The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump

30 Evangelical Christians on Justice, Truth, and Moral Integrity

Ronald J. Sider

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781725271784, 9781725271791
• eBook ISBN: 9781725271807
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

What should Christians think about Donald Trump? His policies, his style, his personal life?Thirty evangelical Christians (listed below) 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 warrantor 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 from: Michael W. AustinRandall BalmerVicki CourtneyDaniel DeitrichSamuel EscobarJohn FeaIrene FowlerMark GalliJ. Colin HarrisStephen R. HaynesMatt HendersonChristopher A. HutchinsonBandy X. LeeDavid S. LimDavid C. LuddenRyan McAnnally-LinzSteven MeyerNapp NazworthD. Zac NiringiyeChristopher Pieper Reid RibbleRonald J. SiderEdward G. SimmonsJames R. SkillenJames W. SkillenJulia K. StronksChris ThurmanMiroslav VolfPeter WehnerGeorge Yancey

PART I

ON TRUMP

Chapter 1

Why “Mere” Words Matter

The President’s Words—and Our Words about the President

Mark Galli

As I watched a recording of the Evangelicals for Trump rally on January 3, 2020 in Miami, I couldn’t help but admire one speaker who has worked tirelessly for pro-life concerns at California State University at Fresno. And I was grieved that the school’s administration tried to block her student group’s efforts at making their views known—and that it took a lawsuit for them to enjoy that right.1

Examples like this energize Mr. Trump’s evangelical supporters, so much so that they wonder why many pro-life Christians are so furious with the president’s public moral bearing, especially how in his tweets and comments he insults and mocks his opponents and Matthew Croasmun. “When the lives of hundreds of thousands of babies in the womb are at stake,” they say, “why make such a big deal about the president’s bad manners?” They go on: “So he has a few rough edges; we need a leader who will stand up to the liberal bullies and rough them up a bit if we’re going to defend life in the womb and freedom of speech.”

I grasp the logic here, but I wonder if these Christians have thought deeply enough about the nature and power of speech—and how destructive is the culture of contempt the president is fostering. They seem to subscribe to the aphorism, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”—that is, actions count, but words are ephemeral and, in the end, don’t matter all that much.

That is not how the biblical writers viewed words, and it fails to appreciate that Mr. Trump’s caustic speech will in fact hurt America more than do sticks and stones. Deafness to this serious moral failing, hurts not only America, but the gospel Christians proclaim.

The Trouble with Trump’s Tweets

I recognize that contempt for one’s political enemies did not start with Mr. Trump. I’m not sure when exactly it ascended as it has, but all of us now are tempted by this manner of speaking. Certainly Mr. Trump’s opponents are not guiltless, with the most notable example being Hillary Clinton’s dismissal of many Americans as “a basket of deplorables.”2 And if we are honest with ourselves, we each have to confess that we’ve succumbed to the temptation to disparage those with whom we disagree. In many ways, we live in a society that breathes the polluted air of contempt.

And yet there is this: our nation is led by a man who, instead of working to clean up this caustic environment, only adds more poisonous fumes to the mix. This only makes our society’s battle with contempt that much harder.

In his tweets and comments, Mr. Trump habitually ridicules, describing his opponents as “unhinged,” “crazy,” “lying,” “disgraced,” “losers,” “crooked,” “phony,” “fake,” and people “of low I.Q.” He mocks political enemies with demeaning nick names, like calling Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.” His comments, which rage every day of the year, are the epitome of contempt for other human beings.3

At that January 3 rally, Mr. Trump spoke of the need to love one’s neighbor. He clearly means only some neighbors. Other neighbors he delights in despising. This is not, as many of my evangelical friends like to say, a man with “some rough edges,” but someone who is threatening to unravel the last threads of decency in our culture. This will only have disastrous consequences for America and for many evangelical concerns.

What Does the Bible Say About All This?

My evangelical friends seem to have forgotten the many sobering biblical sayings about the great power of the tongue. Like:

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

—Proverbs 12:18 (ESV, as are the quotes below)

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

—Luke 6:45

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.

—Matthew 12:36

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

—James 1:26

In the book of James, in fact, we find the most sobering passage on this theme:

A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. (James 3:4–6, The Message)

Is this not a near perfect description of what is happening in American culture today? Donald Trump may not be the cause, but he certainly throws gasoline on the fires that rage across our land.

An atmosphere of sanctity hung over much of that January 3 event, with many pious words coming out of the president’s mouth about matters of faith. But as James put it long ago:

The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contributors
• Prologue: When We Respond to God’s Calling
• Introduction: Our Common Commitment to Christ
• PART I - ON TRUMP
• PART II - ON EVANGELICAL SUPPORT OF TRUMP
• PART III - ON THEOLOGICAL, HISTORICAL, AND CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES REGARDING TRUMP
• Afterword: On Returning to Christ
• Recommended Reading