Pin-drop silence from church leaders on Trump is deafening
When marriage equality was still just an idea looming on the horizon, it drove some church leaders to accept strange bedfellows.
Coalitions were formed. Rallies were held. Legislators were lobbied. Pastors wrote open letters to their congregations warning of dire consequences if LGBT couples were allowed to marry. Despite their high- profile campaign, they failed to stop the enactment of marriage-equality laws.
Has that failure made them shy? Is that why they have not, with few exceptions, rejected the very real challenge to Christian principles seen routinely now in our political discourse? Do they worry that their tax-exempt status might be placed in jeopardy by appearing to attack a particular candidate? At what point do they acknowledge that the language and behavior of one of our presidential candidates has crossed a moral threshold?
When a candidate is described as a “walking affront to the Gospels” by the conservative head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, one has to ask, “Are there no other champions for the Gospel willing to push back?”
For months we have been fed a relentless diet of hate, racism, misogyny, lies, xenophobia and a tasteless mocking of the disabled and those who cannot fight back — babies included. Yet none of this seems to have risen to the importance of marriage equality or women’s reproductive rights, at least as far as many church leaders are concerned.
New York Times columnist Charles Blow described the GOP nominee, accurately, as “the paragon of racial, ethnic and religious hostility” and “the hobgoblin of retrograde racial hegemony.” Yet there has been no outcry from our churches, no chorus of condemnation for his manifestly un-Christian pronouncements, or his record of leaving contractors unpaid, employees bullied, investors cheated and students scammed.
Are pastors for the Prince of Peace not repelled by calls to “bomb the hell out of ISIS,” to root out extremists “viciously”? Do our pastors accept as Christian the calls to “take out the families of terrorists,” to use torture, to go “beyond water-boarding,” to be ready to unleash nuclear weapons?
Where are the pastors who led their congregations in praying and imploring legislators to deny homosexuals the civil protections of marriage? Where is their outrage? Why are they not once again in the public square denouncing hate speech, the demonizing of refugees and immigrants and the incitements to violence?
Why are they not asking their congregations, “What would Jesus do?”
Why are they not talking about the sanctity of immigrant lives, refugee lives, black lives, Muslim lives?
People in the pews deserve to know if their pastors think that feeding off the Alt-Right movement led by people like Steve Bannon of Breitbart News is Christian. The so-called alternative right movement feeds the fiction that white people are being victimized by social justice efforts like Black Lives Matter, and threatened by political correctness, immigrants and Muslims.
We should acknowledge that there is some advice coming from church leaders. The election guide from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opens and closes by telling the faithful to ask how candidates will protect unborn children and defend traditional marriage.
Apparently, in the face of the hate being peddled in the public square, those remain the priorities.
Conservative columnist David Brooks recently said of fellow Republicans who refuse to disavow what is patently morally reprehensible: “If you are not in revolt, you are in cahoots.”
The same might be said of pastors who remain silent.
Dawn Webster is a communications consultant and issues advocate in Honolulu.
35 responses to “Pin-drop silence from church leaders on Trump is deafening”
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Hate confronted by dignity; racism has no place in today“s world.
Well said, Manakuke.
Yes indeed.
Are pastors for the Prince of Peace not repelled by calls to “bomb the hell out of ISIS,” to root out extremists “viciously”? — So the author is saying that if we only gave ISIS and other Islamic extremists hugs and kisses, as well as money and jobs, they would not try to attack the US and our Allies and would stop terrorist attacks and using suicide bombers (including children)? Whatever she’s smoking, please let me know!
The NY Times is the leader of the pinko newspapers which most newspapers have become.
The Democrats were bombing the hell out of ISIS until Obama crawled into his isolationist hole. And then Obama has been welcoming all into this country. He will convert it to an ISIS paradise.
Why is the author so hatefull towards Trump and religious leaders? Her accusing Trump of “hate, racism, misogyny, lies, xenophobia and a tasteless mocking of the disabled” is so very hateful and untrue! Trump’s detractors continue to manufacture these smears against him in their sleazy attempt to defame him. He doesn’t have a racist bone in his body according to those who know him best. He has no history of racism. He loves women dearly and has women at the highest levels in his organizations. He supports legal immigration and is married to an immigrant! He has NEVER mocked the disabled. He was accused of such recently and clearly explained that his hand gestures in question were in NO WAY meant to insult or demean anyone! He never knew that the reporter he was talking about at the time was a disabled man. Yet the smear merchants continue to bash Mr. Trump and his supporters. No matter what the truth, they lie and twist his words to try to justify their hate. The author should be more responsible and stop the sleazy smearing of our next President!
