Donald Trump Does Not Speak for the Faith Community
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Donald Trump continues to divide and alienate while claiming to speak for the faith community, and some evangelical leaders have had enough.
“Mr. Trump’s character is antithetical to many of the qualities evangelicals should prize in a political leader: integrity, compassion and reasoned convictions, wisdom and prudence, trustworthiness, a commitment to the moral good,” Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who served in the last three Republican administrations, writes in the New York Times.
“ … What stuns me is how my fellow evangelicals can rally behind a man whose words and actions are so at odds with the central teachings of our faith … At its core, Christianity teaches that everyone, no matter at what station or in what season in life, has inherent dignity and worth.”
Christian Post editors published an editorial on the subject, noting that the outlet “has not taken a position on a political candidate before today. We are making an exception because Trump is exceptionally bad and claims to speak for and represent the interests of evangelicals.”
“As the most popular evangelical news website in the United States and the world, we feel compelled by our moral responsibility to our readers to make clear that Donald Trump does not represent the interests of evangelicals and would be a dangerous leader for our country,” the editorial reads.
And in a National Public Radio piece today, evangelical leaders including Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, distance themselves from evangelicals who are supporting Trump. Regarding the hostility associated with Trump’s campaign, “The Scripture tells us that we are to engage with people who disagree with us with kindness,” Moore says. “That ought to be the message that drowns out any hint of bigotry or hatred.”
“We, as Christians, would do well to summon any Christian leader to a higher standard. This includes pastors (especially this one), teachers, coaches and, by all means, presidential candidates,” wrote Max Lucado, a pastor in San Antonio and a best-selling author.
“Evangelical leaders are making it unequivocally clear that Donald Trump does not speak for them or their convictions,” said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum Action Fund. “The disconnect between his unapologetically extreme rhetoric and biblical values is obvious.
“This is not about Trump versus the Republican establishment. It’s about conservative leaders recognizing that our changing demographics are a great opportunity, not a bogeyman. For a party with distinct problems wooing Hispanics, a more constructive vision is sorely needed.”
