Whoa. And whoa and whoa and whoa. I did NOT see this coming. The iconic Christianity Today Magazine just endorsed not only Pres. Donald Trump’s impeachment, but his REMOVAL FROM OFFICE in a front-page editorial.
Do you know how huge this is? This is a publication that was founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. Yes, that Billy Graham, the father of Trump worshipper Franklin Graham. The same Franklin Graham who famously said that he believes “God was behind the last election.”
This is a sad day for America. Our politics in this country has hit a new low. @SpeakerPelosi and her followers in Congress have weaponized the impeachment process. This is just another attempt to tarnish and embarrass @POTUS @realDonaldTrump before the next election. 1/2
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) October 31, 2019
The piece, published on Thursday by Mark Galli, has a tagline that says it all.
It’s time to say what we said 20 years ago when a president’s character was revealed for what it was.
Galli gets right into it, explaining exactly why the publication is making this statement.
In our founding documents, Billy Graham explains that Christianity Today will help evangelical Christians interpret the news in a manner that reflects their faith. The impeachment of Donald Trump is a significant event in the story of our republic. It requires comment.
Galli explains that Christianity Today ordinarily takes the approach of staying “above the fray” and allowing Christians with different political convictions to “make their arguments in the public square.” The publication claims to strive to be a beacon for Christians across the entire political spectrum.
To be honest, Christianity Today has largely failed the Christian Left. Those of us on the left just feel so…abandoned by evangelicals and mainstream Christians. And to be fair, under the current state of affairs, we want to be abandoned. We generally want very little to do with these nutters. So for Christianity Today to take this step is almost unimaginable. But here we are.
In a Fox News poll released last week that showed Trump losing in a general election bid against Joe Biden, polling found that 67 percent of evangelicals polled approved of Trump's job performance.https://t.co/vs7VoGrUed
— WCPO (@WCPO) December 20, 2019
Galli explains in his piece that they love and pray for Pres. Trump as they do for all leaders and ordinary citizens alike. And Galli does make the concession that Democrats have had it in for Trump since the beginning. Which is true. We did. But it was for every good reason.
One thing Galli said is not correct. He said that Trump didn’t have a serious opportunity to give his side of the story during the impeachment hearings. Not true. He could have stepped up at any time, and was in fact invited. The White House declined to participate.
The Evangelicals are turning on you. The domino effect is happening. #ImpeachAndRemove
— gaylitchka 👋🏼 🌊 (@gaylitchka) December 20, 2019
But then Galli brings it home. Hard.
But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.
He goes on to say that Trump has “dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration.”
He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.
Galli points directly at Trump’s evangelical base, correctly stating they these people point to Trump’s conservative court nominees, including two Supreme Court nominees. He also mentions Trump’s defense of religious liberty and his “stewardship” of the economy. But…
That’s not enough, according to Galli.
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.
And the author humbly pointed out Christianity Today’s own words, issued in 1998 in rebuke of Pres. Bill Clinton.
The President’s failure to tell the truth—even when cornered—rips at the fabric of the nation. This is not a private affair. For above all, social intercourse is built on a presumption of trust: trust that the milk your grocer sells you is wholesome and pure; trust that the money you put in your bank can be taken out of the bank; trust that your babysitter, firefighters, clergy, and ambulance drivers will all do their best. And while politicians are notorious for breaking campaign promises, while in office they have a fundamental obligation to uphold our trust in them and to live by the law.
And this.
Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the President and those close to him have rendered this administration morally unable to lead.
That says it all. And Galli knows that says it all. He specifically says that the words his publication applied to Bill Clinton apply “almost perfectly” to Donald Trump. Furthermore, Galli doesn’t care how Trump is removed, as long as he is removed.
Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election—that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.
And Galli gets near the end of this epic piece with this.
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior.
From @markgalli:
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record. Remember who you are and whom you serve.
Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior https://t.co/NVdQjg4odC
— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) December 19, 2019
I’ll leave this here and also end my piece.
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?
Amen. Read more here.
