Then I turned to the present. I have been asking a simple question: What happened? Why have so many voices that once challenged immoral presidents and unjust policies now defend and even applaud them? To look at this, I have been chronicling various areas in which a profound shift has taken place and explaining how it reveals the conservative evangelicalism I was raised in moving from solid Kingdom foundations of orthopraxy to shaky Empire foundations of power, violence, callousness and idolatry.
In the previous post, I argued that Christian nationalism changes the church in predictable ways. First, it encourages the nation to borrow God's authority for the empire's actions. We saw that in the way war can become wrapped in the language of divine mission, turning national victories into God's victories and military power into an instrument of God's kingdom.
But there is a second consequence, one that may be even more damaging to the church itself.
Once the church becomes closely intertwined with a political movement, it gradually abandons the call to speak prophetically to those in power. Instead of holding leaders accountable, it begins protecting them. Instead of confronting sin wherever it appears, it starts making exceptions for "our side." The result is not simply political compromise. It is moral compromise that deals a devastating blow to the public witness of the church.
I think nowhere is that shift more visible than in the evangelical movement's dramatic reversal on the question of character.
Think of Nathan, a prophet, standing before King David and saying, "You are the man" in a stark condemnation of David's sin. That is one of the church's God-given responsibilities. We are called to comfort the afflicted, but we are also called to afflict the comfortable. We are to speak truth to power, regardless of whose power it is. The evangelical declarations I quoted earlier in this series had a lot to say about the importance of personal integrity and character.
We affirm that we who proclaim the gospel must exemplify it in a life of holiness and love; otherwise our testimony loses its credibility.
For the watching world rightly seeks evidence to substantiate the claims which Christ’s disciples make for him. A strong evidence is our integrity...Our message that Christ reconciles alienated people to each other rings true only if we are seen to love and forgive one another, to serve others in humility, and to reach out beyond our own community in compassionate, costly ministry to the needy. Our challenge to others to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Christ will be plausible only if we ourselves have evidently died to selfish ambition, dishonesty, and covetousness, and are living a life of simplicity, contentment, and generosity.
We deplore the failures in Christian consistency which we see in... the loss of Christian standards of sexuality...Our inconsistency deprives our witness of credibility.
Our witness is to be marked by ‘gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.’ We therefore reject any form of witness that is coercive, unethical, deceptive, or disrespectful.
When there is no distinction in conduct between Christians and non-Christians – for example in the practice of corruption and greed, or sexual promiscuity, or rate of divorce, or relapse to pre-Christian religious practice, or attitudes towards people of other races, or consumerist lifestyles, or social prejudice – then the world is right to wonder if our Christianity makes any difference at all. Our message carries no authenticity to a watching world… Since there is no biblical mission without biblical living, we urgently re-commit ourselves, and challenge all those who profess the name of Christ, to live in radical distinctiveness from the ways of the world, to ‘put on the new humanity, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’
It wasn't always this way.
After Bill Clinton’s affair scandal, Franklin Graham wrote a solid op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. Among other things, he noted this:
Jerry Falwell said that political leaders were to flee “all appearance of evil” and said that moral standards were “immensely higher for those who in invoke the name of Christ, as Bill Clinton does.”
Gary Bauer, talking about how this kind of thing influences young people, said,
James Dobson wrote,
After Bill Clinton’s affair scandal, Franklin Graham wrote a solid op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. Among other things, he noted this:
“If [Clinton] will lie to or mislead his wife and daughter, those with whom he is most intimate, what will prevent him from doing the same to the American public?”
Jerry Falwell said that political leaders were to flee “all appearance of evil” and said that moral standards were “immensely higher for those who in invoke the name of Christ, as Bill Clinton does.”
Gary Bauer, talking about how this kind of thing influences young people, said,
“These children cannot be set adrift into a culture that tells them lying is okay, that fidelity is old-fashioned, and that character doesn’t count.”
