integrity

• Understands the wariness over BLM, but thinks it’s vastly overblown and shameful to be callous about the outcry

• Fear over Antifa warrants a shout-out like this, “Get a life!”

• Thinks the Dems really blew it with that “Defund The Police” bit

• Believes that Trump will win

• Can’t believe anyone would support that Wall stuff

• Gets that the Left has to abandon the notion of moral absolutes in order to promote relativism

• Wishes this were over

Was that more than one concise paragraph?

Bring on the hate mail.

I do not pray for Biden to win.

I do not pray for Trump to lose.

I pray that our system is robust enough to survive the next presidency.



On The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump. What a book!

As I’ve thought about this—nonstop since 2016—I’ve tried to consider where exactly I stand. As I see it, a Bible-believing Christian has the following options:

I can vote for my positions. If neither represents my positions fully, I’ll choose the one that best represents my views. If I dislike both, I’ll choose “the lesser of two evils.”

I can abstain from voting altogether, arguing that all I’ve got is my own personal integrity and I do not want to support either candidate.

Are these the only positions? Is this a question of Christian liberty? Is there a correct stance?

The idea of voting on the basis of character seems like a misnomer. Though I’m more likely to want to hang out with Joe Biden, I’m not willing to make a case for his moral superiority (but, well, it does seem like he’s the nicer guy to have at the family BBQ).

If there is Christian liberty, dogmatism and anger and trying to “shame” people into thinking you’re right, doesn’t sound so hot.

If you’re a personal integrity/abstainer person (and I might be this person, which will anger every one of my friends on every side), consider this. Do you boycott the following?

• Netflix (over Cuties)

• Target (weren’t they going to let transgender folks choose their preferred bathroom? Do I have this correct?)

• Starbucks (aren’t they big libs on everything, right?)

• Apple was mentioned to me yesterday

But, then, say you’re a Democrat. Do you, for the purposes of personal integrity, boycott the following?

• Hobby Lobby

• Chick-Fil-A

Now, if you’re like me, you pick and choose, and—if push comes to shove—and someone asks you about this, you’ll say: I go to all of them. I do, however, refuse to go to SeaWorld and Jimmy John’s, because I once saw a picture on Facebook of their bigwigs posing over the dead bodies of animals in Africa (lions or elephants or something like that, and I was, like, I’m done.) A day in which I went to both Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A, followed by an evening of Netflix, sounds pretty good.

In other words, I lack integrity?

If we accept that we live in Babylon (I heard someone say that), we just deal with these compromises. As someone else I know said (I’m paraphrasing), We separate the meat from the bones.

And here is where this mighty book of essays unhappily resides: What are we to do in the face of Donald Trump?

I wrestle with this question acutely, friends. Is there Christian liberty (a mucky topic I think about)? Do we choose the lesser of two evils (seemingly everyone’s favorite phrase these days)? Do we vote along party lines? Do we take some kind of notably inconsistent stance on personal integrity?

These were the questions I was mulling over when I read this book.

And here’s what I have to say about this collection of essays: I found this book deeply moving. The world is better for it. I am better for it.

I marked up my copy, and I feel that reiterating their points in my feeble tongue will not serve my Christian Reading Audience. If you are both a Christian and a reader, I would urge you to check this book out. Arguments have been flying around, oft inarticulate, and here is a comprehensive, biblical, earnest, convictingly kind discussion (I have been unkind).

Yes, it’s about the spiritual danger of Donald Trump.

Yes, you’ve heard much (but not all) of this before—but probably not delivered in this manner, because the book exudes the Fruit of the Spirit.

Yes, the writing does not take into account Covid or Black Lives Matter or Biden (there is no mention of him whatsoever.)

Before I make some closing remarks, I would offer one fair criticism. The book makes a very strong case for what I shouldn’t do. It doesn’t make much of a case for what I should do. Is this, then, leaving us in some kind of Black hole of Cultural Despair? A vacuum? Am I back where I started?

I believe that the Amish don’t vote?

Is that where I’m at?

Is that what these authors are advocating?

Well, they do think Christians should not be supporting this guy.

I have to say that this book was everything I have wanted to say, but it was all said better than I could ever say it. I’m grateful to know that these Christian men and women are with me. I want to be on their team. I was, in truth, thankful for them.

Mark Galli, the former Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today, bravely, fiercely, honorably penned an editorial called “Trump Should Be Removed From Office” in that heralded magazine that probably, at one time or another, landed in your house like it did mine. It came out in December 2019, and—somehow or other—it landed on my radar that December. I loved it. I thought, Here it is! Finally!

But, well, dissidents are dissidents.

It’s my understanding that Galli then retired right after its publication, and this was (no doubt) his grand finale. Grand, indeed!

Galli, though, writes the first essay here. It’s a tight and convincing collection that might require a strong dose of humility in approaching.

