A "slow awakening" to the subversion of the church by Trumpism is happening among some Evangelicals

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2022/11/a-slow-awakening-finally-some.html

When Donald Trump Jr. spoke at a Turning Point USA gathering in Phoenix in December of 2021, and said, "We've turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference--I understand the mentality--but it's gotten us nothing. OK?" that should have done more than "ruffled a few feathers," as he suggested. The message in that statement, along with the entire manner in which Trump Junior, and Charlie Kirk, who is the founder of the Turning Point organization that promotes the "culture war" side of Trumpism, present their message, is the complete opposite of the Christian gospel and the way that Jesus taught his followers to live in the world.

Those words, from Trump Junior, when reported, as they were, should have caused an earthquake shock of horror among conservative Evangelicals who claim to believe the Bible is the "inerrant, infallible, only authority for Christian faith and practice." The fact that it really didn't do that is a clear indication that there's been a shift in conservative Evangelicalism from depending on God's Holy Spirit and written scripture, to attempting to align their mission with secular political interests and become a tool used to win elections for a demagogue.

As a result, a Phoenix pastor has determined his cause is now to lead Christians away from the MAGA cult. In an interview with the Toronto Globe and Mail, Pastor Caleb Campbell revealed that he decided to make wooing Christians away from the MAGA movement his personal cause after he attended a Christian event hosted by Turning Point USA, the right-wing activist group founded by Charlie Kirk. During the event he attended, says Campbell, Kirk misappropriated quotes from the Bible in order to make it sound like God wanted Christians to be armed to the teeth with firearms. "I was absolutely terrified and horrified," Campbell tells the Globe and Mail.

It's about time. Or is it too little, too late?

[Vogon_Glory]

1. I wonder what got them to take notice?

Was it the golden calf with the The Former Guy’s face or the prayers to Baal and Mammon?

The signs were obvious even back in 2016.

[Midnight Writer]

5. It was seeing Trump's endorsed candidates losing elections.

They would still be in his pocket if he had picked winners.

[griffi94]

2. Trump is only going to hasten the demise of Christianity's influence

Organized religion was already losing members. Belief and adherence to Christianity are fading.
When the zealots in the Evangelical movement let Trump co-opt them, they willingly
purged and prohibited anyone not swearing fealty to Trump.
Now that Trumps is cratering, the Evangelicals have lost any religious credibility they had.
They'll crater as well.

[republianmushroom]

4. this is a good thing

[lees1975]

11. They already are.

Available data provided by Evangelical sources themselves indicate that the loss in attendance and membership across denominations and among churches identifying as "conservative Evangelical" is about 9 million over the course of the past decade. One Evangelical denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, has lost 3 million members since 2010, and the loss has been as high as 400,000 in each of the last three years.

The credibility has been lost as they have attempted to distinguish between favoring a few of the cultural and social issues Trump used to win their support, with his lies, adultery and womanizing, sexual abuse and his lack of any moral or ethnical compass. There's no line that can be drawn there and still remain faithful to biblical Christian orthodoxy. Most people don't have a clue what Christian orthodoxy is, or what its basic tenets are, beyond their own superstitions and presuppositions.

Aside from his strong rejection of any kind of worldly power or influence in his gospel message, the single most notable characteristic that Jesus taught as the most visible evidence of Christian faith is observed in the way one treats other people, without discrimination or judgment of their own spiritual character. The Apostle John expressed that aspect of the Christian gospel by saying that those who claim to love God, but hate their brothers and sisters, are liars. And "brothers and sisters" is inclusive of all other humans.

Oh, that's enough for now.

[griffi94]

14. This is a great post.

Thank you for posting it.
I knew that the Christian conservative denominations were
shedding members at a high rate.
I think some of that is simply the generational differences. I do wonder tho, how many
older Christians are in a serious crisis of faith because of the church's embrace of Trump.
Being an atheist, I can't properly judge the potential negative impact of such an event

[thucythucy]

3. Now that Trump is out of power

they are "slowly awakening."

Had he been re-elected or somehow managed to retain power I tend to doubt there would be any such "awakening."

Just my humble opinion.

