Christianity Today again slams Trump, raises issue of 'unconditional loyalty'

By Heather Timmons

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 21, 2019. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Christianity Today, the magazine founded by the late Reverend Billy Graham, renewed its criticism of President Donald Trump in a new editorial that cited his "misuses of power" and asked fellow Christians to examine their loyalty to him, days after a controversial editorial that called for his impeachment.

 

The 130,000-circulation magazine, which has 4.3 million monthly website viewers, in its editorial last week cited Trump's "profoundly immoral" conduct in office, drawing immediate criticism from Trump and dozens of evangelical leaders.

 

Evangelicals have been a bedrock of support for the Republican president, and the magazine noted in its new editorial https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/december-web-only/trump-evangelicals-editorial-christianity-today-president.html, published Sunday, that Trump "has done a lot of good for causes we all care about."

 

But the magazine's president, Timothy Dalrymple, wrote in the editorial, headlined "The Flag in the Whirlwind," that evangelicals' embrace of Trump means being tied to his "rampant immorality, greed, and corruption; his divisiveness and race-baiting; his cruelty and hostility to immigrants and refugees."

 

"With profound love and respect," Dalrymple said, "we ask our brothers and sisters in Christ to consider whether they have given to Caesar what belongs only to God: their unconditional loyalty."

 

The editorial praised the Trump administration's judicial appointment, "advocacy of life, family, and religious liberty." But it said, "It is one thing to praise his accomplishments; it is another to excuse and deny his obvious misuses of power.

 

Dalrymple pledged to open up a "serious discussion about how our activity as Christians shapes our activity as citizens" in 2020. He declined to be interviewed until after the Christmas holiday.

 

Evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, stands by its critical opinion piece calling for President Donald Trump's removal from office, despite condemnation of the article from Evangelical leaders and Trump himself. Gavino Garay reports.

 

Evangelical Christians make up about 25% of the U.S. population. According to a Pew Research poll https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/03/18/evangelical-approval-of-trump-remains-high-but-other-religious-groups-are-less-supportive from last January, 69% of white evangelicals approved of the job Trump is doing,

compared with 48% of white mainline Protestants and 12% of black Protestants.

 

On Jan. 3, Trump will hold an "Evangelicals for Trump coalition launch" in Miami.

 

Graham's son Franklin had slammed the original Christianity Today editorial and said his father knew, believed in and voted for Trump, an endorsement that other family members dispute https://www.redletterchristians.org/let-billy-grahams-legacy-speak-for-itself. Dozens of evangelical leaders signed a letter criticizing the magazine's impeachment call, and Trump said on Twitter he would stop reading the publication.

 

Christianity Today was founded in 1956, and its current impact in the evangelical community is limited, said Greg Carey, a New Testament professor at Lancaster Seminary in Pennsylvania. “Like other traditional media, their platform has fragmented, so I’m sceptical that they have the real punch to change a movement.”

 

Still, the way Trump and others have pushed back showed the outlet is being heard. “There are those who feel that a crack in that foundation (of evangelical support of Trump) is a threat” that needs to be patched, Carey said.

 

For evangelicals who have doubts about Trump's conduct in office and the church's embrace of the president, "having an institutional voice that has some respect gives them cover to voice their opinion," Carey said.

 

(Reporting by Heather Timmons; Editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-25

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I am looking forward to seeing what his "unchristian" tweets will be on this matter.

They were even handed in the praise of some of his work, but condemned his other less attractive (most) efforts.

He will ruin his thumbs over this one I suspect.

 

How things change.....

 

Editor quits after Christian publication backs Trump amid evangelical divide

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/editor-quits-after-christian-publication-backs-trump-amid-evangelical-divide/ar-BBYiXsy?ocid=spartandhp

 

Fortunately, I think it a good bet that most evangelicals care more about post-birth abortion, being called racist, being called deplorable, being called stupid and their daughters being compelled to share bathrooms and locker-rooms with women that have penises than they do about Trump talking crudely, attacking the media and trying to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. 
 