You can read Proverbs 6:16-19 with Chris Thurman:

16 There are six things that the Lord hates,

seven that are an abomination to him:

17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that make haste to run to evil,

19 a false witness who breathes out lies,

and one who sows discord among brothers.

You can ponder Stephen Haynes’s thoughts: “His [Trump’s] evangelical supporters may have given up on Christianizing Trump; yet no one can dispute that he has succeeded in Trumpifying American Christianity.”

What do we make of all this?

I guess I read this book with sadness. Dare I say, profound sadness. I’ve talked about this in other forums. Cancer attacked my identity as a woman and as a writer. I wrote as if that was my battlefield. Sword of the Spirit stuff.

This Trump Era has been another kind of attack on my identity. My identity as a Christian. You know, I’m fiercely anti-abortion! I’m so pro-private education! I’m not going to tolerate racism! But where are my people? I’ve been sad. Is this where we’re at? Is this how it’s going down? I mean, are these my people? What are my Gen Z kids thinking? Will my own mother go to her grave in a MAGA hat? What would you say if you were a fly on the wall and you heard Tim and I debate politics?

As I’ve debated with myself, I know my stance might be aesthetic. I think I’d need to devote a separate piece to this, but I’m sure that part of my #NeverTrump stance is aesthetics. Individuals might place different value upon language. Even though my politics are probably right-of-center, my aesthetics are at work! Language matters. Words matter. Truth, Beauty, and Goodness required.

Do you think God, upon arrival at the pearly gates, will ask, "Did you ever vote for Donald Trump for President?"

I doubt it, but just in case, I'm not doing it.

He might actually say, "Did you ever call 'Truth' a lie and a lie 'the Truth'?" (I'm not sure how God would punctuate that.)

And that's what this book is about. By the time I hit page 6, I was thinking that this is the book I've been craving since 2016.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a powerful, faith-affirming resource for those of us Christians who believe Trump is a danger to both our country and our faith.

My one criticism regards the lack of an essay concerning the prevalence of belief in conspiracy theories among Christian Trump supporters. It is particularly insidious and needs to be spoken against strongly.

[Sheri Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biblically sound

I did not pick up this book knowing I would disagree with it..so let me admit that bias upfront. I believed Trump to be spiritually dangerous prior to stumbling across this collection of essays. But I learned much from this, anyway. With scripture and conscientious objection, each essayist points out the destruction and contradiction Trump presents in his actions and words. Each essay, written by a Christian pastor, author, or leader, takes its own perspective which I appreciated. Some were more passionate while others were more analytical. Regardless of the approach, though, one walks away from this book challenged to put Christ first in all areas of our lives, including politics, and to hold accountable each other in supporting one who openly contradicts God's word through behavior and challenges is to consider what that says to a watching world.

[Herbert Horn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful and balanced approach

This book is based on biblical principals and shows clearly how Donald Trump is violating these principles. I am glad this book exists to show the fallacy that being a strong believer in Jesus automatically entails following Republican conservative politics.

[Jonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for people who have conservative political beliefs (and theology), but are confused about what to do in November. Personally, I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with many of the contributors, which I think you will too (as well as people from all political stripes). It offers a wide spectrum of political thought from various fields of expertise too. It's not a radical political manifesto. It intends on demonstrating the wide coalition of opposition to this dangerous president. Not every contributor even argues for voting for the Democratic candidate, the primary concern is rightfully that Donald Trump is a grave danger. Buy it for folks who are on the edge or supporting Trump but name themselves as Christians.

[Persis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's unfortunate that we live in a day where books like this need to be written. The essays come from different perspectives but share a common theme - concern that Christians are aligning themselves to an immoral political figure and compromising their gospel witness as a result. In my case, they were preaching to the choir. I don't know if a Trump devotee would change his/her mind as a result of this book. However, this book would be very useful in providing arguments for discussion. I especially commend Christopher Hutchinson's essay as one of the best in the book for its firm, theological, and yet gracious reasoning to not support Trump in the upcoming election. I also appreciate the afterword in which the editor calls us to pray, engage with those who differ, listen, and dialogue.

[Cary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most intriguing 3 star book I've ever read. I gave it 3 stars because it exposed me to information that I needed to read but did not enjoy reading. It made me critically think about political issues and the integrity of people in politics. Many of the essays I flat out disagreed with, but half of them shared information that gave me a better perception of presidential issues. If you already have a strong opinion against President Trump, this book will only fuel your fire. If you love President Trump no matter what, you will never finish this book. If you neither hate the president nor fully agree with him, this book is for you.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a conservative Christian who did not vote for Donald Trump in 2016, one would think that if anyone should be convinced by this book, I should be. But I found it to be a very poor performance of moral reasoning.

For some insight into how one-sided the book is, consider these words from one who was supposed to contribute to the book: https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/20....
And for a much better example of moral reasoning applied to voting, consider Ramesh Ponnuru and Robert George's article: https://www.nationalreview.com/magazi....

