The assault on our nation's Capitol has been called many things: an attempted coup, an insurrection, a riot. But for Christians, there is another, far more fitting word that comes to mind: evil. For that's what this was: evil, incarnate.
For the last five years, I have been astonished, and deeply disappointed, at the way in which so many Christians have been seduced by Donald Trump, more so than any other Republican politician in modern history. Indeed, I have not seen such idolatry in my entire life.
Just to be clear, the man who in a few days will be a private citizen is no Mitt Romney, or John McCain, or either George Bush, or Bob Dole, or Ronald Reagan. All of these past presidents and/or presidential candidates were ardent conservatives steeped in conservative values and principles.
There is nothing remotely conservative about Trump. The man is a classic narcissist with sociopathic tendencies who should've been easy to spot for a people who have been trained to spot false prophets their entire Christian lives. And yet many of them fell under his spell as though in a trance.
I have tried to wrap my head around how someone this inimical to my faith could've led so many astray. Was it really just about Roe v. Wade? If that was the case, that Faustian bargain didn't pay off. The 1973 landmark decision is still on the books and may be for quite some time. And besides, to call Trump pro life is to call an arsonist pro fire prevention.
In August of 2017, I wrote a letter to Christians who voted for Trump in which I asked, rhetorically, if that vote was really worth their soul?
In all seriousness, though, are you not appalled at what this man has done and the way he has comported himself since being sworn in? Have you no shame? How do you live with yourselves knowing you helped get him elected? And how hard do you have to bite down and swallow trying to minimize the impact of the damage he is doing to the very country you have been swearing is a Christian nation ever since you were saved?
Face it, you blew it. Deep down where you live, you know you made a deal with the devil and you just can't bring yourselves to admit it. You hear what comes out of Trump's mouth on TV and you spy the room to make sure your kids aren't there listening to it. I'll bet your paycheck - and mine too - that on more than one occasion you've had to take them aside and explain to them that this is not the way Christians are supposed to behave. And I'll bet their college tuition that you saw the look of bewilderment in their eyes and your heart sank into the pit of your stomach, because in that instant you were convicted. Even in your denial there is still that intuitive sense of right and wrong that comes directly from God and which can never be torn from us. It is both a gift and a curse.
The events of the last couple of months have, sadly, confirmed my worst fears: that a majority of Christians in this country not only aren't appalled by Trump's conduct in office, they seem perfectly fine with it. That sense of knowing right from wrong is strangely absent when it comes to this man. What's worse, the silence from so many pulpits is deafening. A few brave souls have had the courage to call out this demigod, but from the vast majority there has been nothing but crickets.
I have considered the arguments for and against speaking out. Yes, it would be divisive to devote an entire sermon to condemning Trump and what he represents. No doubt, many would get up from their pews and never come back. Is this what we want, congregants leaving the Church at a time when attendance is in decline?
Let me answer that by asking another question. Would we allow members of our congregations to believe there are multiple paths to salvation? That belief in Christ as our Lord and Savior is one of many ways that a person can attain eternal life?
How dare I compare the two, you say. How dare I, indeed. Are there two types of evil? Did Jesus differentiate between one sin and another? Did he not say in Matthew 5:28 that "anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart?" There is no rationalization in the Kingdom. If we get nothing else, we must get that. Sin is sin. Period.
And evil is evil. To ignore it, to go about our business as though it was just another day at the office is to be complicit with it. We may kid ourselves that not challenging Trump will afford us the opportunity to spread more positive, uplifting messages that will grow our flock, or as one former pastor of mine used to put it, "disciples making disciples."
But what disciples are we making? If we cannot bring ourselves to speak truth to them, we are no better than those Church leaders during World War II who appeased the leaders of Nazi Germany out of fear for their own lives. What if Paul had behaved that way? I dare say none of the Epistles would've been written, and the New Testament as we know it would've been considerably smaller.
Our fear cannot be an excuse for inaction. This is not about liberalism vs. conservatism, or Democrat vs. Republican. To devote even a minute of a sermon to preaching about political agendas is to do violence to scripture. I believe that with all my heart, and pastors who use their pulpits to advance such agendas must stop immediately, if not for their sake than for the sake of their congregations.
This is different. What Trump represents, both to the nation and to our faith, poses a grave threat. It cannot be allowed to go unchecked, not even for one more day. If there is a price to be paid, then so be it. Pastors have a solemn duty to denounce evil when they see it and convict those who've fallen under its spell. As stewards of our faith, they and they alone have the authority granted them by the Holy Spirit to bring light where there is darkness and clarity where there is deception.
To fail to do so is an abdication of the responsibility that Christ, through his sacrifice on the cross, bestowed upon his church.
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