I find it ironic that your post clearly describes much of what is abhorrent about chump. Except that you are the one who is blinded by the red glow of the anti-christ. The pseudo-billionaire, by most teachings of Christ, can neither pass through the eye of a needle nor enter the kingdom of god. Finally, the author needs no help in smearing the chump. Every three days his forked-tongue contradictions do just that.
“Judge not lest you be judged.” You have harshly judged Mr. Trump with no evidence whatsoever. My post described nothing abhorrent. All I did was refute the outrageous and false smears the author made against Trump. Words like “the chump” and “anti-christ” to defame Mr. Trump are totally unjustified and reflect negatively on those who would use such smears. Please do not join the author in the gutter of hate.
We have years’ worth of evidence of his instability and deeply UN-Christian ways.
“Ye cannot serve both God and mammon,” the Good Book says. And tRump most definitely serves mammon.
chump misogyny: rosie odonnel; chump xenophobia: “Mexican” judge; chump racism: “there’s my african american”; chump hate: “KKK support”; chump lies: “Build a wall”; chump mocking disabled: if you don’t believe what you saw with your own eyes, why should you believe me.
It’s not like Hillary can “cast the first stone” because she is without sin.
sjean is incorrect. Rosie viciously attacked Trump and he strongly responded. That doesn’t mean that he hates women! He strongly responds to both men and women who viciously attack him. Does that mean that he hates men too? Trump never attacked Judge Curiel’s Mexican heritage. Trump just pointed out Judge Curiel’s bias in his court rulings against Trump. The judge is on record opposing the border wall and is a member of a pro Mexican group opposing US border laws. The judge should have recused himself from the Trump case. Trump was right to expose Curiel’s pro Mexico, anti-American anti-Trump biases. Trump has NEVER supported the KKK or any other racist group. There is ABSOLUTELY no record of this and he has repeatedly clearly denied ANY racism. Those who know him best say he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. Building a border wall is not a lie. In fact the law already exists requiring a wall but Obama refuses to obey this law. Trump has repeatedly said that his gestures were never intended to mock the disabled reporter’s disability. In spite of this you are intentionally misreading his gestures to smear Trump. It’s fine to oppose Trump on his programs and policies. However, viciously demeaning and smearing Trump and twisting and ignoring the facts of what Trump has ACTUALLY said is unacceptable and very wrong. Please stop doing this.
That’s the fad now for the Clinton supporters. Clinton can’t put anything good on the table so they resort to insults and lies. I have not seen or heard any hate, racism, misogyny, lies, etc for Trump. From the Clinton camp, yes. As Cankles gets more desperate, expect the lies and insults go grow. Trump has changed his stance on some issues but lest not forget all the issues Cankles was for before she was against.
I just read this article 4 times. No mention of Shillary anywhere.
She is in hiding as Trump will crush her. He is just getting started and loading up the team. HiLIARy’s defense is very weak and she has health issues.
I always laugh at churches and pastors and congregations which are so far to the left that they fall over the edge. These self-righteous folks spend nearly all their time on political issues and “doing good works” instead of actually worshipping God. Their “churches” are self-congratulatory social clubs with hardly any attention to prayer, confession, or sacraments. Like Barack Obama’s church in Chicago with Reverend Wright spewing hate toward America; or like Honolulu’s leftwing Church of the Crossroads or the First Unitarian Church on the Pali. They get a tax exemption because they are branded as “churches”, which means taxpayers (you and I) are forced to pay the taxes they otherwise would pay — and thus we are forced to pay for their social activism in support of political views we might strongly disagree with.
When a political candidate spends campaign contributions on personal stuff unrelated to the campaign, they are accused of fraud and might face fines or jail. The same should be true of a church or pastor which uses its tax-exempt status to support political activism instead of prayer, confession, or sacraments. Take away the tax exemption and I have no complaint — let them go as crazy with politics as they wish — freedom of expression rah rah. Just make them pay property tax, income tax, excise tax etc. so the church pays for trash collection, sewage, roads, police, fire, military, etc. on the same basis as those of us who disagree with their political propaganda.
I bet you never listened to a sermon by reverend Wright. You probably just rely upon sound bites from the pinko media which publishes a few words out of context. A pity.
What church isn’t a “social club”? And what does “prayer, confession, or sacraments” really accomplish? Why should tax payers have to pay for any of those feel good activities?