[Michael A. Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read for Christians tying to make sense of the last 40 months of the Trump presidency. Written by well-known Christian scholars, the book examines how the Church arrived on a very slippery slope, protecting Trump. The articles are well sourced and cited, with excellent footnotes for further reading.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely identity as Christian but not as evangelical, which was confirmed by these essays. But these essays also helped offer greater context to the evangelical connection to the GOP and the importance of evangelicals willingness to examine their faith in God, the US and their alignment with Donald Trump.

[Gloria Serrao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. If you are a Christian, it is worth questioning why many U.S. Christians (or maybe you) nearly worship a man of such bad character. This book fully examines that character against scruiptural truths and asks this question as well as examining the cost of this "movement" to Christ's church.

[Lolita Kringe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this. I loved how the pastors and commentators shared their thoughts and used scripture to back it up. It was very interesting how they shared about the commentators specialties or degrees before they read their pages. This election is up to God. As a Christian I wanted to see what God's word says about certain actions and the horrible rhetoric being spewed out. What God's thoughts were . I'm not pointing fingers or slinging mud. Just wanted to hear from other non biased Christians thoughts about Trump.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book of 30 essays written by Christian evangelicals. The essays were selected by Ronald J Sider, an educator from Yale University.

When 81% of Christian evangelicals gave Trump enough support for him to win the Presidency, did they enter into a Faustian bargain? Did they not realize that in exchange for appointments to the Supreme Court, that they were getting a President of low moral values, a president who willingly forced the separation of children from their parents at the southern border? A President who has been beholden to Russia's Putin.

This book calls into question the wisdom of evangelicals who voted for Trump. Read it and weep. I am hoping the next President can restore some dignity to the office.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

There are some good essays here. Here are some quotes:

1 Why ‘Mere’ Words Matter (Mark Galli)

It is a sure sign of a church’s internal decay when the sum and substance of its religious activity becomes entwined with political partisanship, especially when loyalty to a political figure is equated with loyalty to God. (8)

2 God Hates a Lying Tongue (Chris Thurman)

While every president lies, not every president is a pathological liar. Donald Trump is a pathological liar. (10)

Trump’s former lawyer, John Dowd, said to him “You can’t tell the truth. You just make things up.” (10)

Not only does Trump pathologically lie, he frequently sends his enablers out to lie for him. One of the first lies out of Trump’s mouth after becoming president was to send Press Secretary Sean Spicer out for the initial press conference and have him lie about the size of the inauguration crowd. (11)

After just three years in office, Trump had made over 16,000 false or misleading statements, a number previously unimaginable when it comes to the most powerful person in the world. And, tragically, the frequency of his lying is accelerating. In 2017, Trump told 1,999 lies, an average of 6 a day. In 2018, he told 5,689 lies, an average of 16 a day. In 2019, Trump told 8,155 lies, an average of 22 a day. (12)

We have become so immune to Trump’s lies that we no longer seem shocked by them.
(12)

Why does Trump lie? If you examine his lies, it seems that two primary things are motivating Trump. First, he lies to prop himself up, to make himself look better in other people’s eyes than he is in reality. Second, Trump lies to be mean, to sadistically tear other people down and make them feel small. (13)

Trump is the greatest Liar in Chief our country has ever elected, (13)

We know he has borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars over the years, not paid contractors, inherited hundreds of millions of dollars from his father (something he lied about), filed for bankruptcy numerous times, and lost over a billion dollars in a ten-year period. (14)

There is a painfully humorous video on YouTube in which Trump says he knows more about taxes, income, construction, campaign finance, drones, technology, infrastructure, ISIS, environmental impact statements, renewables, the power of Facebook, polls, the courts, steelworkers, banks, trade, golf, nuclear weapons, tax laws, devaluation, “the system,” debt, contributions, politicians, and “the other side” than all the experts. (15)

“This is the greatest economy in the HISTORY of America.” Trump has told this lie over 250 times. Our economy was better under a number of other presidents, including Eisenhower, Johnson, and Clinton.
“We have the biggest tax cut in history.” Nope, Reagan passed one that was three times larger. Trump has told this lie over 180 times. (15)

even if Trump’s tax returns are under audit, the IRS has made it clear he can still release them. (16)

Robert Mueller was unable to prove Trump and his cronies criminally conspired with the Russians to win the election, but he laid out a damning case that Trump’s minions colluded with Russia to win the election and that Trump obstructed justice by covering it up. (16)

You simply can’t trust a leader who pathologically lies. (16)

Every time Trump’s feet aren’t held to the fire for the immoral and unethical things he does, he becomes even more arrogant, empowered, and out of control. (18-19)

3 Donald Trump’s Low View of Women (Vicki Courtney)

In Matthew 12:34, Jesus reminds us, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” One Bible commentary notes, “The heart is the fountain, the words are the streams.”
(21)

Consider a sampling of statements below that Donald Trump has made over the years related to women. As you read them, see if you can detect a common theme. “Look at that face. Would anybody vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?” (Referring to Carly Fiorina.). (22)

