The politics of idiotic hypocricy

November 20, 2022

By Mike Weland
Publisher

"Donald Trump can't save America. He can't even save himself. He used us to win the White House," Dr. Mike Evans was quoted saying in a recent New York Times article. "We had to close our mouths and eyes when he said things that horrified us. I cannot do that anymore."

Dr. Michael D. Evans is, according to the website jerusalemprayerteam.org, "an award-winning journalist who has served as a confidant to multiple Prime Ministers of Israel and leaders in the Middle East for more than two decades. He has spoken in thousands of churches and appeared on hundreds of network television and radio shows, including Good Morning America, Crossfire, and Nightline, including multiple appearances on the 700 Club."

He was one of the good evangelical Christians who met with former president Donald J. Trump at the White House early on in his tenure to pray for the president and laud him as God's instrument to restore their concept of true Christian values to this great but faltering nation.

The day after Trump's announcement of a 2024 presidential candidacy, the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, a group pledged to advocate for antiabortion policies and to “uphold the sanctity of marriage as a sacred union exclusively between one man and one woman,” honored James Robison, president of the Christian group Life Outreach International and once Trump's spiritual advisor, asked, "If Mr. Trump can’t stop his little petty issues, how does he expect people to stop major issues?

"Everything you wanted him to hear — every single thing you ever prayed for him to hear — came through these lips right straight into his face. 'Sir, you act like a little elementary schoolchild and you shoot yourself in the foot every morning you get up and open your mouth The more you keep your mouth closed, the more successful you’re gonna be!'"

In the wake of Trump's 2016 election, Robison called Trump "a supernatural answer to prayer."

A miracle of God.

This is not an editorial about religion or Donald J. Trump. It is about the abject danger of hypocrisy, the danger of extremism in any form. About religion and politics run amok, of how easily even our most intelligent and reasonable can be co-opted to support lies in order deliver to the unscrupulous results unearned based on premises unwarranted.

As is evident now in hindsight, Donald Trump harnessed racism and Christian nationalism so as to gain power in 2016. He empowered the lunatic fringe, gave them hope. And praise be, how they did adore him.

In four years, Trump's most memorable accomplishment was to remain a force in politics, even after two impeachment trials, stacking courts across the nation with unqualified sycophants and inciting insurrection on the basis of lies.

His fervent evangelical supporters, who were once convinced they were seeing the second coming and praised God to the highest for sending them a savior now seem to question God ... dammit! We didn't get what we wanted!

As I recall, the same thing happened when Jesus was the Messiah. It didn't work out so well for him, but as I understand it, the example of Jesus still defines Christianity.

I haven't confirmed, and doubt I will because Mt. Hall Community Church is a church in good standing with a federal tax exemption and a law-abiding white pastor, but I've been told that the IRS has been informed that Pastor Boone has used his pulpit to endorse and advocate causes and candidates, that Pastor Bob has advocated idiots. Not because he likes them, but because they promise to impose his will.

I distrust any who assert the are right. Invariably, they are wrong.