There was some small news this week that the media blew up into big news. Christianity Today, the magazine founded by Billy Graham, published a column by editor Mark Galli on Thursday supporting the impeachment and removal of President Trump.
Even the Washington Post published a piece arguing that Galli took aim at Trump but only hurt Christianity Today in the process.
“By injecting Christianity into that debate, Galli inevitably suggests…that people of the Christian faith are, in fact, obliged to condemn Trump and support his impeachment. This is risible. It is irresponsible. It also proved irresistible.” https://t.co/2O977NoTcV
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) December 21, 2019
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat weighed in:
Many of the rebuttals to the CT editorial share a tacit assumption that there are no persuadable Americans any more, only two irreconcilable sides in a civil war, so any problem for Christian witness created by Christian support for Trump either doesn't exist or is irrelevant.
— Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) December 21, 2019
That tweet inspired Slate national correspondent Will Saletan to weigh in with his hot take: Evangelicals who worship Trump believe in Christianity just because they are prone to belief:
When evangelicals worship Trump, the simplest lesson is that they believe(d) in Christianity not because Christianity is true, but because they’re prone to belief.
That conclusion might not be true, but it’s reasonable. They embrace a model of evil as readily as a model of good. https://t.co/seboKEMNF2
— Will Saletan (@saletan) December 21, 2019
We don’t know a single evangelical who worships Trump, but we know plenty of evangelicals who are aware that one of the two major parties in the United States worships abortion as a sacrament and booed God and Jerusalem being added to its platform at its national convention.
"When evangelicals worship Trump…"
This is not your dream journal, Will. Stop projecting.
— Pablo (@Pablo_1791) December 21, 2019
"when Evangelicals worship Trump…"
you think slipping that in there and we are just going to accept that narrative?
— JamesWoodsStanAccount (@woods_account) December 21, 2019
Yet another example of the denial by self appointed intelligentsia that people can determine that the Democratic offerings are worse than Trump, no worshiping politicians required.
— I. B. a Jolly Old Elf (@IBFine1) December 21, 2019
Perhaps Evangelicals don't worship Trump but appreciate the results that benefit the country presently and don't think much about the alternative in 2016, or the campaigning alternatives for 2020.
— Honeybladger (@Honeybladger) December 21, 2019
We don't worship Trump. We worship God. Trump is @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and will be re-elected.
— #Trump2020 (@OkieStateFan12) December 21, 2019
Heathens giving lessons to Christians about Christianity.
And WHO would Christians be able to vote for that would be this SINLESS politician that floated down from the heavens on the wings of angels?
— Geral (@hammonds_geral) December 21, 2019
I guess evangelicals should never vote again until Jesus runs for POTUS.
— Allyson Jacob (@AJacob2016) December 21, 2019
Lying about how evangelicals view Trump doesn't make it true. It has been explained many times by many people. This is just an attempt to influence the weak to not vote for him again.
— Gigi Kay (@GigiKay84) December 21, 2019
Christians don’t worship Trump and recognize that he is a human with flaws who loves this country, and he is doing a great job in spite of being persecuted daily.
— ?Fake Impeachment? (@babsdallas) December 21, 2019
Buffoon
— Rob D (@dueckman123) December 21, 2019
I don't think there are a lot of people, especially the much-maligned "evangelicals", worshipping Trump. They had, for all intents and purposes, a binary choice in the last election, and they chose the one they liked more, or maybe the one that they disliked less.
— Siberian Tigger (@TiggerSiberian) December 21, 2019
What about the Jews and Muslims that support him… would that also be a “conclusion might not be true, but it’s reasonable”?
Now let’s do Obama “worshipers.”
— Tsarouchisattic (@tsarouchisattic) December 21, 2019
You’re a bigot. You’d never get away with saying anything like this if you replaced “evangelical” with any other religious group.
— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) December 21, 2019
Pure projection.
It's the Left that is worshipful of its leaders, as demonstrated by its treatment of Obama – among others.
— Steely-Eyed Missile Man (@LordKhyron1) December 21, 2019
Read the New Testament, the word of God, all the way through and stop telling Christians what Christianity is.
— Murray Maiser (@MaiserMurray) December 21, 2019
You claim to state the "simplest lesson", what you actually did was create an anti-Christian narrative that is neither unique nor insightful.
— Rick McCargar (@RickMcCargar) December 21, 2019
So little you understand. No one worships Trump. We support him; he is doing what we asked. Faith is rooted in virtue; it is why humans are drawn to it. Evil often appears mundane at the start – like your subtle lies here; in political correctness and identity politics as well.
— Discarded Virtues (@DiscardedVirtue) December 21, 2019
Wow. You're wrong about everything in this tweet, and obviously prefer your own projected biases over facts and evidence.
How sad for you.
— Santa's Tavern (@SantasTavern) December 21, 2019
You should talk to God about your feelings. Merry Christmas! ?
— Trollbot Jules (@NE_JMo) December 21, 2019
Always a delight when those who are hostile to religion explain religion to Christians.
It's really simple. Christians will accept a loudmouth as opposed to baby killing atheists.
— David Ferguson (@dferg) December 21, 2019
Nailed it.
Related:
Hot take: Christianity and its white supremacist roots have directly fed the climate change crisis https://t.co/PM8JM55R6b pic.twitter.com/9V2tEW77cI
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 18, 2019