When asked in 2006 by the ladies of The View how he would react if his then twenty-four-year-old daughter Ivanka posed for Playboy: “I don’t think Ivanka would do that, although she does have a very nice figure. I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.” (24)

To date, Donald Trump has been accused of rape (including by his first wife, Ivana, who later dropped the charges), sexual assault, and sexual harassment by more than two dozen women. (26)

Bragging to Bush, Trump says in the audio, “I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it.” “I did try and f*** her. She was married.” “And I moved on her very heavily.” (26)

When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” (26)

No one will take Christianity seriously if we shout about the moral injustices of past presidents, but are struck dumb when it comes to the moral injustices of the current one. (29)

4 Race-Baiter, Misogynist and Fool (Napp Nazworth)

Trump’s promises to evangelicals was similar to Satan’s offer to Jesus. (32)

Trump’s evangelical supporters should confront these three disturbing facts: 1) Only white evangelicals voted for Trump in high numbers; 2) Racists, like the alt-right movement, supported Trump and have been energized by his presidency; 3) Trump mobilized racist sentiments in his campaign. (33-34)

When was America previously great? I’m sure the 1950s seem like a pleasant period to return to if you’re white. If you’re black, that would be a return to lynchings and Jim Crow. (34)

The problem with the “many sides” comment wasn’t that it wasn’t true, it was the context in which he said it. That Trump failed to explicitly call out the racists by name—white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the Alt-Right— was a failure of moral leadership.. (34-35)

There were “many fine people” among the neo-Nazis. (35)

White evangelicals will be known as the people who defended the guy who defended the neo-Nazis. (36)

In his own books even, he bragged about his sexual conquests. (36)

Another said he offered her $10,000 to have sex with him. (Since then, the list has grown to at least twenty-three accusers.). (36-37)

“Women, you have to treat them like shit,” Trump said in a 1992 New York magazine interview (37)

Two things we know about Trump is that he boasts about himself often and he doesn’t seek the counsel of others. Trump is the very biblical definition of a fool. (39)

5 Humility, Pride and the Presidency of Donald Trump (Michael Austin)

According to Donald Trump, there are many things that Donald Trump knows more about than anyone: “I know more about courts than any human being on earth.” “I know more about drones than anybody.” “I think nobody knows more about campaign finance than I do.” “Who knows more about lawsuits than I do? I’m the king.” “I understand politicians better than anybody.” “Nobody knows more about trade than me.” “I know more about renewables than any human being on Earth.” “I think nobody knows more about taxes than I do, maybe in the history of the world.” “I’m the king of debt. I’m great with debt. Nobody knows debt better than me.” “I understand money better than anybody.” “Nobody knows more about construction than I do.” “Technology—nobody knows more about technology than me.”
And this is just a partial list. According to him, President Trump is also an expert on television ratings, ISIS, social media, the US infrastructure, the visa system in America, Democrats, Senator Cory Booker, and the economy. It’s a remarkably wide-ranging list of self-proclaimed expertise, and it is, of course, false. More troubling is the lack of humility it reveals. (43)

Donald Trump does not exemplify much, if any, of the virtue of humility. He seems captive in many ways to the vice of pride. (44)

6 The Trump Brand and the Mocking of Christian Values (Irene Fowler)

One might seriously question what “a very great relationship with God” means given that Trump has been married three times, been accused by more than two dozen women of being a serial sexual assaulter, cheated on all of his wives, been sued dozens of times for not paying vendors, forced to shut down his self-dealing charity for misappropriation of funds, ordered to pay twenty-five million dollars to former students of Trump University after a judge determined it was a sham, called the twenty-five or so women who have accused him of sexual assault assault “liars,” and was impeached for shaking down a foreign country for dirt on a political rival. (48)

“Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness, if I am not making mistakes?” (50)

His track record of sexual assaults and affairs would seem to suggest that he is compulsive when it comes to sex. (51)

Narcissists are incapable of healthily loving others because they are malignantly in love with themselves. (51)

We can’t know whether or not Donald Trump is a follower of Christ. Only God knows that. What we can know from his observable behavior is that there is little evidence he lives by the core values of Christianity—being aware of his sins and need for forgiveness, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, loving God more than the things of this world, caring about others, glorifying God rather than himself, laying up treasure in heaven rather than here on earth, caring for the oppressed and hurting, and speaking the truth in love. (53)

Trump is masquerading as a follower of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13) so he can get evangelicals to vote for him and continue to indulge his love for wealth, fame, and power? (53)

7 10 Reasons Christians Should Reconsider Their Support of Trump (Pieper & Henderson)

One cannot really love Jesus and wish to follow him and also vote for a person who so clearly embodies the opposite of everything Christ taught, died for, and demands of us. (55)