James Dobson wrote,
“As it turns out, character DOES matter. You can’t run a family, let alone a country without it. How foolish to believe that a person who lacks honesty and moral integrity is qualified to lead a nation and the world! Nevertheless, our people continue to say that the President is doing a good job even if they don’t respect him personally. These two positions are fundamentally incompatible. In the book of James the question is asked, ‘Can fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?’ The answer is no.” [1]
In 2011, Robert Jeffress - currently one of Trump's strongest supporters - wrote a book entitled Twilight’s Last Gleaming: How America’s Last Days Can Be Your Best Days. In it, he argued that a person’s “core beliefs serve as a restraint against immorality, corruption, and dereliction of duty,” and rejected the idea that “a politician’s personal life has no impact on his public service.” [2]
I remember these argument being made. I agreed with them then, and I agree with them now.
Over the past 10 years, I have witnessed evangelicalism abandoning the idea that character counts in a president because, “I am voting for a president, not a pastor.”
Over the past 10 years, I have witnessed evangelicalism abandoning the idea that character counts in a president because, “I am voting for a president, not a pastor.”
On July 11, 2026, Katie Miller referred to Trump as “the most pro-family President in history.” I have already pointed out how economic policy, health care decisions, the crackdown on undocumented immigrants that constantly separates families, the removal of guardrails protect minority families from discrimination, the gutting of USAID and the resulting devastating impact on families, and the wars we fight or support that have decimated civilian populations.
But let's just look at what is often the focus when evangelicals talk about being pro-family or having family values: how we handle our sex lives. Is the party of family values - the party that campaigns with issues of sex, sexuality, and marriage front and center - exemplifying family values?
* * * * *
Between Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Steve Bannon, Rudy Giuliani, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, and Elon Musk, there have been a total of 21 marriages, 17 divorces, and 42 children with 20 different women. Seven of those eight have had confirmed or alleged affairs during their marriages.
Two of them – Trump and Hesgeth – have paid money to women who accused them of sexual assault (Trump paid $6 million to E. Jean Carroll following a case in civil court; Pete Hegseth paid a $50,000 confidential settlement in 2020 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017.) Rudy Guiliani currently has a $10 million dollar sexual harassment case against him moving through the courts.
In 2022, a report detailed claims from a former contract flight attendant for SpaceX who alleged that Musk exposed his genitals and propositioned her for sex acts during a private flight in 2016. The attendant's friend provided a signed declaration. According to the report, SpaceX paid a $250,000 severance settlement in 2018 to prevent the employee from suing.
A reporter covering RFK's ascension into the Secretary of Health and Human services lost her job in 2024 because of a "romantic entanglement" with him. Those who remember the record of his multiple affairs are likely not surprised. [3]
MAGA's admiration of the Tate brothers continues to baffle me. Not only are they publicly proud of their ability to seduce women and then get them to do sexual acts online, they are wanted in several countries on multiple charges, including charges of rape and sex trafficking (similar to charges in Romania). [4]Tucker Carlson dedicated airtime on his platforms to championing Andrew Tate and actively proclaiming his innocence against legal charges. Elon Musk defended the Tate brothers on social media, framing their deplatforming and restrictions as free-speech issues.
Tate appeared alongside Trump adviser Alina Habba on Benny Johnson’s pro-Trump podcast.
Donald Trump Jr. built a personal relationship with Andrew Tate beginning after the 2016 election, marked by a publicized visit to Trump Tower where Tate posted a photo proclaiming, "The Tate family support Trump FULLY. MAGA!"
The Trump administration helped to get them out of Romania and into the U.S. Now, they are being extradited to the U.K. to face dozens of charges. Meanwhile, Joe McBride, an attorney who gained prominent public attention for representing high-profile defendants from the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack, has taken up their cause and posted this: "The United States cannot allow two of its greatest freedom fighters to be sent to the United Kingdom for execution. Free Andrew and Tristan Tate." He also said this in an interview with Vanity Fair:
"Andrew Tate was a material participant in ensuring President Trump's victory. If Trump doesn't support (Andrew), and if the next people who are going to be running for office potentially are just like, 'Yeah, down the river he goes,' that young cohort of people will break with the Republican Party in the next election."
Now, Let’s look more closely at Trump, as reported in the news.
