Evangelicals supporting Donald Trump are being strongly criticized by other evangelicals for that support. Trump, the critics say, doesn’t believe in or stand for anything evangelicals believe in or stand for.
Progressives have also criticized evangelicals for supporting Trump, but for different reasons. They see it as an example of hypocrisy, what with evangelicals constantly blasting liberals for undermining the nation’s moral foundation while supporting a man who is the epitome of moral relativism.
I think both groups are missing the point.
The issue is not evangelical support for Donald Trump. It is the fact that evangelicals have become “the largest and most reliable Republican constituency” in the country.
Evangelicals who supported Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, or any of the other candidates were just as misguided as those supporting Trump.
Political evangelicalism has become synonymous with Republican politics, turning Christianity into a Republican constituency.
That fact has led to this reality: Evangelical Republican partisanship is the real scandal in American politics today. That is what this election is really about.
It also poses one of the great dangers our nation faces because it represents a clever and deceptive circumvention of the separation of church and state.
As an established Republican base, evangelicalism doesn’t need to be officially recognized as the nation’s “state religion.” It can be content to assert influence and control as a primary player in one of the two major political parties in the country.
Evangelicals supporting Trump see this election as an opportunity to maintain their influence. It’s about quid pro quo. They support Trump and when he gets in the White House he will support their moral crusades he couldn’t care less about.
Had Ted Cruz shown the vote getting power of Trump they would have backed him, but he didn’t. From the get-go Trump showed he was the guy and they went with him.
Establishment evangelicals don’t like what they are seeing, but they are no better in their partisanship than Trump evangelicals. They just happen to choose the wrong horse to bet on.
What makes this serious situation worse is that few people are paying attention to it. They are focused on evangelicals backing Trump rather than evangelicals being a collective voting block for Republicans.
Currently there are more than 50 evangelical organizations seeking to exert political influence within the Republican Party.
That is a powerful lobbying force Republican candidates and party leaders cannot afford to ignore.
It isn’t much of an exaggeration, if one at all, to say that the Republican Party is a de facto arm of today’s American evangelicalism.
That’s why the Republican Party platform for the last several years has read like a sermon instead of a political statement.
Republican evangelicalism is bad for everyone. It makes for “bad religion” and for “bad politics.”
Make no mistake, then. While this election is about who will be our next president, and about who will control the Congress, and about who will be our next Supreme Court justice, it is about so much more.
It is about the fact that at the end of the day on November 8 we will have made a choice between traditional American democracy and creeping theocracy.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
linnposts.com 
AMEN! One of your all time CLASSICS! This very much needed saying and it needs the widest possible reading. Your last sentence sums it up very well. I greatly fear any form of creeping theocracy. Our founders had it exactly right when they wisely separated church and state. Each has its part in our society. Any mixture of any kind is highly destructive of both church and state.
Well done and Thank You.
Thanks for giving voice and support to a serious concern, Wally.
New reader, and you are so on target: “creeping theocracy.” The greatest danger to us! Remember true theocracy: burnings at the stake, witch trials,
As always, well said Jan. Pat posted as Facebook to give greater readership, as Wally suggested. I couldn’t agree more.
Thanks, Wilbur, and please thank Pat as well. It’s a danger people really should not ignore.
Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees, that we must ‘…render unto Caesar those things that are Caesar’s, the render unto God those things that are God’s’ has a deeper than monetary significance. As I understand, it means that the Church (in whatever country) has every right to comment and to hold any views on what those in power do or propose, but she has no right to rule.
That is what American evangelicals don’t understand or believe, Nigel. Thank you for highlighting it.
“. . . on November 8 we will have made a choice between traditional American democracy and creeping theocracy.” I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. Congress as a whole (both parties, both houses) have been inert for a long time, wasting dollars on nothing. People are sick of it. Anybody who is loud enough, assertive enough, to tell people that s/he fully expect to make a major change in current policies and events (note BOTH Trump and Sanders) have brought out more people to vote than ever before. People are NOT HAPPY with things as they are, and follow the “new” face of either party, the un-orthodox politician. Evangelicals are people who are upset about the economy, jobs, same as everyone else. There comes a time when being Evangelical doesn’t matter in the “soft issues;” Evangelicals have same issues as the rest of the country, and are not voting on that basis–remember, the lower level Republican candidates were of Evangelical nature and were bumped out first.
When you say “Congress as a whole (both parties, both houses) have been inert for a long time” it tells me you are not doing much research on what is actually going on. Read It’s Worst Than It Looks by Mann and Ornstein or E. J. Dionne’s Why The Right Went Wrong and you will see why the evidence is clear – Republicans are the reason nothing is getting done in Congress to an extent that has never before happened. Unless you understand that nothing else you say matters. Re evangelicals, apparently you don’t believe their push for abortion TRAP laws, religious freedom laws, anti-LGBT laws, and the like is about theocracy, not democracy. If they cared about the economy as you suggest they would not support Republicans carte blanche. History proves Republicans are in fact terrible in running the nation’s economy – terrible. Name one Republican president who has helped the nation’s economy and then compare him to Roosevelt, Kennedy/Johnson, Clinton, or Obama. If you want to see Republican economics at work look at the states of Kansas, Louisiana, and Wisconsin and then argue those policies are what we need for the nation.