He lacks compassion (55)
He appeals to fear and anger (55)
He lies a lot (57)
He is hostile to women (57)
He speaks about his daughter in a disrespectful and sexualized way (58)
He does not attempt to love his enemies, but instead cultivates antagonism (58)
He does not model sacrifice or altruism (59)
He does not seem to care about the poor (59)
His love of money is more apparent that his love of God or others (60)

8 President Trump and the COVID-19 Epidemic (Ronald Sider)

9 The Deepening Crisis in Evangelical Christianity (Peter Wehner)

Ralph Reed: “There has never been anyone who has defended us and who has fought for us, who we have loved more than Donald J. Trump. No one!” (73)

But there is also the undeniable hypocrisy of people who once made moral character, and especially sexual fidelity, central to their political calculus and who are now embracing a man of boundless corruptions. Don’t forget: Trump was essentially named an unindicted co-conspirator (“Individual 1”) in a scheme to make hush-money payments to a porn star who alleged she’d had an affair with him while he was married to his third wife, who had just given birth to their son. (75)

10 Donald Trump and the Death of Evangelicalism (Randall Balmer)

After a long and lingering illness, evangelicalism died on November 8, 2016. On that day, 81 percent of white American evangelicals who for decades claimed to be concerned about “family values” registered their votes for a twice-divorced, thrice-married, self-confessed sexual predator whose understanding of the faith is so truncated that he can’t even fake religious literacy. (78)

11 Will the Evangelical Center Remain Silent in 2020? (Ronald Sider)

The richest 1 percent of Americans own more wealth than the bottom 80 percent.
Already from 1993 to 2007, more than half of all the population adjusted increase in the nation’s income went to the richest 1 percent. And from 2002 to 2007, two-thirds of increased total US income went to the richest 1 percent.
And the inequality has increased since then. The average income of the richest 1 percent has increased by $800,000 since 1970. But the vast number of workers have not enjoyed much of an increase in income. After inflation is taken into account, the average hourly wage for non-management private sector workers is almost the same as it was in 1970!179 The distribution of wealth in the US today is more unequal than at any time since just before the beginning of the great depression in 1929—and this growth in inequality fosters more injustice and seriously undermines democracy. (91)

In 2015, the people who said they were “white” and “Christian” became a minority in America for the first time in our history.). (92)

Instead of urging his followers to embrace the biblical view that all persons are created in the image of God and are equally loved by God, President Trump has blatantly stoked racist attitudes and failed to condemn the dangerous growing movement of militant white nationalism. (93)

Trump’s vision of “America first” approaches idolatry. (93)

12 Voices From the Global Evangelical Community

David S. Lim - 8 Reasons Not to Vote For Trump

Personal integrity matters
Leadership style matters
National unity matters
Just polices matter
Foreign policies matter
Climate crisis matters
US leadership matters
Evangelical brand matters

Trumpism has been a great disaster. Trump made American degraded, debased, and decadent! (103)

Bishop D. Zac Niringiye

“President Trump is like a mirror. He is a reflection of the society that voted him into power,” … the presidency of Donald J. Trump provided the opportunity for America generally and evangelical America in particular to see itself for what it really is; (105)

The central feature of the Trump phenomenon, is fear. Fear is the story he embodies, projects, and presents. Fear is what he hopes will shape the present and the future of America and the world. … It was epitomized in his signature election pledge to the American people: building a wall on the whole length of the US-Mexico border. The performance of fear is evident in the relentless pursuit of nationalism (105)

Nationalism thrives on intolerance of ‘the other’. (106)

When America voted for Trump, they voted for fear. (106)

13 If You Board the Wrong Train (Stephen Hayes)

While in 2011 only 30 percent of American evangelicals believed “an elected official who commits an immoral act in their personal life can still behave ethically and fulfill their duties in their public and professional life,” by October 2016 the number was 70 percent.
(110)

Claims to see the ‘hand of God’ in Trump’s election have eerie parallels with the Nazi era. (111)

I doubt if Christian Trump supporters will b

[Bruce Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

White evangelical authors try to explain why 81% of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016 and give reasons from both the OT and NT why it was a mistake then and will be a mistake in 2020. Many fundamentalist evangelicals believe they are in a culture war with progressives for the very soul of America and see Trump as chosen by God to be a new Cyrus to lead God's people back to the Promised land. They say they don't want a pastor-in-chief, they want a tough guy to be leader-in-chief. The writers argue that these Christians have sold their souls for short term gains (pro-life/"family values" judges, anti-immigration policies). When Democrats regain power, as they inevitably will some day, they will remember this time and roll back all of Trump's supposed gains.

Better to work within the system (a la MLK, Ghandi, Mandela) to change the minds of the American people and thus change the culture than change the law which the culture has no motivation to obey.

