Dear Christian, where is the line? Is there even a line?

I was opposed to Donald Trump long before he entered politics. His long and well documented history of abuse towards women, his racism (Central Park Five, housing discrimination, etc.), his lying, and blatant greed made it utterly baffling why anyone would admire the man.

Then he entered politics and I couldn’t believe what I witnessed.

At the beginning in 2016, I just assumed he wouldn’t even make it far given his reputation, especially among Christian voters. But as he rose in prominence, especially among my Christian tradition (Evangelicalism) those assumptions turned to shock, anger, and betrayal.

The grief and disappointment just grew from there.

When the access Hollywood tape was leaked, where he bragged about assaulting women, his mocking of a disabled reporter, his statement about being able to shoot someone on 5th avenue and people would still support him, his “there are fine people on both sides” about white supremacists at the Unite The Right rally, his labeling African countries as “$hithole countries,” his lack of leadership during Covid, his lies about the 2020 election, his stoking the January 6th storming of our nation’s capital, his claim that he doesn’t see the need to ask God for forgiveness, his selling bibles for personal and political gain, his AI depiction of himself as Jesus, his dehumanization and lies about immigrants, each time I wondered, “could this be the line? Could this be the deal breaker?“ Only to find the answer be “no.”

Then the policies of his administration that is ripping food assistance from the hungry, healthcare from the sick, ravaging the planet for profit, going after political opponents, starting senseless wars, taking the harshest, inhumane approach to immigration, resulting in people dying in our streets and detention centers, defying the constitution and our courts when they don’t fall in line, rolling back food protections, rolling back environmental protections, and so much more, I caught myself thinking, “could this be it? Could this be the line?” Only again to hear “no.”

Most recently, the supreme court’s ruling that he must pay $5 million dollars to the woman he was found guilty of sexually abusing in a court of law, I found myself thinking, “I don’t think this will be the line. I don’t think there is one. I think I’m finally learning that what he said is true. For far too many people, he could do and say anything and they would still support him, like “shooting someone on 5th avenue” or anything else.

In the midst of all of this, growing up in Evangelical Christianity, I’ve heard this continued complaint about our society “turning its back on Christian values.” I still hear this everyday.

I guess I just want to frankly say to American Christianity, as a Christian and pastor, can you not see that you’re the reason for this rejection of Christianity? Can you not see that your claiming to follow Jesus while supporting politicians and policies that couldn’t be more opposite from his teachings is exactly why people in our society are turning away and rejecting Christianity? Can you not see that the insistence that we “legislate our values” over everyone else, forcing students in public schools to read the Bible and the Ten Commandments, all while raging against any other religion when it is even remotely “infringing on our beliefs” is the highest form of both religious and political hypocrisy? Can you not see that the society’s rejection of Christianity actually began with your rejection of Jesus in the name of worshiping power and wealth? Is this the reputation you want Christians to have in our world?

Can you not see that your unwillingness to ever hold this president or his administration accountable to the very beliefs you raised so many of us to hold as sacred is the very reason so many other people see Christianity as nothing but an effort in cruelty and hypocrisy?

I know the knee jerk response is “What about the other side?!” But you can’t use the evils of “the other side” as a justification to not confront the evils on your side. That’s just refusing to be truthful.

I guess I write this as a kind of lament. I never lost hope that my Christian tradition would find a line it wouldn’t cross someday. That it would stand firm in integrity and hold its preferred politicians and political party accountable. But I have lost that hope. I would love to be proven wrong, I pray everyday to be proven wrong, but it’s been more than a decade and it feels like a foolish thing to hope for.

I would just simply say again, anytime is the right time to say “I can no longer support this.” It doesn’t mean you have to abandon your beliefs or jump to the “other side.” It just means choosing truth and integrity.

Until then, please know that the reason many people in our society are leaving, rejecting, and opposing Christianity is largely linked to Christians pursuing power and control at all costs, no matter what lines must be crossed.

I hear these words from Jesus being spoken to American Christianity today: “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” - Mark 8:36

How long, O Lord?

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.