We’ll see. 

I'm pretty sure that the Bible has something to say about Christians interfering in things temporal.

Give unto Rome and all that.

Becoming political is not the road for a Christian publication to go down.

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Reverend Billy Graham,

A huge POS  and scam artist if  every I saw  one

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

I am looking forward to seeing what his "unchristian" tweets will be on this matter.

They were even handed in the praise of some of his work, but condemned his other less attractive (most) efforts.

He will ruin his thumbs over this one I suspect.

 

... yeh, got tiny hands already then defunct thumbs too - no more tweets from the moron, lovely thought that, 5555 ... 

They may not have a lot of clout but last election many got off their pews and voted for him.. if they stay home this time it could make a difference..

14 minutes ago, Chazar said:

A huge POS  and scam artist if  every I saw  one

Billy the evangelist made a killing with the naive, he made millions, must have been laughing all the way to the bank. Yes Trump is immoral, a disgusting human being, 'the chosen one' but for this newspaper to call him out is hypocritical, not that hypocrisy ever bothered a christian really.

6 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

Billy the evangelist made a killing with the naive, he made millions, must have been laughing all the way to the bank. Yes Trump is immoral, a disgusting human being, 'the chosen one' but for this newspaper to call him out is hypocritical, not that hypocrisy ever bothered a christian really.

So now you're bashing Christianity. WOW! Had you done the same against an Eastern religion you'd be hunted right now.

 

 

38 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm pretty sure that the Bible has something to say about Christians interfering in things temporal.

Give unto Rome and all that.

Becoming political is not the road for a Christian publication to go down.

 

Becoming?

 

Did you say the same when there was unequivocal support for Trump?

Just now, HuskerDo said:

So now you're bashing Christianity. WOW! Had you done the same against an Eastern religion you'd be hunted right now.

 

 

No, he is bashing Billy Graham.

23 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

They may not have a lot of clout but last election many got off their pews and voted for him.. if they stay home this time it could make a difference..

Far as I can see, American evangelicals care more about abortion than the morality of the POTUS.

They certainly ain't, IMO, going to stay home and allow an pro abortionist to rule the country, which is what any Dems candidate is probably going to be.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

evangelicals' embrace of Trump means being tied to his "rampant immorality, greed, and corruption; his divisiveness and race-baiting; his cruelty and hostility to immigrants and refugees."

It's pretty clear that ALL Trump supporters are tied to Trump's "rampant immorality, greed, and corruption."

22 minutes ago, stevenl said:

No, he is bashing Billy Graham.

No, he's bashing Christians.  Read his entire post again.

1 minute ago, Berkshire said:

It's pretty clear that ALL Trump supporters are tied to Trump's "rampant immorality, greed, and corruption."

Please excuse my smirk and chuckle. T'was a good laugh.  Thanks!! ???? 

26 minutes ago, HuskerDo said:

So now you're bashing Christianity. WOW! Had you done the same against an Eastern religion you'd be hunted right now.

 

 

Of course he is. Christian bashing is the name of the game for several here on TV.  

Just now, ExpatOK said:

Of course he is. Christian bashing is the name of the game for several here on TV.  

With the exception of true Buddhism (which is a philosophy not a religion as they have no God) I will bash any religion, one is more ridiculous than the other, still whatever rocks your boat although it would appear religions are merely a social component as true believers are few and far between as education in the world increases but one has to go through the motions, marry in church and go for a service at christmas and that was it, churches almost empty the rest of the year.

The current line up of Democrat candidates are straight out of a dystopian novel. People who have not yet had their morality and common sense dissolved by the constant degradation of a formerly great culture, based on morality and founded on Godly principles, will obviously vote for any alternative to the slobbering hell beasts. Trump is not them, vote Trump.

 

Christianity Today - the outfit that made excuses for / supported Joseph Stalin's reign of terror? 

 

Enough said... 

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

No, he is bashing Billy Graham.

Calling them naive is not bashing?

