White Evangelicals Serving Two Masters

“No man can serve two masters, for he will love the one and hate the other.” Matthew 6:24. No matter.  Too many, many white evangelicals are quite comfortable in being modern day Sadducees and Pharisees when it comes to bowing their bobble heads to Agent Orange…aka: President (Herr) Trump.

When you examine their moral outrage at the failings of past President Clinton and the young and impressionable White House intern, Monica Lewinsky, you will have to scratch and wonder, where did their Jesus go to?

To understand this total capitulation to Herr Trump by many white evangelicals, you must understand that one of their cornerstones of their faith story is that a person’s character matters and that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34.

When you are daily bombarded with the vile utterances of Herr Trump be they outright lies, fantasies, mis- truths, mis-directions, omissions and historical inaccuracies, you must think, how could any organization that professes an adherence to Biblical definitions of character and morality, venture within three miles of a Trump White House.

The answer is: These white evangelicals do not act upon what they preach to their pew sitters. No, they will parade around like good Sadducees and Pharisees and seek the best places at the political buffets and seek out the adulation of the political spotlight but when it comes to holding up Biblical standards of conduct, they simply “skin and grin”.

Regrettably, they show that their primary concern is not the Kingdom of God but rather they being plugged into the current political kingdom of King Herod aka: Herr Trump.

I have seen their pithy pronouncements on TV wherein they preach about a Deep State coming after their freedoms and I have heard them turn themselves into human pretzels trying to get past the bra size of Stormy Daniels and somehow justify Herr Trump’s audacious conduct as a “personal matter” between him and God.

That is true. But what they glaringly fail to state is the obvious of how they can look the other way while their GOP standard bearer drags their beliefs through the political mud, and for what?

For political access and the illusion of being seen with the powerful in the White House.

The Bible speaks about the love of the world being at odds with God but for many evangelicals (latest poll indicates over eighty percent!), they are willing to distance themselves from such instruction if it means that they can get a crumb…or two…from the table of a King Herod or a Governor Pilate.

Unless you understand that so many white evangelicals feel that they have been locked out of being in the catbird seat of political power for sometime, their eye avoiding moral compromises are easier to comprehend.

White evangelicals do not mind compromising their values because so many apparently did not hold those values close to heart if they are willing to approve of President Trump and his policies that are not  supportive of the “common folks” but of the rich and powerful.

That is the secret hope and admiration of many white evangelicals. They want to be seen not at poor pastors preaching to even poorer people but as suave, rich, admired and being seen in the right company.

This identity of being identified with Jesus and his “poor peoples campaign” and being blessed as being poor in spirit just ain’t hitting the right spots for these pastors.

They want power and they want it now and if it means selling their birthrights for a mess of pottage, they are willing to do so, delusionally thinking that they are doing the business of the kingdom!

Oh, yes.  They have impressive websites and have impressive policy statements of beliefs and creeds but when it comes down to getting a free lunch at the White House and being serenaded by the lies of Herr Trump, they are easy bait.

Herr Trump even told them at a recent White House luncheon that if they do not cajole their pew sitters to get out and vote, there will be violence after the upcoming midterms!

Word of violence coming from the White House about elections! Are you serious? But, yet…where was their concerted voice of disapproval of such “dog whistle” calls to Trump’s base?

Where were the words of scripture offered up as a rampart against such gibberish? None! The white evangelicals at that influence peddling lunch simply grinned and smiled for the cameras; and when they return to their respective temples of compromise, they will boast of this luncheon meeting as something of importance for Christianity in America.

Such dupes. Such a-Biblical thinkers who apparently are at ease in propping up Herr Trump and his anti-people policies rather than quoting Amos 5:24.

But. Such is the current state of affairs in the world of the white evangelical.

They are willing to do a kissy-kissy with Herr Trump rather than lay down their own lives for the tenets of the scriptures that they so gladly give lip service to.

They are quick to forego the admonishment of not being engaged in the affairs of the world and to adhere to a separation of church and state.

But such obedience is not the bread and butter of these sell-outs. They now have come to expect that their presence in the White House is of utmost importance. They can throttle their conscience and straddle the fence between hailing a vain, egotistic Caesar and dying out to self.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen!

Lafe Tolliver, attorney