Christianity Today: “Trump Should Be Removed from Office”

The leading evangelical publication asks pointed questions of Trump’s evangelical supporters.
Donald Trump
(Gage SkidmoreCC BY-SA 2.0)

In a powerful editorial, Christianity Today’s editor in chief Mark Galli responds to the recent impeachment of Donald Trump and calls for the president’s removal while also addressing the ongoing support that Trump enjoys from many evangelical voters:

Trump’s evangelical supporters have pointed to his Supreme Court nominees, his defense of religious liberty, and his stewardship of the economy, among other things, as achievements that justify their support of the president. We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country, and damages both the spirit and the future of our people. None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.

Towards the end of his piece, Galli lays it all out on the table:

Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?

Not surprisingly, Trump didn’t take the piece well, calling Christianity Today a “far left magazine” while also reminding people of how much he’s “done for Evangelicals.”

Some might legitimately wonder if Christianity Today’s piece will do any good. Will it truly change the minds of any Trump-supporting evangelicals? Maybe not, but there’s still value in clarifying where you stand on an important issue, if only for your own integrity’s sake.

One of the great disappointments of Trump’s presidency has been to see so many Christian leaders — e.g., Franklin Graham, James Dobson — turn an obvious blind eye to Trump’s gross and obvious moral failings, failings for which they would excoriate a Democrat president, and all because doing so grants them some measure of cultural and political power. It’s refreshing to see some evangelical leaders — founded by Billy Graham, Christianity Today is arguably the most important evangelical Christian publication — who haven’t fallen into that trap.

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