Challenges ahead for evangelicals

only a sojourner

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The broad majority of active white evangelicals support Donald Trump. In many cases the support is solid and strong. Whether or not he wins reelection in November this legacy may have an enduring effect on evangelism. Many people see Donald Trump as morally corupt, lacking in basic values and integrity and racist. Evangelical support for him will be viewed as hypocritical, their support for him based on political expediency.

Evangelizing this substantial group of people, few of which are likely already evangelical, could be a formidable task for the above reasons. Much successful evangelism might be limited to nonevangelicals already inclined toward Trump or who are apolitical. Church growth will be comprised of tranfers between churches with growth favoring certain churches but not so much overall growth wich could plateau. This is a consequence of the politicalization of Christianity. Should Trump lose and if the Senate turns Democratic (less likely) there may be a backlash against evangelicals and the policies they support.
 

istodolez

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The broad majority of active white evangelicals support Donald Trump. In many cases the support is solid and strong. Whether or not he wins reelection in November this legacy may have an enduring effect on evangelism. Many people see Donald Trump as morally corupt, lacking in basic values and integrity and racist. Evangelical support for him will be viewed as hypocritical, their support for him based on political expediency.

Evangelizing this substantial group of people, few of which are likely already evangelical, could be a formidable task for the above reasons. Much successful evangelism might be limited to nonevangelicals already inclined toward Trump or who are apolitical. Church growth will be comprised of tranfers between churches with growth favoring certain churches but not so much overall growth wich could plateau. This is a consequence of the politicalization of Christianity. Should Trump lose and if the Senate turns Democratic (less likely) there may be a backlash against evangelicals and the policies they support.

Evangelicals will have to deal with how history views the Trump administration. It is hard to know exactly how things will pan out in the fullness of time, but it is not impossible to see somethings for what they are.

Evangelicals no doubt supported Trump because he promised a few key things they wanted: a conservative SCOTUS to overturn Roe and he paid ample lip service to Christianity. Amping up the fear of the "culture wars" in which Evangelicals may feel they have been sidelined in American life.

But Evangelicals also had established a solid playbook in which all moral corruption that could be found in Liberals was excoriated and laid bare. The trouble was that so much of the moral corruption they had actively and openly been fighting against for 40 years since the rise of the Moral Majority in the early 80's was manifest in Trump's life and his own person history.

Every moral failing the Evangelicals assured us would lead to problems if they were in a leader were pretty much firmly in Trump. But he said the right things. He offered the right phrases and supported the right causes.

Evangelicals have made a problem for themselves. They will have to deal with the fallout of that but it is what it is. If Evangelicals wish to maintain any real say in American political life moving forward (arguable as to how much a Christian sect should seek that out, but here it is) they will have to explain Trump for the next couple generations.

OR they could provide leadership and realize that "not all who say Lord, Lord...", well you know the rest of the verse. Evangelicals could ask for more from their chosen leadership than mere lip service wrapped in every moral failure they fought against for 4 decades.
 
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Tom 1

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The broad majority of active white evangelicals support Donald Trump. In many cases the support is solid and strong. Whether or not he wins reelection in November this legacy may have an enduring effect on evangelism. Many people see Donald Trump as morally corupt, lacking in basic values and integrity and racist. Evangelical support for him will be viewed as hypocritical, their support for him based on political expediency.

Evangelizing this substantial group of people, few of which are likely already evangelical, could be a formidable task for the above reasons. Much successful evangelism might be limited to nonevangelicals already inclined toward Trump or who are apolitical. Church growth will be comprised of tranfers between churches with growth favoring certain churches but not so much overall growth wich could plateau. This is a consequence of the politicalization of Christianity. Should Trump lose and if the Senate turns Democratic (less likely) there may be a backlash against evangelicals and the policies they support.

The Trump apologetics and propaganda machine make it difficult to take his supporters seriously. It's one thing to support a candidate to get something that you want, another to try and bend every bizarre thing he says and does as if it makes some kind of sense, and to promote much of the phoney propaganda that circulates in the populist right wing media about his achievements.
 