[Joe Pajer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a white, evangelical Christian who did not vote for Donald Trump in 2016. Instead, I wrote in a vote for Paul Ryan. Most of my friends were among the 81% of white, evangelical Christians who voted for the President. One described his rationale to me this way: “Trump the person is despicable. But his administration has the potential to add judges and undertake policies aligning with a Christian agenda, and notably might include protection of our rights to believe and act as Christians (which many believe are under threat from what we now call the ‘cancel culture’).” Based on the title, I was hoping this book might provide additional insight as to how my friend’s stance may have longer term (deleterious) implications to our faith and gospel witness – and how I incorporate those thoughts into my 2020 decision.

Ultimately and thankfully, there are a few chapters that address my question well and are worth the price of admission. Most notably, those written by Yancey, Volf/McAnnally-Linz and Hutchinson. They appear late in the sequence of essays.

On the downside, large swaths of this book are devoted to proving the President to be immoral. I do not doubt that he is. I also do not doubt that all of us – other politicians, the writers – me, also are. Practically, this is in varying degrees. But the large portions of text devoted to this point have at least two problems:

1) What they should really be trying to say is that Trump is more immoral than past Presidents and most notably, more immoral than this year’s challenger. Yet, across the thirty contributors they surprisingly do not discuss either (has it been edited out as a rule?). I also felt, as I read, the memory of very similar arguments being made against Obama, Bush and Clinton (and further back no doubt). But there is never an explanation as to how the current President’s immorality is notably worse – just resounding points that it is really bad. What if, in reality, he is no worse than Clinton (or even Nixon), but just less polished? Does that reinforce or discredit my friend’s rationale? FWIW, I do think that President Trump has set a new and very dangerous bar and it is about more than polish. But it is very strange that such a discussion does not happen in this book.

2) The arguments conflate the President’s behaviors and his administration’s policies. He is immoral because of his history of misogynistic behavior. He is immoral because his tax cuts favor corporations. Those are not the same thing, right? Christians should easily agree on the first. On the second, is there not room within our Biblical interpretation to disagree? Some of the authors do not see it as such. Their arguments drift from the President being immoral to conservative policies being immoral. Fair enough, but I would guess those arguments are for a different book with a different audience.

Finally, I found it frustrating that the various authors’ biases are not revealed. We do not know if they are conservative or progressive, Democrat or Republican. With some digging, I could get some clues. But these biases could have been made evident in their included biographies. It is important to know the biases of the writer when reading. Knowing such does not prevent us from being open to their ideas. It may even help.

[Heather Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What times we are living in for such a known immoral and self-full person to be defended and supported and excused by those who say they follow Jesus. Power corrupts....I read this as a moment of needing to sit with sanity-I didn't learn anything new, didn't change my mind-I have had a problem with the president since 2016, actually since the 80's. No one will read this for a mind change, but the authors of the essays do each write well and call the American church back to Biblical thinking and frankly, loving for the sake of Jesus-his Name and our witness as representing Him to a watching world. It's a call to conviction and clarity and done with humility. Written by people from across the political spectrum-Republican, Democrat, Independent - calling us back to sanity before we have completely lost our credibility and witness.

[Maggie Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the title of this book was a mistake as the people whom it hopes to reach won't pick it up and those who already agree with it will most likely find it filled with arguments they've heard before. I had mixed feelings to it myself; while some of the essays really resonated with me, others seemed redundant and one towards the end seemed to undo everything that had come before it.

The first essay is Why Mere Words Matter by Mark Galli. At the start he tells us, "It is a sure sign of a church’s internal decay when the sum and substance of its religious activity becomes entwined with political partisanship, especially when loyalty to a political figure is equated with loyalty to God." His argument is that it is the job of the church to speak truth to power and when we don't do that "We fail to recall that the one gift we have to offer the nation is not a partisan vote, but a consistent moral voice grounded in the perfect love and perfect righteousness of God.' Galli is convinced that striving for integrity in word and deed in the public square—that’s the least we can do for the nation. And by itself, is an unparalleled witness to the gospel we claim to live by. This would be a lovely argument if the church had integrity or even a working definition of integrity that we could all agree on and live by. While the Bible would seem to provide one, agreeing on what it says and how we should live that out is a serious point of contention in a day and age where hundreds of denominations bring their own spin to the word of God.

In God Hates a Lying Tongue author Chris Thurman argues that Even if he (Trump) only ends up serving as president for four years, our country will have never seen a leader as shameless and remorseless as Trump when it comes to lying. I appreciated his covering this issue and pointing out why this should be a problem for Christians. Vicki Courtney follows on the theme of Trump's failings with her essay on Donald Trump's Low View of Women. Objectification is a serious matter. She tells us because Sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape, pornography, sex trafficking, and many other heinous crimes begin with objectification. When a person is denied personhood and viewed instead as an object, they are at risk of becoming someone’s victim. Both seem to feel that No one will take Christianity seriously if we shout about the moral injustices of past presidents, but are struck dumb when it comes to the moral injustices of the current one. No one will respect Christian leaders who call on men to respect, honor, and cherish women if they fail to hold the president to the same standard. I hate to be a Debbie Downer but four years of unmitigated support by conservative "Christians" pretty much puts paid to this argument. Failure to have called him to account earlier will require a strong and immediate reversal of behavior from Christians to have any hope of regaining the respect we have given the bowing and scraping many evangelical leaders have done in pursuit of Trump's favor.