Never heard of Mann and ornstein; E.J. Dionne is partisan Democrat. If all one reads is one side, than that is your opinion, not necessarily fact. Harry Reid has NOT brought up any legislation in Senate that came in from the House. WHY NOT??? Afraid it might pass?? Question that. Read the polls about what people really want: jobs, cut national debt, business-related items beat out things like immigration and abortion or LBGT laws. Also, Carter administration had outlandish interest rates; then Raegan won and economic stability came about. Roosevelt may have been fine for a quick fix, but economists say that Hoover’s policies were slow but would have been a “better” option (I don’t necessarily buy that–times were REALLY bad.) Clinton cut debt and balanced budget, under his administration, but it was done by Republicans (principally Gingrich and Kasich). Anyway, the debates and the election will be most interesting. Have a nice day. :o)
Obviously you love to talk in generalities because you have no facts to support your broad claims. It sounds as if you don’t realize that since 2014 Republicans have been in control of the Senate, or that former Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich said that in 2009 Mitch McConnell led the Republican caucus to agree that to vote against anything and everything Obama was for. If you bothered to read you would know this. You would also know that not one Republican – not one – voted for the Clinton budget in 1994 that set the stage for the economic boom. All Gingrich and Kasich managed to do was to shot down the government.
The reason I bother to respond to stuff like what you wrote is because it is so far removed from facts that it is absurd that anyone would say it. You think what I am saying is “opinion.” It is not. It is opinion based on evidence. There is a big difference and that is what separates you and me. Give me some evidence to support your claims and I can respond to that. Otherwise, have a nice day yourself.
LESS Government is what people want. Cuts expenses, which cuts taxes. More money in people’s pockets for personal/business spending. Moves cogs in the wheel for economic growth. Not here to write a thesis!! Clinton’s second term had Republican Congress/both houses. They wrote their own budget; (not pass Clinton’s budget) Clinton was wise to sign what Congress passed, because Congress would have overridden a Clinton veto. That’s the “good” thing about Clinton–he could see the handwriting on the wall and adapted his mindset. As far as 2014: Obama WOULD veto Congressional votes, and there are not enough Congressional votes to over-ride Obama veto. Consequently, stalemate. Don’t blame Republicans–Obama and Dems blocking two houses!
You continue to express opinions without any facts, ignoring what Voinovich said about the strategy the Republican caucus has been using since day one of Obama’s presidency.
The people who say Republicans are the reason for stalemate and doing what has never been done before ARE Republicans. Norm Ornstein founded the American Enterprise Institute for crying out loud. He and others like him don’t agree with Democrats in policies, but they admit that nothing is getting done because of their own party, And they name specific example to prove it. In one instance a bill to speed the process for considering deficit reduction legislation was introduced in 2010 that had the support of McCain, McConnell, and most other Republicans, seven of whom co-sponsored it, but when Obama came out in support of it they all voted AGAINST their own bill. In addition, to date Republicans have refused to give hearings to more Obama cabinet, diplomatic, and judicial appointment than all appointments in the history of the presidency combined. These are facts, not opinions. Then there is the Supreme Court nomination they refuse even to hold a hearing on. How many more examples do you need before you a consider facts instead of perpetuating an opinion based on nothing.
Here are a few more fact since you seem concerned about the economy: Under President Obama the economy has added more than 9 million jobs, the jobless rate has dropped to below the historical median (now 5.0%), the number of long-term unemployed Americans has dropped by 614,000, corporate profits are up 166 percent, real weekly wages are up 3.4 percent, and there are 15 million fewer people who lack health insurance. All this after inheriting an economy on the verge of depression because of Bush’s two unfunded wars and Part D Medicare drug program.
Again, unless you are willing to give evidence to your claims they are much ado about nothing.
Bottom line: People disgusted with BOTH parties! Would like to throw ALL the bums out! Want an “outsider” not a politician. Hillary is the only politician visible right now. Why “defend” either party in Congress? Dems have to take EQUAL responsibility for stalemates! Time to accept reality–not “castigate” one party and defend the other! That’s going nowhere.
One last time…it would do absolutely no good for Democrats to take responsibility for stalemate because they are not causing it, period.
If you want to replace the people In Washington, replace them with someone who knows something instead of someone who makes outlandish statements and feeds on people’s fears and prejudices. He is a demagogue and saying he speaks for people who are fed up with politicians does not speak well of those people. George Wallace had similar support in 1968 among Democrats, but all he did was appeal to people’s racism in the name of “throwing the bums out.” In only appear as if we’ve been here before. We haven’t because the Republican Party has been take over by extremists whose idea of compromise is “my way or no way.” This is like nothing we have ever seen and it is dangerous.
Too bad it has apologists like you supporting what is happening.
Wrong! I am not an “apologist” for ANYONE! You obviously missed that! Throwing the bums out MEANS BOTH SIDES. Where did I say I was voting one way or the other?? Or for any particular candidate?? (My “favorite candidate” didn’t make it through the primary.) You have made yourself clear: Democrat come hell or high water; bigger government; more taxes; “free stuff” everywhere. I have no candidate right now and will probably write in a name . . . but definitely not yours!