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Sketcher

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The broad majority of active white evangelicals support Donald Trump. In many cases the support is solid and strong. Whether or not he wins reelection in November this legacy may have an enduring effect on evangelism. Many people see Donald Trump as morally corupt, lacking in basic values and integrity and racist.
Trump may have made it worse, but the rejection was already there. Trump wasn't even a candidate when many of these same people were rejecting the Christian message itself.

Evangelizing this substantial group of people, few of which are likely already evangelical, could be a formidable task for the above reasons. Much successful evangelism might be limited to nonevangelicals already inclined toward Trump or who are apolitical.
Apolitical people have the advantage of not making leftist beliefs into idols. I can't say that for many of the political leftists. Even if Trump's candidacy had died in the primaries like it should have, we would still have to contend with this.
 
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Carl Emerson

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What does matters in culture have to do with God drawing His own unto Him?

That would result in a political church - the true church was never political.

Look at how the early church grew - openly 'advertising' beatings, torture, hideous assassinations - yet we have never since seen such a phenomena of growth.

Just sayin...
 
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SoldierOfTheKing

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Evangelical support for him will be viewed as hypocritical, their support for him based on political expediency.

Supporting a political leader based on political expediency - imagine that.
 
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jgarden

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Challenges ahead for evangelicals

How ironic that one of this President's Supreme Court nominees voted with the 6-3 majority that guaranteed he rights of LBGTQ citizens under of the Civil Rights Act and that both voted against the bogus claim that the Commander-in-Chief was above the law!

Despite their support of this President, Roe v Wade has not been repealed and Evangelicals have relatively little to show for their Supreme Court strategy!
 
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Bobber

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The Trump apologetics and propaganda machine make it difficult to take his supporters seriously. It's one thing to support a candidate to get something that you want, another to try and bend every bizarre thing he says and does as if it makes some kind of sense, and to promote much of the phoney propaganda that circulates in the populist right wing media about his achievements.

Perhaps true but then there's the left wing media and their phoney propaganda for insinuating that some of Trump's achievements haven't been quite impressive. The propaganda which insinuates there was basically nothing Trump did that should attribute the economy taking off breaking records for the good which it did. And the propaganda which would like to claim, "Oh that was all because of Obama!" Sure. I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you if you believe that.
 
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loveofourlord

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Perhaps true but then there's the left wing media and their phoney propaganda for insinuating that some of Trump's achievements haven't been quite impressive. The propaganda which insinuates there was basically nothing Trump did that should attribute the economy taking off breaking records for the good which it did. And the propaganda which would like to claim, "Oh that was all because of Obama!" Sure. I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you if you believe that.

you have to actually show what trump did, and why it's not just the progress that obama made, three years in you have a better argument, but you guys were trumpeting trump improving the economy months into his presidency, you guys will use anything to make him look good.
 
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Bobber

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you have to actually show what trump did, and why it's not just the progress that obama made, three years in you have a better argument, but you guys were trumpeting trump improving the economy months into his presidency, you guys will use anything to make him look good.

Why shouldn't we. Things skyrocketed and the economy went into the stratosphere AFTER Trump was elected. Sorry but closing the eyes to this doesn't mean it wasn't a fact.
 
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jgarden

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Perhaps true but then there's the left wing media and their phoney propaganda for insinuating that some of Trump's achievements haven't been quite impressive. The propaganda which insinuates there was basically nothing Trump did that should attribute the economy taking off breaking records for the good which it did. And the propaganda which would like to claim, "Oh that was all because of Obama!" Sure. I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you if you believe that.
With 70,000+ testing positive daily and 40+ million unemployed, even Republican Governors are beginning to realize that their great gamble, with the encouragement of this President, to accelerate the reopening of their states' economies without adhering to the Trump Administration's own CDC guidelines has failed!

Whatever chances of resurrecting the American economy before the 2020 Election, which was this President's greatest campaign asset, have suffered major setbacks and been effectively squandered because Republican leaders repeatedly chose to ignore the advice of their own medical authorities!

The summer months were supposed to be the lull before the 2nd wave of the Pandemic, along with the regular flu season, reasserted themselves in the autumn!
 
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disciple Clint

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evangelicals are not going away and the game is far from over so it is a little early to make judgments or count chickens. Trump will be reelected and Christians will be far better for it. People are not thinking clearly about what the liberals want to do to this country, once it becomes obvious how the changes will effect lives people will not be willing to trade their freedom for a vote for Biden.
 