Easily one of the best - and hardest hitting - essays is Race Baiter, Misogynist and Fool by Napp Nasworth.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But back in the late 2010s, a guy named Donald Trump, who had previously been known as a mega rich (he was born into vast wealth) businessman, prone to losing money even as he had a ruthless knack for making it (through property and casinos), qualifying him to become the main character in a reality TV show called The Apprentice ('money, money, money', in which (to my eye) he came across as ill-tempered, domineering, demeaning and entitled, though perhaps somehow intriguing), fond of caustic, not-necessarily-verifiable rhetoric (sometimes exhibiting traits of misogyny and racism) best suited to issuing 280-character statements via Twitter, with a shonky tan job, weird comb-over and a highly problematic moral track record, got made the president of the United States of America.

History has had a bit of a habit of putting questionable people into power, but in a strange twist, Trump got there by being voted for by 80% of the nation's white Evangelical Christians.

No one believed in him more than himself; some called him out as a narcissist who couldn't tolerate being said no to and who kept his delusions of grandeur in place through lying and exaggeration. But it was decided to endorse his apparent egomania through astonishing levels of adoration, by giving him the keys to the most powerful nation on earth and by telling him that he was anointed by God. Oddly, he was lauded by a significant number of Christians all around the world (even in places as far away as New Zealand) - some of them even said glowing prophecies about him. Running the risk that his egomania could burgeon into megalomania, perhaps he could make America 'great' again (whatever that means, and at whose expense) and save them from the bogeymen they had become so afraid of.

Eighty percent of white American Evangelicals voted for Trump, but 80 isn't 100, and not all Evangelicals are white. Enter this book - by Evangelicals for Evangelicals - published in the lead up to the 2020 elections, pleading with their fellows to consider the ramifications.

It's an interesting and varied collection of essays from many highly qualified voices. Some of it very insightful and incisive. Some of it uncomfortably veers (especially in the first part) into the same tone as Evangelicals have too often used to bring down their 'opponents' (its easy to feel a sense of glee when you agree with the person using this tone... and actually that feeling of glee should be evidence that something is a bit amiss). Overall, it's a useful and well-considered book.

Well, Trump got voted down in that 2020 election. But again he couldn't tolerate being told no. Some of his supporters violently stormed the Capitol. Despite all his sins (and the list was considerable), at the next opportunity they endorsed him again. Meaning that this book is still relevant.

Well, actually it might always be relevant (though we hope it becomes dated) because it's a case study in Christianity and its courting of political power. Of its seeking after a strongman to be in its corner, and the way that throughout history it has too often 'sold its birthright (its true heart and calling) for a mess of pottage'.

The American political situation all ends up feeling surreal and bizarre. The possibility of some increasingly dark turn in the situation just around the corner. Violence and hatred. Including the two assassination attempts that have been made on Trump's life during the election build-up. It's a strange, strange world.

I'm coming at all of this as an outsider. I don't have as much skin in the game as an American (though it is true that what happens in America has an impact on the world, and I'm a citizen of planet earth). But there is value in an outsider perspective. So I want to briefly posit two or three 'problems' (there is some good stuff on some of this in the book, and these are not the only factors).

The first is bipartisanism, and America's two party system. In New Zealand we have a multi party system. It's definitely not perfect, and it means that some parties in a coalition government end up with far more influence than their, say, 8.64 or 6.08% of the vote really warrants. But at least we have more than two parties to choose from, bringing at least a little nuance to the reductionist left/right philosophical dichotomy that the world (including NZ) seems so intent on falling into.

In America's case, the functional dichotomy leads to a phenomenon whereby a person votes for the Republican Party / the 'right' / Trump simply to avoid voting for the Democrat Party / the 'left' / Clinton / Biden / Harris (or vice versa). This is an unenviable situation for the American voter. But in being resigned to the situation, it shouldn't be overlooked that the Republican Party has had ample opportunity to put forward a more upright and suitable character than Trump. In light of that fact, the insistence on Trump can seem almost cynical in its bid for power at any cost.

The second problem is the myth that Christian = Republican. Quite apart from the fact it would be (and is) possible to be a Christian who votes for the Democrats or the 'left' (sorry if that sounds scandalous), the Christian = Republican formulation is a category error.

'Republican' is a political ideology and construct. 'Christian' is a set of beliefs and way of life that was instigated by and is (hopefully) grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ. While our efforts to apply those teachings to everyday life will include our response to political and moral issues, they are a 'higher' calling, if you will, a primary allegiance that should undermine temptations to power, bring nuance to our responses to the state of the world and - crucially - be grounded in the Sermon on the Mount, the first and second great commandments ('on which all the law and prophets hang' - love of God, and love of neighbour - and 'enemy') and the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control). If it's not those things, it's something, but it isn't true Christianity.

