Tim Alberta’s recent book about the Christian nationalist takeover of American evangelicalism, “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory,” is full of preachers and activists on the religious right expressing sheepish second thoughts about their prostration before Donald Trump. Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor at First Baptist Dallas — whom Texas Monthly once called “Trump’s apostle” for his slavish Trump boosterism — admitted to Alberta in 2021 that turning himself into a politician’s theological hype man may have compromised his spiritual mission. “I had that internal conversation with myself — and I guess with God, too — about, you know, when do you cross the line?” he said, allowing that the line had, “perhaps,” been crossed.
Such qualms grew more vocal after voter revulsion toward MAGA candidates cost Republicans their prophesied red wave in 2022. Mike Evans, a former member of Trump’s evangelical advisory board, described, in an essay he sent to The Washington Post, leaving a Trump rally “in tears because I saw Bible believers glorifying Donald Trump like he was an idol.” Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, enthused to Alberta about the way Trump had punched “the bully that had been pushing evangelicals around,” by which he presumably meant American liberals. But, Perkins said, “The challenge is, he went a little too far. He had too much of an edge sometimes.” Perkins was clearly rooting for Ron DeSantis, who represented the shining hope of a post-Trump religious right.
But there’s not going to be a post-Trump religious right — at least, not anytime soon. Evangelical leaders who started their alliance with Trump on a transactional basis, then grew giddy with their proximity to power, have now seen MAGA devour their movement whole.
People are leaving their churches in droves.
Ironically some preachers are even cheering them on - e.g. Andy Stanley from the NorthPoint Community Church has this whole series on leaving behind false religion, much like believing in Santa Claus and that a stork brings home babies, it just needs to be updated by chucking the whole thing out and starting over from scratch. Religion that gets into the way of Reality... I mean heck, Jesus Himself talked a whole lot about that.
And ONE preacher - I wish I could say there was more, but in all my research I have only ever found mention of just the one, from a major mega-congregation I mean though I am sure there are some smaller ones - even decried Donald Trump, even back at the height of his popularity, when he was still President even. THAT dude, John Piper, has therefore earned my undying respect. Calling it like it is, when you may lose much popularity (& therefore money), now that's authentic.
And now I'll just leave you all with this little gem:
How people twist the Bible into saying that ignoring the pleas of the oppressed and instead that grabbing young women by the pussy are somehow good things I will never know, but it says it quite plainly right there.
John Piper is still a misogynistic piece of garbage who defended Mark Driscoll's abusive leadership, calling his downfall a "Satanic victory".
Piper blames egalitarianism for women being abused and molested. In 2009, when asked if a wife should submit to her abusive husband, he responded:
He's a garbage person peddling garbage theology and will stand before God wrapped in nothing but his skubalon.
Extra credit for skubalon