He bragged about his sexual exploits, including referring to dodging STDs as surviving his own Vietnam war. If you have the stomach for it, find youtube videos of his appearances as a guest on Howard Stern’s show.
He bragged to Howard Stern about walking in on Miss Universe contestants in dressing rooms while contestants were naked or changing because he "got away with it" as the owner. The girls are often still teenagers.
He bragged about the size of his penis during a GOP debate.
He was convicted of falsifying 34 business records to hide a $130,000 hush-money payment made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels in an attempt to cover up their affair so it would not hurt him in the election.
In 2016, before he was first elected, the Access Hollywood tape went public. When later asked, under oath by E. Jean Carroll’s lawyers whether or not he had said that, “You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab 'em by the pussy. You can do anything,” Trump replied, “Well, historically that’s true with stars. If you look over the last million years…that’s largely true.” [5]
And now, to the Epstein files.
For the 2026 election, Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files. The Department of Justice estimated that Jeffrey Epstein victimized at least 1,000 women and children, and it is well known that a large group of wealthy men were deeply intertwined with his life. [3]
When Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 on charges of sex trafficking minors for Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump said, "I just wish her well, frankly."
In 2024, on Lex Fridman’s podcast, Trump made a firm pledge when discussing the sealed client list in the Epstein files, telling the host, "I'd be inclined to do the Epstein. I'd have no problem with it," and stating that the release "probably will be" made public.
“In June 2024, Fox News' Rachel Campos-Duffy asked him, 'Would you declassify the Epstein files?' Trump responded, 'Yeah, yeah, I would.' That clip was circulated widely online, including the social media account of Trump's campaign operation, which added the caption: 'President Trump says he will DECLASSIFY the 9/11 Files, JFK Files, and Epstein Files.'" ("What Trump has said about Jeffrey Epstein over the years, including on 2024 campaign trail.")
But, in July of 2025, he dismissed it. “It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring, and I don't understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going."
For the 2026 election, Trump campaigned on releasing the Epstein files. The Department of Justice estimated that Jeffrey Epstein victimized at least 1,000 women and children, and it is well known that a large group of wealthy men were deeply intertwined with his life. [3]
When Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 on charges of sex trafficking minors for Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump said, "I just wish her well, frankly."
In 2024, on Lex Fridman’s podcast, Trump made a firm pledge when discussing the sealed client list in the Epstein files, telling the host, "I'd be inclined to do the Epstein. I'd have no problem with it," and stating that the release "probably will be" made public.
“In June 2024, Fox News' Rachel Campos-Duffy asked him, 'Would you declassify the Epstein files?' Trump responded, 'Yeah, yeah, I would.' That clip was circulated widely online, including the social media account of Trump's campaign operation, which added the caption: 'President Trump says he will DECLASSIFY the 9/11 Files, JFK Files, and Epstein Files.'" ("What Trump has said about Jeffrey Epstein over the years, including on 2024 campaign trail.")
But, in July of 2025, he dismissed it. “It's pretty boring stuff. It's sordid, but it's boring, and I don't understand why it keeps going. I think really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going."
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie said there were at least 20 men accused of sex crimes in the FBI's Epstein files, files Pam Bondi once said she had “on her desk.” [4]
In 2025, when Elon Musk was feuding with Trump, he posted on X: “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” He later added, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”
The Justice Department shut the door on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files in July 2025, even while "FBI agents worked on drafts of a 21-page presentation of all the evidence the FBI had gathered in the case, including a summary of allegations against 11 men… Survivors have filed civil lawsuits against some of the high-profile men for rape and abuse in connection to Epstein’s crimes. Maxwell, who filed a habeas corpus petition to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction, says she found evidence that 25 alleged Epstein associates made “secret settlements” with accusers — and that four alleged co-conspirators were never charged.” ("Who were the other men in the Epstein files? This is the FBI’s own list.")
Separate FBI presentation listing “prominent names” connected to Epstein included the allegation that Trump forced her to perform oral sex and struck her in the head. The witness told the FBI that during a meeting, Trump said to Epstein something like “you have got a good one.” ("Epstein files reveal ties to Michigan.")
