Debate and division
Evangelical community continues complicated relationship with Trump
VOTE — Evangelical leaders supported Trump throughout the election season.
Photo Credit: Leah Seavers
President Donald Trump finds himself at odds with many in the voting bloc that carried him to the White House after placing a now-contested ban on refugees from seven nations, indicating that his complicated relationship with Evangelicals is set to continue.
Trump’s dealings with Evangelicals have long been troubled, as respected leaders once expressed polar-opposite positions on the then-candidate.
Some frequently spoke out against Trump, with Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission writing in The Washington Post that “what’s at stake here is far more than an election.
… The damage done to the gospel witness this year will take longer to recover from than those 1980s televangelist scandals.”
Others acknowledged their hesitancies about Trump’s morality and questionable rhetoric but called attention to his actual views on issues, which, in many cases, aligned with Evangelical views.
Trump welcomed Evangelicals like no other president in recent history, even creating an advisory board of top Christian leaders, some of whom were openly critical of him.
But Election Day seemed to put to rest any debate over Evangelicals’ support of Trump.
Some exit poll surveys indicate more than 80 percent of white Evangelicals voted Trump.
After all, the promise to fight abortion, provide religious freedom for Christians and appoint conservative Supreme Court justices were stances Evangelicals would all get behind.
Most of the first few days of the Trump administration went according to plan for Evangelicals.
Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the March for Life, and Trump tweeted his support for the event, calling it “so important.”
He also reinstated the Mexico City policy, which bans foreign-aid funding from going to non-governmental organizations that provide abortions.
But Friday, Jan. 27, Trump swiftly followed through on his campaign promise to tighten border control, issuing an executive order titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States” that suspended all refugee admissions for 120 days.
Many Evangelical leaders and relief organizations quickly expressed their disapproval of the order.
A coalition of groups including the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief and World Vision wrote a letter to Trump saying they are “troubled” by the order and “the refugee resettlement program provides a lifeline to these uniquely vulnerable individuals and a vital opportunity for our churches to live out the biblical commands.”
The strong disagreement with one of Trump’s signature promises indicates that even though Trump captured the Evangelical vote, his relationship with them over the next four years could be filled with more tension than during the campaign.
The executive order may not be the last time Evangelicals and liberals express mutual disagreement with Trump.
His relationship with Vladimir Putin has drawn criticism across the board.
Even though many Evangelicals supported Ronald Reagan’s tough stance on Russia in the 1980s, some are open to the two forging a relationship, such as Pastor Robert Jeffress, who said, “I do not fault (President) Trump for trying to find common ground with Russia — or any nation, especially when it comes to eradicating ISIS,” according to The Atlantic — a stance that is sure to divide the faith community because of Russia’s poor record on religious freedom.
Trump also expressed his support for torture, a practice condemned by many Evangelicals, including radio host and frequent Trump supporter Eric Metaxas, who tweeted, “No Christian can support torture, whether it works or doesn’t. America has never needed to stoop to such levels.”
During the election, many Evangelicals may have withheld sharp criticism of Trump because of their fear of spurring Hillary Clinton to victory.
But now that Trump won the White House, his policies and rhetoric — and his tweets — will continue to be closely scrutinized by the faith community and certainly bring about more debate.