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Choose Ye This Day: Duped or Evil?



Is a leader who refuses to condemn or even acknowledge evil—when the evidence of its existence is abundantly apparent to any honest observer—evil himself?


Are people evil who refuse to condemn—and who even celebrate—a leader who refuses to condemn evil?


By now, any adult who isn’t hopelessly fixated on the latest Netflix series is likely aware of Fox News talk show host Sean Hannity’s repeated efforts to get his close friend Donald Trump to condemn Putin’s murderous invasion of Ukraine—and of Trump’s repeated refusal to do so.


I don’t need to add another voice to the many that have already condemned our former president for his embrace of Russia’s evil dictator. Why expect anything better from this mercenary man who has no moral compass? Instead, my concern is with the Trump followers who could at any moment turn on their TV or computer and watch the footage of corpses lying in crumbled Ukrainian hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings, then watch their pseudo-messiah praise the man behind the atrocities and still be avid MAGA supporters.


Sadly, as I’ve written so often before, Trump’s most loyal supporters are white evangelicals, who should know better. They should be aware of Bible passages condemning evil—and those who refuse to condemn evil—such as the following:

· “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” – Psalm 34:14

· “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” – Psalm 34:16

· “O you who love the Lord, hate evil!” – Psalm 97:10

· “Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” – Proverbs 4:27

· “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” – Isaiah 5:20

· “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” – Romans 12:9


But rather than calling out obvious evil, rather than turning away from blatant evil, rather than boldly condemning evil, far too many evangelicals are, implicitly, calling evil good and good evil. In response to questions about evangelical leaders’ attendance at a late-March meeting with Trump at Mar-A-Lago, Robert Jeffress, pastor at First Baptist in Dallas said,

I think people think evangelicals have been duped by President Trump. Evangelicals are not morons. They understand that he might not pray six hours a day or be able to quote the Bible backward and forward, but they do believe he’s a man who loves our country and he’s embraced policies that are in keeping with the truth of God’s word and that’s why they selected him.


Okay, Pastor Jeffress, evangelicals are not morons; Trump did not dupe them. So, what does that mean, then, when they continue to support and celebrate him even as he refuses to condemn Putin’s unprovoked, brutal invasion of another sovereign country? What does that say about white evangelicals who praise their messiah who in turn praises a vicious war criminal, a mass murderer?


Either Trump-worshiping white evangelicals—the majority but not all—have been duped or they are evil by association. Jeffress says they have not been duped, so that leaves the evil alternative.


It is important to note, however, that a recent YouGov poll discovered that about the same percentage of white evangelicals as Americans in general said they sympathize with Ukraine over Russia. So, perhaps white evangelicals are not evil. But that, then, reveals a huge logical contradiction on their part. They support the Ukrainians, but they also support their beloved Trump who praises the vicious dictator who sent his army to ravage the nation they claim to support. Such contradictory thinking does in fact appear to reveal, at least, an obvious lack of critical thinking. Not morons? How about half-wits? Dullards? Simpletons?


Would I be righteous for saying I oppose child abusers while still embracing a man who openly supports an obvious child abuser? Actions do indeed speak louder than words. And by their steadfast, unwavering backing of their Putin-beholden Messiah, white evangelicals are letting their actions declare them supporters of a cruel dictator.


This is another corner white evangelicals painted themselves into when they made their deal with the orange devil. They now must embrace pretzel logic in their attempts to stand with Trump while also standing with the very same Ukrainians Trump sold out because of his subservience to Putin.


Are America’s white evangelicals evil? Not intentionally, at least not most of them. Are America’s white evangelicals easily duped rubes? It’s either that or evil. Please tell me, my friends who claim to be—simultaneously—compassionate Christians and loyal Trump/Putin disciples, which is it?

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