These FBI interview reports were initially withheld from the DOJ Epstein file release in January of 2026.
Evangelicals, of all people, ought to be demanding that full truth be brought into the light. They are not, thanks to the leadership of people like Lance Wallnau. The silence is damning. But, the Southern Baptist Convention has just elected a new President who thinks the expose of sexual abuse in the SBC was a woke plot, so…..
In 2011, 60% of evangelicals said immorality disqualified a politician from office. In 2016, it was down to 20% - an exact reversal of statistics in five years.
In 2026, in a poll done by Politico, 66% of Maga voters said they would vote for a candidate accused of sexual assault. 72% would vote for a candidate accused of domestic violence.
Evangelical historian John Fae captures the stunning turn of events:
As this series has unfolded, I have found myself grieving. I don't believe Christianity has failed. I don't believe the gospel has failed. I believe we have too often exchanged the difficult way of Jesus for the easier path of political influence, and it has compromised conservative evangelicalism in profound ways.
The evangelical movement that raised me repeatedly warned against exactly this temptation. It warned against confusing the Kingdom of God with America. It warned against giving any political party our ultimate loyalty. It warned against sacrificing our prophetic voice for proximity to power.
In 1999, James Dobson and Cal Thomas wrote a book about their experience in the Moral Majority called Blinded By Might: Can The Religious Right Save America? Their answer was ‘no.’ Here are a few key quotes (as read in John Fae’s book, Believe Me):
The church was never meant to be the cheerleader or the chaplain of empire. It was meant to be the conscience of it. The evangelicalism that does has lost its way, and I will not be lost with it.
The Justice Department shut the door on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files in July 2025, even while "FBI agents worked on drafts of a 21-page presentation of all the evidence the FBI had gathered in the case, including a summary of allegations against 11 men… Survivors have filed civil lawsuits against some of the high-profile men for rape and abuse in connection to Epstein’s crimes. Maxwell, who filed a habeas corpus petition to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction, says she found evidence that 25 alleged Epstein associates made “secret settlements” with accusers — and that four alleged co-conspirators were never charged.” ("Who were the other men in the Epstein files? This is the FBI’s own list.")
It turns out there was a lot going on behind the scenes while the delay in releasing the Epstein Files dragged on.
After months of stonewalling, Trump finally signed an order to release them. However, only half of the 6,000,000 files were released, and they were so heavily redacted as to be practically useless.
Even while Epstein’s victims continue to fight for transparency and accountability, Todd Blanche insists no more files will be released.
Who is Todd Blanche?
“President Donald J. Trump officially nominated acting attorney general Todd Blanche to become the attorney general of the United States…Trump’s nomination of Blanche directly challenges Republican senators to collude with him to flout the will of rank-and-file Republicans and break the law. In November 2025 the Senate voted unanimously to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. This law required the Department of Justice to release all the files compiled by the FBI in its investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein no later than December 19, 2025. The Department of Justice has ignored that law.
“In a series of oversight letters written to Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, Durbin questioned Bondi about "contradictions" in her public statements on the case, Patel about reports that he was "pressured" by Bondi to place 1,000 personnel on 24-hour shifts to mine roughly 100,000 Epstein-related records and Bongino about reported disputes among Trump officials about “the lack of transparency” in their handling of the high-profile case.
In the letters sent Friday, Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked each of the Trump administration officials to respond to information received by his office that suggested FBI personnel were specifically instructed to "flag" any records mentioning Trump.
"My office was told that these personnel were instructed to 'flag' any records in which President Trump was mentioned. ... Why were personnel told to flag records in which President Trump was mentioned," Durbin asked Bondi, Patel and Bongino in separate letters. "What happened to the records mentioning President Trump once they were flagged?" (“FBI personnel were told to flag Epstein files mentioning Trump, Senate Democrat says.”)
“It took independent journalist and award-winning podcaster Allison Gill a year, a Freedom of Information Act request, and a subsequent lawsuit against the government to obtain evidence that the bureau had specifically trained its investigators to scrub the Epstein files clean…Gill received a stunning admission from the FBI confirming that the training videos—which were never released as part of the legal mandate—do in fact exist.