I am thankful that Honolulu has the Church of the Crossroads and the Unitarian church. They tend to follow the saying what would Jesus do.
Taking a few words out of context? Are you kidding me Boots? You just spelled out the whole Clinton strategy against Trump.
How so? Please explain. Clinton’s strategy against the Donald is to just sit back and allow him to put his foot in his mouth ever deeper.
The strategy is to twist Trump’s words and with the help of her many media allies then lie about what he actually said. All of this deception is designed to demonize Trump and make him into something he is not. Unfortunately too many voters listen to what the media SAYS Trump said rather than what he ACTUALLY said. For example, Trump said that crime was crossing our Mexican border as many of the smugglers were raping and abusing their own people illegally entering into our country. Somehow the media twisted that into Trump hating on ALL Mexicans and calling them ALL rapists which is totally NOT TRUE! Voters should listen to what the candidates say very carefully, not what the media REPORTS that they say.
Well Patriotic, whatever the Donald said, it just isn’t true. Mexicans do not come into the United States to abuse their own people. Why should they? They can stay in Mexico to do that. Fact is the Donald is just filled with imaginary fears and is a bit silly to think that a ft. ft. wall will solve any problem.
Boots says that Trump was incorrect when he talked about Mexicans and crime (rape, etc.). He was absolutely correct! It has been well documented that Mexican human smugglers abuse and rape many of the illegal immigrants they bring into our country. It’s a real problem.
Perhaps you are thinking of quotes such as:
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
But there are also recorded quotes such as:
“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
and:
“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
I think it fundamentally means do not be a hypocrite,
and
If you are engaged in something you should not be doing, you need to own up, and ask for a new start.
It will not destroy you, it will take you to a deeper level of being.
I agree that the tax exemption should be taken away from churches that take part in politics but that should go for all churches, not just the ones you consider on the left. All churches. Because the constitution says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” and it would be very difficult to determine when churches cross the political line, any law giving churches a tax exemption should be repealed. The tax emption is special treatment for a priveleged class. Consider the cost of and strain on infrastructure when a church is built in your neighborhood. Citizens should not have to cover that cost.
Nonprofit organizations are tax exempt. Churches are nonprofit organizations therefore they are tax exempt. Nonprofit entities (churches, etc.) do not lose their constitutional rights to free speech, etc. just because they are tax exempt. Of course they should be involved in public affairs and politics just as EVERYONE should be. No person or organization should ever be muzzled in our free and vibrant Republic. ALL voices should be heard in the public arena.
The article is riddled with bad logic.
For example, when you use the phrase “marriage equality” to support the idea of homosexual “marriages” you are engaged in equivocation, using the word “marriage” in its root sense, which involves a breeding relationship, and at the same time sneaking in a new definition in which its only basis is western style romantic relationships. Nothing wrong with redefinition, everything wrong with sneaky slight of hand.
The use of the phrase “reproductive rights” to include abortion is a similar kind of misinformation. Would a parent murdering a natural biological child be an example of “reproductive right”? Of course not, for the same reason that abortion should not be smuggled in under this otherwise high-sounding phrase.
Jesus said “by their fruits ye shall know them” and Trump bears bitter fruit and his apologists are sipping the kool aid.
I thought you were talking about Cankles!!
And Jesus said a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Hillary is a bad tree.
The NY Times is the leader of the pinko newspapers which most newspapers have become.
“Do they worry that their tax-exempt status might be placed in jeopardy by appearing to attack a particular candidate?” Yes, churches absolutely can lose their tax-exempt status by becoming involved in political campaigns. End of story inquiry – Ms. Webster, you could have ended your op-ed piece right there!
Why should churches or other nonprofits for that matter be politically muzzled? Aren’t church people also citizens too? Why should ANY person or group in our great Republic be shut up politically? It makes no sense at all! We should welcome ALL voices into our political discourse. Please stop discriminating against churches and their members. They are loyal Americans with the same rights you have.
Bravo, Dawn, but let’s expand that premise to the continuing silence on wars, of weapons to human rights violators such as ISRAEL and Saudi. Arabia, of Obamas drone assisinations, of Hillary Clinton’s blanket support of ISRAEL, a violator of International Law & Human Rights. The list goes on.. The Dakotas can use support in protecting their land from unwanted oil pipes from Canada. How quiet the churches about the genocide of PALESTINIANS in the Holy Land. I agree Trump is repulsive, but so is Hillary.
Trump is a Christian…and if you don’t believe it, just ask the two Corinthians…