I grew up with so called Christian values. And somehow in my experience from that time most so called Christians ignore many of their own rules. But then they obviously pray for this and that and forgiveness. And they pray for those lost souls who somehow don't listen to god.....

It seems in the USA Christianity is a lot stronger. I.e. more than half of the population of that country think god created the world sometime in the last 10,000 years. We believe in god and ignore science. Yeah, great.

 

I think it's amazing that most of those US Christians think Trump is a great president. Even I, with very little knowledge of the Bible, would be able to find lots of passages why they should fight Trump and not support him.

But I guess that would be logic and logic does not work with people who believe.

 

It's good that at least a few of those believers finally wake up and don't support Trump anymore.

 

P.S.: And this is not about any alternative. Americans could vote anybody to be their president. But somehow 62 million Americans think Trump is the most qualified. Oh god, please help us!

27 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

With the exception of true Buddhism (which is a philosophy not a religion as they have no God) I will bash any religion, one is more ridiculous than the other, still whatever rocks your boat although it would appear religions are merely a social component as true believers are few and far between as education in the world increases but one has to go through the motions, marry in church and go for a service at christmas and that was it, churches almost empty the rest of the year.

So do you believe that politicians that identify as Christians or any faith are either stupid or just lying to get votes? 
 

Of course they could be both.

Not for religious debate but signs of crack from Trump’s faithful supporters always delight me. More cracks and eroding support are expected from this immoral and corrupt man. 

 

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm pretty sure that the Bible has something to say about Christians interfering in things temporal.

Give unto Rome and all that.

Becoming political is not the road for a Christian publication to go down.

 

So then, presumably, you likewise criticize the hundreds (thousands?) of “Christian” pastors and evangelical leaders around the country who loudly and wholeheartedly endorsed Trump and continue to do so? Or, for you, is it entirely a matter of which direction the “road” turns?

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm pretty sure that the Bible has something to say about Christians interfering in things temporal.

Give unto Rome and all that.

Becoming political is not the road for a Christian publication to go down.

 

Agreed. Then in that case, they shouldn't have got involved with him in the first place.

It always did look like strange bedfellows to me.

 

If Trump is a good Christian, that makes me a Saint (555, me a Saint).

3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I grew up with so called Christian values. And somehow in my experience from that time most so called Christians ignore many of their own rules. But then they obviously pray for this and that and forgiveness. And they pray for those lost souls who somehow don't listen to god.....

It seems in the USA Christianity is a lot stronger. I.e. more than half of the population of that country think god created the world sometime in the last 10,000 years. We believe in god and ignore science. Yeah, great.

 

I think it's amazing that most of those US Christians think Trump is a great president. Even I, with very little knowledge of the Bible, would be able to find lots of passages why they should fight Trump and not support him.

But I guess that would be logic and logic does not work with people who believe.

 

It's good that at least a few of those believers finally wake up and don't support Trump anymore.

 

P.S.: And this is not about any alternative. Americans could vote anybody to be their president. But somehow 62 million Americans think Trump is the most qualified. Oh god, please help us!

They have the choice who voting for someone that shares their ideology and sometimes says and does vulgar things they do not approve or voting for someone that despises their ideology, says and does things things they do not approve of and holds them up as fools. 
 

Tough choice that. 
 

Giving it some thought. “Christianity Today” might actually be running a covert “get out the vote” campaign.

2 hours ago, mogandave said:

Fortunately, I think it a good bet that most evangelicals care more about post-birth abortion, being called racist, being called deplorable, being called stupid and their daughters being compelled to share bathrooms and locker-rooms with women that have penises than they do about Trump talking crudely, attacking the media and trying to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. 
 

We’ll see. 

Another example of projecting your own mindset on to others.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Another example of projecting your own mindset on to others.

 

 

No, it's what most Christians agree with.

1 hour ago, Kelsall said:

No, he's bashing Christians.  Read his entire post again.

Whats wrong with bashing people who believe in fairy tales.