Numerous federal agents from both the FBI and the Justice Department have shared their experiences of participating in the censorship effort, recounting how they would sometimes be locked in the building for 24- or 48-hour shifts to review hundreds of thousands of files, videos, and photos related to Jeffrey Epstein's child sex-trafficking ring. One of the things agents were reportedly instructed to redact was mentions of Donald Trump's name.
"They confided in me that there existed an unclassified share point site where a Powerpoint deck lived, and that the Powerpoint deck had training videos embedded in it, instructing them on how to find and log and mark Trump's name and other information for redaction," Gill said in a video report.” (“FBI Forced to Reveal New Details on How It Redacted Epstein Files.”)
After months of stonewalling, Trump finally signed an order to release them. However, only half of the 6,000,000 files were released, and they were so heavily redacted as to be practically useless.
Even while Epstein’s victims continue to fight for transparency and accountability, Todd Blanche insists no more files will be released.
Who is Todd Blanche?
“President Donald J. Trump officially nominated acting attorney general Todd Blanche to become the attorney general of the United States…Trump’s nomination of Blanche directly challenges Republican senators to collude with him to flout the will of rank-and-file Republicans and break the law. In November 2025 the Senate voted unanimously to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. This law required the Department of Justice to release all the files compiled by the FBI in its investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein no later than December 19, 2025. The Department of Justice has ignored that law.
To date, it has released about half the files. Many of those it has released are heavily redacted although the law expressly prohibits such redactions. Instead, the Department of Justice released previously unknown names of Epstein survivors… In her testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, [Pam]Bondi told members of Congress that Blanche “was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files.” (Historian Heather Cox Richardson, newsletter, June 9, 2026)
Meanwhile, New Mexico has been attempting to do a deep dive into the ranch Epstein owned there. However, they, too, were stonewalled.
Torrez set a 31 July deadline for the department to share relevant records and threatened to use "available legal remedies without further notice” if the 31 July deadline passed, having made “repeated, documented, good-faith efforts to obtain the unredacted investigative records in the USDOJ’s custody.” As of August 3, the US Department of Justice has ignored that deadline. (“DoJ appears to ignore New Mexico deadline for key Epstein ranch files.”)
The breaking story in my neck of the woods (Northern Michigan) is Epstein’s involvement at Interlochen Academy of the Arts. The academy just released a 97-page report that documents 70 accounts of sexual abuse by 47 named adults. According to their report:
Meanwhile, New Mexico has been attempting to do a deep dive into the ranch Epstein owned there. However, they, too, were stonewalled.
“New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez claims that the U.S. DOJ is "hindering" his investigation into what was once Epstein’s ranch by "withholding" unredacted Epstein files. The New Mexico Department of Justice said Tuesday afternoon on X that the U.S. DOJ's Southern District of New York office "called to inform us they will NOT cooperate and will not support the only active criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein." (“New Mexico AG, federal DOJ clash over Epstein records.”)
Torrez set a 31 July deadline for the department to share relevant records and threatened to use "available legal remedies without further notice” if the 31 July deadline passed, having made “repeated, documented, good-faith efforts to obtain the unredacted investigative records in the USDOJ’s custody.” As of August 3, the US Department of Justice has ignored that deadline. (“DoJ appears to ignore New Mexico deadline for key Epstein ranch files.”)
The breaking story in my neck of the woods (Northern Michigan) is Epstein’s involvement at Interlochen Academy of the Arts. The academy just released a 97-page report that documents 70 accounts of sexual abuse by 47 named adults. According to their report:
"The abuse occurred on their campus and spans over 7 decades. One of named those adults is Jeffrey Epstein, another is Ghislaine Maxwell, and another is Donald Trump. The school commissioned the investigation on its own, hiring an outside law firm and completing approximately 180 interviews. What came back is, in the report’s own words, “simply devastating….”
