Evangelicals

I’ve shared Peter Wehner’s writing on this Substack before because he’s a consistently clear-eyed and articulate Christian voice calling out the damage white evangelicals are doing to the Christian witness. I’ve read him enough to know he’s a trustworthy and honest writer, but he cited something in his latest Atlantic article (gift link) that I found hard to believe:

Majorities of white evangelicals favor deporting undocumented immigrants to foreign prisons in El Salvador, Rwanda, or Libya without allowing them to challenge their deportation in court (57 percent), and approve of placing immigrants who have entered the country illegally in internment camps (53 percent).

Now, anyone who’s read this Substack will know I’ve been highly critical of white evangelicals’ support of MAGA Trumpism, and there’s not a whole lot that surprises me anymore. But when I first read this, I thought surely the pollster’s question wasn’t phrased exactly like that to get 57% of white evangelicals to say, “yep, sounds good.” It turns out, Wehner did seem to make a mistake: 57% is the percentage of Christian nationalists who support that statement, not white evangelicals. But the correct number of white evangelicals isn’t much better: 52%. Here’s the source, from the well-respected Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI):

Other survey responses are equally depressing. Just 39% of white evangelicals (and 37% of Christian nationalist adherents) agree that “immigrants, regardless of legal status, should have basic rights and protections such as the ability to challenge their deportation before a judge in court.”

This was two questions basically asking if undocumented immigrants in general - not violent criminals - deserve any kind of due process or humane treatment. A majority of white evangelicals apparently don’t think so - that the mere act of overstaying a visa or claiming asylum without any other crimes is justification to be sent to a foreign prison (correction: I mixed up the two surveys here - the foreign prisons question only asked about undocumented immigrants, which wouldn’t include asylum-seekers whose claims are still being processed). Also disturbing is how similar the responses from white evangelicals in general are to that of Christian nationalists, demonstrating how much ideological overlap there is between these groups.

Now, the survey data isn’t all bad. These numbers have been shifting in favor of immigrant rights, including among white evangelicals. And on nearly every issue, white evangelicals are alone in their majority views, including when compared to other Christian groups. Most Americans - and many Christians - find the treatment of immigrants by this administration appalling. But the contrast just reinforces this point from Wehner:

It’s rather remarkable, really, to see tens of millions of Christians validate, to themselves and to one another, a political movement led by a malignant narcissist—who is driven by hate and bent on revenge, who mocks the dead, and who delights in inflicting pain on the powerless. The wreckage to the Christian faith is incalculable, yet most evangelicals will never break with him. They have invested too much of themselves and their identity in Trump and what he stands for.

This moment, and what it reveals about American Christianity, will be studied for a long time to come. I imagine that when future generations consider those who corrupted their faith in the name of their faith, those who were in positions of spiritual authority and knew better but still kept quiet, and those who bravely spoke out despite the costs, they will get the verdict right.

(Sidenote to flag that link to Faithful Resistance, whose statement I wholeheartedly agree with.)

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On this Substack I’ve also referenced content from The Holy Post on multiple occasions, and this week they had two fantastic conversations that really hit home for me.

The first was their interview with Ryan Burge in the last half of the main podcast:

As they clarify in the conversation, the term “moderate church” does not mean a church that is purely middle-of-the-road in its positions, but rather one that is populated by a healthy diversity of congregants from across the political spectrum. I’m becoming more and more convinced that this really is critically necessary for the church to recover from the toxic polarization that is so rampant amongst large parts of it. This is ultimately what the JustChristian initiative I shared about before is all about - encouraging Christians of all stripes to reject partisanship, break out of their echo chambers and appreciate the diversity of views that Christians can hold, in the interest of cultural healing.

I also really appreciated a conversation Kaitlyn and Skye had in response to a recent interview with James Talarico by Ezra Klein. Their full response requires a Holy Post Plus subscription ($5/mo and well worth it), but a preview is here.

I’ve written positively about Talarico before and have found his openness about his faith to be very refreshing, especially coming from a Democrat. As a Texan (who happens to live one town over), I am looking forward to supporting him in the primary this March - not because I agree with everything he stands for, but because I believe he is motivated by the right things and it would be incredibly healthy for the Democratic party to become more comfortable with and welcoming toward people of faith. I’d be proud to call him my Senator.

That said, Skye and Kaityln had some pretty valid critiques of his presentation of Christianity on the Ezra Klein show. As a progressive Christian, his version of faith is somewhat watered down and unexceptional, though admirable in its emphasis on loving one’s neighbor. It’s not so much that anything he said was particularly wrong, but he also didn’t really make a strong case for the unique truths of Christianity. It’s a form of Christianity that I find far preferable to the sacrilege of Christian nationalism, but it also lacks the distinctiveness from the broader culture that would make it uniquely compelling.

Too many conservative churches lean too far into certainty and fundamentalism, while cherry-picking the biblical values that align with their politics and de-emphasizing others like the second part of the greatest commandment: to love one’s neighbor. But on the opposite end, too many progressive churches lean too far into cultural acceptance, abandoning many of the very teachings that make their faith unique and rooted in timeless truths.

The Holy Post is advocating for a middle way: an orthodox Christianity that emphasizes love for one’s neighbor. Although the path to social media fame and megachurch status may favor those who join a side in the political battleground, this is not how the church becomes “salt and light” to a culture hungry for something more solid and meaningful than individualistic self-actualization and moral relativism. Jesus’s message was powerful because it transcended the religious and political dogmas of the day. So why do many Christians today parrot the talking points of politicians rather than embracing their true identity - not conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, but “little Christ?”

I would love to see more Christians seek out and support “moderate” churches - churches which refuse to be conscripted into political movements, which stand firm on the distinctive truths of historic Christianity, and which live this out in a way that blesses their community and strengthens our society. I belong to one, do you?