[SharonClark]

6. Bingo.

[Beartracks]

7. Trump and his kids are like Satan tempting Jesus in the desert.

I remember reading a discussion at stackexchange once regarding the subject of what Satan's intentions were in this Bible story. The situation with the Trumps brings to mind one of the ideas which was that Satan basically sought to destroy God's plan by tempting Jesus to stray even once, because Jesus, who had free will, had to be perfect to complete God's plan; so Satan relentlessly tempted Jesus to use His powers for His own physical desires, fame, wealth, earthly power.

Likewise, the Trumps relentlessly tempt evangelical Christians to stray from the teachings of Jesus to seek earthly power and satisfy selfish desires. And many, many of them are.

===============

[spike jones]

9. Luke 4:5 Jesus is tempted by devil to rule over all nations of world.

"And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time."
Of course being a sphere, one can not see all the world from any height. I believe the flat earthers use this verse as proof the earth is flat.

[lees1975]

12. Exactly.

At every possible turn of his teaching and preaching, Jesus rejected earthly power. If you look at the article closely, these Turning Point gatherings, which are basically Trump's political rallies among right wing Christians, feature speakers who like Don Jr., are attempting to actually change the theology of the Christian gospel, setting aside or outright denying its doctrines and pushing their own agenda. That's idolatry, by a Christian definition, and also can be defined as "antichrist," a term found only twice in the New Testament, but which the Apostle who uses it distinguishes between true Christianity and false religion. Some Christians apply the term to a figure in "end times" scenarios, but it's not used that way where it is found, in the works of John the Apostle. He says many "antichrists," who are simply deniers of the gospel of Jesus, have gone out into the world. I believe Trump is an antichrist. And Trumpism, while it looks political, is a false religion.

The very short book of Jude, in the New Testament, is a warning about the infiltration of false, anti-Christian dogma, into the early church and I think it is an apt description of what Trump is doing to American Evangelicalism. He will use it until it is worn out and in ruins.

[Beartracks]

17. Thanks for the reply. That is insightful.

[SWBTATTReg]

8. I've lost all faith in anyone who espouses tRUMP and everything tRUMP-related.

djt's messages of hate mongering, fear mongering, picking on groups such as migrants, black lives matter, gays/lesbians/trans., you name it, should have sent a clear message to these so-called Christian groups and it didn't, that these messages of hate aren't in any shape or form, anything that Jesus would espouse. Never was.

They are part of the problem, and still are. Look thy at one's self, before preaching your messed up messages to the rest of us.

[lees1975]

13. So have I.

There were people within conservative Evangelical churches and even inside the religious right who saw the direction things were going to turn with Trump. But money is the influence that runs Evangelical Christianity in America and its hodge-podge of independent, autonomous churches and denominations lacking leadership accountability, not theology and doctrine, in spite of all of the rhetoric about the Bible's inerrancy, infallibility and authority. Pastors preach what is least controversial among their membership, whether it is consistent with the Christian gospel or not, because the offering plate is the driving force in most congregations, not the Bible. They're in debt on buildings and property that is used once a week for a couple of hours, and dependent on salaries and "on the side" ministry operations that generate additional income from selling their sermons and devotional guides. So if your people are going to be on board with whoever the candidate with the R after his or her name is running, regardless of their character, morals, ethics or actual politics, then a church leader isn't going to take a stand for what's right as opposed to his paycheck and assets.

I learned a long time ago, ironically in a university owned and operated by Baptists, and later at a graduate school under the same denominational leadership, that you can't really take the content you learn from a systematic study of the layout and plan of Biblical Christianity and the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ back to the church you grew up in, because they'll call you a liberal, claim those schools messed with your head and tell you not to come back because it doesn't support their ignorance.

[keithbvadu2]

10. A willing/cooperative subversion.

A willing/cooperative subversion.

[Voltaire2]

15. Oh bullshit.

Trump didn’t subvert evangelicals, he embraced their theocratic fascism. They were horrible long before he joined in.

[Judi Lynn]

16. The timing somehow coincides with some media sources mentioning he is crashing

with donations and support in general, running just in front of his coming serious legal adventures.