Epstein’s first known victim met him at Interlochen when she was 13, in the summer of 1994. Maxwell walked a Yorkshire Terrier on campus and the girls asked to pet it. This was their entry point. What follows was years of grooming and sexual abuse. She testified at Maxwell’s criminal trial in 2021 and before the trial she told the FBI everything. The FBI interviewed her four times between July and October of 2019. She told them Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump when she was between 13-15 years old. She said that she was abused during that trip…
Separate FBI presentation listing “prominent names” connected to Epstein included the allegation that Trump forced her to perform oral sex and struck her in the head. The witness told the FBI that during a meeting, Trump said to Epstein something like “you have got a good one.” ("Epstein files reveal ties to Michigan.")
These FBI interview reports were initially withheld from the DOJ Epstein file release in January of 2026.
Evangelicals, of all people, ought to be demanding that full truth be brought into the light. They are not, thanks to the leadership of people like Lance Wallnau. The silence is damning. But, the Southern Baptist Convention has just elected a new President who thinks the expose of sexual abuse in the SBC was a woke plot, so…..
* * * * *
The loudest and most public expressions of evangelicalism today are very out of step with what I was taught to value. Jerry Falwell Jr., infamously told the New York Times, “I don’t look to the teachings of Jesus for what my political beliefs should be.” Ouch.
Franklin Graham has not only failed to denounce this kind of sin, he has apologized for what he said about Clinton's infidelity. When the Stormy Daniels scandal hit the news, Franklin Graham called the Republican pursuit of then-president Clinton “a great mistake that should never have happened,” and argued that “this thing with Stormy Daniels and so forth is nobody’s business.”
Franklin Graham has not only failed to denounce this kind of sin, he has apologized for what he said about Clinton's infidelity. When the Stormy Daniels scandal hit the news, Franklin Graham called the Republican pursuit of then-president Clinton “a great mistake that should never have happened,” and argued that “this thing with Stormy Daniels and so forth is nobody’s business.”
And just like that, the heirs of Nathan were gone, and “David’s” path didn’t have those annoying truth-tellers.
In 2011, 60% of evangelicals said immorality disqualified a politician from office. In 2016, it was down to 20% - an exact reversal of statistics in five years.
In 2026, in a poll done by Politico, 66% of Maga voters said they would vote for a candidate accused of sexual assault. 72% would vote for a candidate accused of domestic violence.
I can hardly put into words the whiplash I feel from this, so I will let others. Russell Moore has this to say:
“When you have some leaders pronouncing Donald Trump to be a Christian — despite the fact that he openly boasts and brags about adulterous affairs and uses racially tinged and derogatory speech and a thousand other things, and says he has nothing for which to ask forgiveness from God — that to me is not a political issue. It is a gospel issue, and that has to do with who evangelicals actually are.”
Evangelical historian John Fae captures the stunning turn of events:
“But even as Trump said all the right things to appeal to evangelical voters, these values voters still had to come to grips with an inconvenient truth: Trump appeared to be the most immoral candidate in recent memory. Trump’s sins went beyond DUI convictions and the occasional recreational use of marijuana. His entire career, and his success as a television star and public figure, was built on vices incompatible with the moral teachings of Christianity. And by his own admission, he never, ever, asked for forgiveness of his sins.” [6]
As this series has unfolded, I have found myself grieving. I don't believe Christianity has failed. I don't believe the gospel has failed. I believe we have too often exchanged the difficult way of Jesus for the easier path of political influence, and it has compromised conservative evangelicalism in profound ways.
The evangelical movement that raised me repeatedly warned against exactly this temptation. It warned against confusing the Kingdom of God with America. It warned against giving any political party our ultimate loyalty. It warned against sacrificing our prophetic voice for proximity to power.
In 1999, James Dobson and Cal Thomas wrote a book about their experience in the Moral Majority called Blinded By Might: Can The Religious Right Save America? Their answer was ‘no.’ Here are a few key quotes (as read in John Fae’s book, Believe Me):
- “Who wanted to ride into the capital on the back of an ass when one could go first class in a private jet and be picked up and driven around in a chauffeured limousine?”
- “Christian faith is about truth. Whenever you try to mix power and truth, power usually wins.”
- They quoted Henry Nouwen: ‘The temptation to consider power an apt instrument for the proclamation of the gospel is the greatest temptation of all.’