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KCfromNC

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Bobber

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With 70,000+ testing positive daily and 40+ million unemployed, even Republican Governors are beginning to realize that their great gamble, with the encouragement of this President, to accelerate the reopening of their states' economies without adhering to the Trump Administration's own CDC guidelines has failed!

Whatever chances of resurrecting the American economy before the 2020 Election, which was this President's greatest campaign asset, have suffered major setbacks and been effectively squandered because Republican leaders repeatedly chose to ignore the advice of their own medical authorities!

The summer months were supposed to be the lull before the 2nd wave of the Pandemic, along with the regular flu season, reasserted themselves in the autumn!

We'll see how it all plays out pretty soon but my post had nothing to do with the President not possibly making mistakes....it had to do with there's clear propaganda from the left mainstream media and not just the right.
 
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Arc F1

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The broad majority of active white evangelicals support Donald Trump. In many cases the support is solid and strong. Whether or not he wins reelection in November this legacy may have an enduring effect on evangelism. Many people see Donald Trump as morally corupt, lacking in basic values and integrity and racist. Evangelical support for him will be viewed as hypocritical, their support for him based on political expediency.

Evangelizing this substantial group of people, few of which are likely already evangelical, could be a formidable task for the above reasons. Much successful evangelism might be limited to nonevangelicals already inclined toward Trump or who are apolitical. Church growth will be comprised of tranfers between churches with growth favoring certain churches but not so much overall growth wich could plateau. This is a consequence of the politicalization of Christianity. Should Trump lose and if the Senate turns Democratic (less likely) there may be a backlash against evangelicals and the policies they support.

I see Trump for what he is. I will vote for him because he's the lesser of the two evils. He is the only one who is against abortion and the only one who will back Israel.
 
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istodolez

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evangelicals are not going away and the game is far from over so it is a little early to make judgments or count chickens. Trump will be reelected and Christians will be far better for it. People are not thinking clearly about what the liberals want to do to this country, once it becomes obvious how the changes will effect lives people will not be willing to trade their freedom for a vote for Biden.
itcontinues.jpg
 
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istodolez

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I see Trump for what he is. I will vote for him because he's the lesser of the two evils. He is the only one who is against abortion and the only one who will back Israel.

Trump's version (Kushner's version) of "Middle east peace" is going to ensure that the battles and unrest continue for the foreseeable future. If peace is anathema to American values then we are lost.

The "lesser of two evils" approach provided us with a President who has ceded the field to a virus and that virus is now increasing in daily death rates while the rest of the world is getting it under control. (Remember, one of the big slams on Hillary was 4 Americans died on her watch as Sec'y of State...Trump's body count is now north of 130,000 dead Americans. At least we know that Trump Supporter math has 130,000<4)

The "lesser of two evils" approach provided us with a President who kowtows to every dictator on the scene and who threatens and excoriates every one of our democratic allies.

Trump says he supports Evangelical interests. It is easy to "say" things. Very easy.
 
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driewerf

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I see Trump for what he is. I will vote for him because he's the lesser of the two evils. He is the only one who is against abortion and the only one who will back Israel.
So your complete political world view is based on two pillars -- abortion and Israel?
What about employment?
What about wages and labour protection?
What about consumer protection?
What about environmental protection?
What about foreign policy with the rest of the 190+ countries?
What about public education?
What about freedom of speech/ freedom of the press?
What about public infratructure?
What about healthcare?

Nope: abortion and Israel.
 
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pitabread

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Why shouldn't we. Things skyrocketed and the economy went into the stratosphere AFTER Trump was elected. Sorry but closing the eyes to this doesn't mean it wasn't a fact.

As someone with a background in finance, I find the constant attribution of economic success to specific presidencies more a little odd.

While government policies can certainly impact the economy, often the effects are a lagging measure. In some cases in takes years before they show up.

Likewise, America's economy doesn't function in isolation. It is impacted by world events and thus booms/busts may not be entirely attributable to specific economic policy.

If people want to attribute an economic boom to Trump's presidency, then by rights, you should also likewise attribute any economic declines under his watch.
 
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