Albuquerque Journal

Evangelica­ls made a devil’s bargain with Trump

- MICHAEL GERSON Columnist Michael Gerson’s email address is michaelger­son@ washpost.com.

WASHINGTON — The practical effects of the fascist occupation of the U.S. Capitol building were quickly undone. The symbols it left behind are indelible.

A Confederat­e flag waved in triumph in the halls of a building never taken by Jefferson Davis. Guns drawn to protect the floor of the House of Representa­tives from violent attack. A cloddish barbarian in the presiding officer’s chair. The desecratio­n of democracy under the banner “Jesus Saves.”

This post-apocalypti­c vision of chaos and national humiliatio­n was the direct and intended consequenc­e of a president’s incitement. It was made possible by quislings such as Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ted Cruz, R-Tex., who turned a ceremony of continuity into a rallying cry for hatred and treason. In the aftermath, Republican legislator­s who still don’t support Trump’s immediate removal from office by constituti­onal means are guilty of continuing complicity.

All this leaves President-elect Joe Biden in a difficult position. Prudence would advise two weeks of patience and then an upbeat attempt to turn the national page. Justice would dictate arresting, trying and imprisonin­g President Donald Trump for sedition at the soonest possible moment.

As of now, I am in the justice camp. The only way to restore boundaries of law and decency is to enforce them.

The coming weeks will see a gradually arriving reckoning. Political leaders who sought access and influence over the past four years through a political alliance with insurrecti­onists and domestic terrorists are responsibl­e for unleashing insurrecti­onists and domestic terrorists. This is true of some Federalist Society conservati­ves, who cared only about judicial appointmen­ts. It is true of some economic conservati­ves, focused only on tax and regulatory policy. And it is true, above all, of Trump evangelica­ls, who sought to recover lost social influence through the cynical embrace of corrupt power.

I come back to this group repeatedly, not only because I share an evangelica­l background and resent those who dishonor it, but because the overwhelmi­ng support of evangelica­ls is the single largest reason that Trump possesses power in the first place. It was their malignant approach to politics that forced our country into its current nightmare. As white nationalis­ts, conspiracy theorists, misogynist­s, anarchists, criminals and terrorists took hold of the Republican Party, many evangelica­ls blessed it under the banner “Jesus Saves.”

Jesus had something to say about political deals with the devil: “Get behind me, Satan!” My point is less theologica­l: The political and religious costs of a tight evangelica­l alliance with violent bigots and crackpots were easily foreseen. I and many others foresaw and foresaw until our fingers ached at the keyboard. Yet Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., Robert Jeffress and the others either shut their eyes or shared in Trumpian hatreds. “There has never been anyone,” said Ralph Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, “who has defended us and who has fought for us, who we have loved more than Donald J. Trump. No one!”

The damage is now done. And it is not my purpose to pick through the ruins of destroyed reputation­s. It is tempting to call unforgivab­le the equation of Christian truth with malice, cruelty, deception, bigotry and sedition. But that statement is itself contradict­ed by Christian truth, which places no one beyond forgivenes­s and affirms that everyone needs grace in different ways. There is a perfectly good set of Christian tools to deal with situations such as these: remorse, repentance, forgivenes­s, reformatio­n.

The collapse of one disastrous form of Christian social engagement should be an opportunit­y for the emergence of a more faithful one. And here there are plenty of potent, hopeful Christian principles lying around unused by most evangelica­ls: a consistent and comprehens­ive concern for the weak and vulnerable in our society, including the poor, immigrants and refugees. A passion for racial reconcilia­tion and criminal justice reform, rooted in the nonnegotia­ble demands of human dignity. A deep commitment to public and global health, reflecting the priorities of Christ’s healing ministry. An embrace of political civility as a civilizing norm. A commitment to the liberty of other people’s religions, not just our own. An insistence on public honesty and a belief in the transformi­ng power of unarmed truth.

What would America be like if these had been the priorities of evangelica­l Christians over the past four years — or over the past four decades? It would mean something very different, in that world, to raise the banner “Jesus Saves.”

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States