- “Religious leaders who seek favor with the king run the risk of refusing to speak truth to power out of fear that they won’t be invited back.”
I still believe followers of Jesus should engage politics. We should vote. We should advocate. We should pursue justice and love our neighbors through public life. But we must never forget that our citizenship in God's Kingdom comes first, that no nation is God's chosen instrument, and that every president, every party, and every ideology must remain subject to the Lordship of Christ.
The church was never meant to be the cheerleader or the chaplain of empire. It was meant to be the conscience of it. The evangelicalism that does has lost its way, and I will not be lost with it.
UP NEXT: The Shift Away From Honoring The Imago Dei In Everyone
______________________________________________
[2] Ibid
[3] Sadly, the list goes on when you look outside of that circle. Trump nominated Matt Gaetz, Republican representative for Florida for Attorney General. After a series of scandalous accusations, he resigned as representative and withdrew his name from nomination. The House Ethics Committee released its report finding "substantial evidence" that Gaetz violated House rules and federal laws. The primary accusations stated that he had sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl in 2017, frequently used illegal drugs like cocaine and ecstasy, and paid women for sex.
Just this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – whom Trump is endorsing – “was photographed in England over Independence Day weekend with his purported mistress, Christian influencer Tracy Duhon. The attorney general’s wife, Texas Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year on ‘biblical grounds,’ alleging he committed adultery... [Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist and a former Trump appointee to the State Department] said of Paxton’s trip with Dun. ‘Where is Ken Paxton?... he’s in London with the new girl he’s dating? What is going on there? He has more baggage than a [Boeing] 747.’” ("Republicans alarmed by Paxton’s overseas trip with alleged mistress, voter fraud allegations.")
[4] The New York Times reported: "The new charges against Andrew Tate, 39, include seven counts of rape; three counts of sex trafficking; three counts of assault; and 19 more charges relating to sexual images of children and “extreme pornography.” Tristan Tate, 38, faces two new charges of rape; one count of sexual assault; and three counts of sex trafficking…. In Romania, where the Tates previously lived, prosecutors have been investigating allegations that they coerced dozens of women, including a 17-year-old girl, into pornography. They have also investigated Andrew Tate over allegations that he raped one of the women and had sex with a 15-year-old."
Just this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton – whom Trump is endorsing – “was photographed in England over Independence Day weekend with his purported mistress, Christian influencer Tracy Duhon. The attorney general’s wife, Texas Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year on ‘biblical grounds,’ alleging he committed adultery... [Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist and a former Trump appointee to the State Department] said of Paxton’s trip with Dun. ‘Where is Ken Paxton?... he’s in London with the new girl he’s dating? What is going on there? He has more baggage than a [Boeing] 747.’” ("Republicans alarmed by Paxton’s overseas trip with alleged mistress, voter fraud allegations.")
[4] The New York Times reported: "The new charges against Andrew Tate, 39, include seven counts of rape; three counts of sex trafficking; three counts of assault; and 19 more charges relating to sexual images of children and “extreme pornography.” Tristan Tate, 38, faces two new charges of rape; one count of sexual assault; and three counts of sex trafficking…. In Romania, where the Tates previously lived, prosecutors have been investigating allegations that they coerced dozens of women, including a 17-year-old girl, into pornography. They have also investigated Andrew Tate over allegations that he raped one of the women and had sex with a 15-year-old."
[5] Keep in mind being mentioned does not mean the man participated in a crime; it just means these people were in Epstein's orbit, many of them after his first arrest and conviction for sexually molesting children. Some, such as Prince Andrew, are already paying the price.
[6] A sitting congressman, Ted Lieu, said on the record the Epstein files are being blocked because they show Trump raped and threatened to kill children.
[6] A sitting congressman, Ted Lieu, said on the record the Epstein files are being blocked because they show Trump raped and threatened to kill children.
[7] Trump asked in that deposition concerning E.Jean Carrol, “Didn’t she say it was sexy to be raped?” She did not.
[8] John Fae in his book Believe Me: The Evangelical Road To Donald Trump
[8] John Fae in his book Believe Me: The Evangelical Road To Donald Trump
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