Dualities are particularly attractive to the human psyche - they are simple (at least at face value) and appeal to our innate sense of 'tribalism' (for want of a better word). But they contribute strongly to othering our 'opponents' - casting them as 'evil'.

And this is where the first two problems map so easily onto the third: the so-called 'culture wars'. This is a construct that posits that a battle is going on for the world's soul / morals, and it is fought firstly through cultural and then by extension political means. In its heightened form this worldview forces people into camps, promotes arrogance, demolishes nuance and meaningful conversations, undermines the possibility of trans-partisan partnerships that might work for the 'common good', encourages 'othering' (reducing real people to stereotypes and/or faceless blocks and categories) and fosters anxiety and a siege mentality.

Under that construct, who wouldn't want a strongman who is supposedly in their corner and seems to be worth all the other compromises that need to be made in order to put him in power? A bombastic strongman might be quite appealing under those conditions. But for the counterpoint to that worldview and approach, see previously noted characteristics of Christianity.

Well, I've burned through a fair few words here on this Trump business, as so many others have before me, adding to the noise. And, love him or hate him (or somewhere in between), the truth is he should never have ended up occupying so much space in our heads.

Personally, I hope we can move on sometime soon.

[J Percell Lakin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compromised Faith

An important read that tries to capture the significant crisis that is the overwhelming evangelical support for Donald Trump. These contributors thoughtfully explore their own evangelical tradition and attempt to reason with their brothers and sisters to reconsider this dangerous alliance with Trump that may very well ruin their long-term witness to Jesus Christ.

[Bret Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title was provocative enough to get my attention. With the election less than two months away, I thought I should do my best to stay informed and give this one a read.

The book is a series of essays, of course. It’s not surprising that there’s a lot of repetition and overlap between chapters. Most chapters are well researched with lots of references. The authors have done their homework.

I found the first section to be the most repetitive, but the frustration was from the character that the authors constantly exposed. We’ve all heard these stories. Why do they not seem to make a difference?

A standout chapter for me was chapter 10, Donald Trump and the Death of Evangelicalism by Randall Balmer. I have to admit, I hated this chapter at first. Balmer’s comment on page 94 about the “so called Great Revival centered in the Cumberland Valley of Kentucky” struck at my own heritage. I’m not sure what he was going for with the “so called” comment. He slowly won me over, though.

The issue, as Balmer lays it out, is that evangelicals have abandoned the base upon which they started in favor of a political movement. Very convicting stuff.

Chapter 17 on Setting Your Own Rules and Cognitive Dissonance was also very good.

I’m not sure I can say I “enjoyed” this book, but I appreciated it. I appreciated the call in the end for dialogue. There’s a lot to take in here. I’m not sure this book would change anyone’s view, but maybe some conversations can help us all understand each other better.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's a strange one. It's not always enjoyable to read and it's not full of a ton of new information, yet it compiles a compelling case. Its biggest strength lies in the variety of contributors -- it's not just a religious left irritably making its case. The contributors come from different positions and traditions, and they take different approaches (an essay on the Constitution struck me as one of the most interesting).

At the same time, I'm not sure how this book works. If you agree with the premise (even the title!), I'm not sure you'd need to read it, unless you want to shore up your current thinking with a little expansion. If you disagree with the premise, I'm not sure you'd read it (though reading it with an open mind might prove to be useful for some).

The book mostly (always?) has a calm tone and often means to work for reconciliation, but it's hard to imagine the practical outworking of the ideas here. Even its current high rating on Goodreads suggests that not enough people predisposed to disagreeing with it are reading it.

[Jason Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book to fellow Christians who are trying to piece together the attributes of Trump's character he has revealed, and are struggling with how to articulate why it matters for the few we choose to become president. Does it really matter if our president is moral and honest? To what degree is Trump immoral and dishonest? Is he the stable genius he claims to be, or the type of fool the bible warns us about?

In 2016 I voted for Trump because voting the party line is what I had always done. Although put off by the rhetoric, I assumed once he took office he would remold his image and lead the country like every other president in my lifetime. I was wrong. The behavior he displayed during his campaign persisted and spread like a cancer throughout the country in top-down fashion over the course of his presidency. That said, if it wasn't Trump I feel it would have been another demagogue. The root problem isn't Trump, it's a desire by some Americans to hear a story that speaks to their fears and is demanded at *any* cost, including the credibility of Christians.

[Clint Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

thoughtful book for discerning Christians.

I was dreading reading this book. But I really thought it was well done. Nearly all contributors to this book are obviously concerned about the influence of Donald Trump on our political discourse. The book was written to Encourage believers in Jesus to think twice about supporting Donald Trump in the 2020 election. A number of good points are made. Some chapters are better than others. Some authors are better than others. Nevertheless, even in 2022, a book worth reading.