A minister ponders the evangelical fascination with Trump

As the time of decision approaches, I keep pondering the fact that 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2016. Although my religious path has led me in a different direction as an adult, I still remember fondly the Baptist choirs I sang in and the church sports teams I played on as a kid, as well as the serious after-church discussions I had with my Baptist preacher uncle. I know there is a quality of authenticity that evangelicals treasure and a seriousness about moral issues that you live by, with some glaring exceptions, of course.

I cannot quit analyzing how this unlikely partnership began and wondering whether it still makes sense to you after these four chaotic and deeply painful years. As far as I can see, the president has neither your authenticity nor moral values. Based on his actions, he appears instead to be a manipulative con man, a sexual harasser, a mob-style boss, a shamelessly corrupt politician, an admirer and imitator of cruel dictators, a compulsive liar, an incompetent leader, a blatant white supremacist and, to all appearances, a man devoid of human compassion.

I have heard the explanation that this is a sort of deal with the devil. You support him politically and he delivers anti-abortion judges. I have also heard the idea that God can use morally defective people for God’s purposes, as for example, King David, who committed the grievously immoral act of sending Bathsheba’s husband to the front of the battle to be killed, so that David could have his wife. But Trump is nothing like David, who despite his flaws was one of the most inspiring poets of his age, who had a deep and authentic friendship with another person and was a legendary war hero.

Trump is none of these. In fact, it recently has been revealed that he actually believes war heroes are “losers and suckers.” I do not observe the soul of a poet in him, and his track record strongly suggests he is incapable of any

nonexploitative relationship with anyone. And to top it all off, his personal lawyer now verifies he is not even “pro-life.” He is very likely mocking you behind your backs, just like he mocks fallen war heroes by calling them losers and suckers. From all I know about you, you deserve better. My father, who served faithfully in World War II and Korea, certainly deserves much better.

And so, I wonder, what will you do this year, my white evangelical friends and family? Will 81 percent of you vote to affirm this presidency and say we want four more years of the same, or quite likely, worse? Anyone can be fooled once, but will you be manipulated a second time by this impostor who will almost certainly go down as one of the worst presidents in United States history?

In the face of a ruthless pandemic, heartbreaking racial injustice, crippling economic depression and deadly serious climate change, is this a man you can affirm as having the competence and moral commitment to bring us to the promised land? Is there a hidden

Moses lurking in him somewhere? I do not think so. There is far more of Pharaoh than of Moses in this aspiring dictator.

Based on my personal experience of your insight and moral integrity, I’m betting that many of you, dear friends and family, have had a change of heart. This is my prayer for our nation in 2020, a tragic year that is nevertheless full of transformational opportunities.