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Christian nationalists are wrong about Trump and God

Harry October 25, 2024

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but God is not Republican or Democrat. He is not a politician, he is the Savior.

The Republican Party has long coveted the evangelical Christian voting bloc. Especially Donald Trump does this.

The influence of Christianity in America has declined in recent years, but a Gallup poll released in March showed: 68% of Americans still identify As a Christian. in 2020 71% of white Americans who attend church regularly He voted for Trump. in 2016 White evangelicals made up one-fifth of voters − and overwhelmingly supported Trump over Hillary Clinton (77% to 16%).

According to the Pew Research Center, 85% of White Evangelicals I support the GOP in 2024.

In recent years, many evangelical voters have moved from supporting a particular candidate or party to Christian nationalism. (Christianity today Defines Christian nationalism “The belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way.”

But God, Trump and the Republican Party are not synonymous.

’11. Hour Faith Leaders Meeting’

On Monday, pastors including prominent evangelical leader Franklin Graham criticized the former president’s campaign for “11th Hour Faith Leaders Meeting“In Concord, North Carolina.

“This election is about whether it’s ours or not. a secular nation or a nation under GodTrump’s re-election campaign’s faith chairman, Dr. “I’m Carson,” he said.

Idea: Trump can win this election. What does this say about the Democratic Party?

Trump described how he believed Christianity was intertwined with his campaign: “My faith took on new meaning on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, where I was struck down by what appeared to be a supernatural hand. And I’d like to think God saved me for a purposeand this will make our country greater than ever before.

This has become a common political sentiment among millions of Christians.

At the North Carolina event, Guillermo Maldonado, a pastor from Miami, and long-time Trump allyThis election isn’t just about American politics, he told attendees.

“You know, we are now in spiritual warfare“said Maldonado. “This is beyond the fight between left and right. It’s between good and evil. There’s a huge fight affecting our country right now, and we need to take our country back.”

Evangelicals are on the same side as Republicans

Many evangelicals subscribe to the idea that Christians should vote for a Republican who will return America to a time when God was at the center of public life.

I am a Christian with a deep interest in politics, but this kind of language about Christianity, politics, and Trump concerns me.

A lot evangelical Christians The only issue is their voters. They vote for the pro-life candidate, usually a Republican.

Idea: Harris courts women but has lost men. This could cost him the election.

Although Harris and Trump have discussed abortion, the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Since Wade broke his case, not much can actually be done about it. It’s possible that an issue that once encouraged Christians to vote may now keep them at home. This would be a dramatic turn of events for the pro-life movement.

Trump’s presence on the ballot raises other questions: What happens when the Republican Party’s presidential nominee is both pro-life and pro-life? a womanizer, a misogynist and a convicted criminal?

In a sermon this month, Dallas megachurch pastor Josh Howerton He encouraged his congregation Stop looking for perfection in presidential candidates, saying Christians should vote for the person who best embodies their values.

“Any Christian with an open Bible and a functioning brain should look at both candidates we’re looking at and say, ‘Man, I see some flaws in both of the things I put in front of me,'” Howerton said. . “Jesus is not on the ballot, folks. Get over it.”

What should Christians do?

I don’t agree with things Howerton has said in the past, but I agree with his statement on voting. But not for the most obvious reason.

This doesn’t just mean that Christians need to realize that Jesus is not on the ballot or that they should stop looking for perfection in their political candidates. This is true. (Although almost everyone knows that our political candidates are flawed.)

More important is the idea that Christians should stop looking to a politician who will do things only God can do. And that Christians stop looking to God to reflect their political beliefs. These roles are not interchangeable or intertwined.

I believe that voting is a right and a privilege. Millions of people in other countries, including people of faith, would love to have the right to vote but do not. We must exercise this right and do so carefully.

But I say this with caution because Republicans are evangelical Christians and have a strong leaning towards Christian nationalism. Especially in Texas where I live.

Under the influence of the 1980s Moral Majority and similar organizations, many Christians have come to believe that God favors a particular political party, especially on issues like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but God is not Republican or Democrat. He is not a politician, he is the Savior.

To confine the God of the universe to the petty intricacies of American politics is to deny many attributes of a supreme God who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. The Bible says He is above all things and His ways are higher than our ways.

It’s tempting to remain complacent about politics when presidential candidates are disappointing. However, we also have a responsibility to our nation’s election process. But too many Christians tie God to our political system, and that is neither good nor right.

Nicole Russell is a columnist for USA TODAY. He lives in Texas with his four children. Sign up for The Right Track newsletterand get it delivered to your inbox.