During the presidential primaries of 2016, I often suggested that Evangelical Christians who were supporting Donald Trump were dancing with a whore. Since the election, many voices on the right and left have lamented the continuing and uncritical support of President Trump’s agenda. I write this as a life-long Republican voter and I support some of the president’s agenda. Even so, I don’t want to be viewed as a defender of the President. My mind has not changed – he is a toxic leader. But this blog is not about Trump. I want to address his supporters and opponents in the church.
First, I understand the Trump voters who Hillary Clinton notoriously called the deplorables. I’ve pastored deplorables all of my adult life. My extended family members are deplorables. I know them well and they are not the people of the media caricature. They are not Nazis or the KKK. They are not seeking to undo the civil rights movement. They don’t desire the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants. They don’t favor shutting down all welfare programs. They don’t want to stone homosexuals. The so-called deplorables know well the social injustices of the past and are engaged in the struggle for justice. In their local communities and churches they seek to exercise the love and grace of Christ.
So why did they support Trump? I will offer three observations. First, the Obama administration was consistently hostile to religious expression. Remember Hobby Lobby? The Little Sisters of the Poor? The Obergefell decision? During the last year of that administration there was a constant flow of pro-LGBT policies including imposing bathroom regulations on primary schools. After the Obergefell decision both Obama and Hillary Clinton declared that religious people would have to change their views on homosexuality. That single suggestion represents the left’s view of the religious community – be subject to the will of the state. Second, there is a very real sense in which the blue collar middle class is rejecting globalism in all of its various expressions – economic, political, and cultural. In short, there is a strong reaction against postmodernity. Finally, they viewed Hillary Clinton to be even more toxic, so they choose a toxic culture warrior to embody their populist revolt.
As I have observed and reflected on the voices of Christian leaders during the past two years I have concluded that Christians on the right and left embody the false prophet and are guilty of dancing with the great whore of Babylon. Christians on the left are strongly critical of the right’s embrace of Trump, but refuse to acknowledge that they too suffer from the stupor of political idolatry. Leaders on the right and left have become intoxicated on the wine of the whore’s immorality (Revelation 18).
Chronic and systemic anxiety is the toxin poisoning the USA, right and left. The pain is existential and neurotic. Pain thresholds are low and responses are aggressive. This leads to a public discourse that is disrespectful, chaotic, and laced with coarse and vulgar language. Christian leaders, left and right, need to step back and do some serious self-critical reflection and discernment so that we can be self-differentiated leaders. We need to devote ourselves to serious and meaningful prayer so that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:5-7). We must be emptied of our lust for power and the arrogance of self-righteousness. The nation needs non-anxious Christian leaders to build bridges of reconciliation. We must refuse to dance with the great whore.
