Monday Club — An American Christian Mini-Post X
Let’s talk about that attempted coup.
A while back, I wrote a chapter dedicated to American Evangelicalism and another one dedicated to Violence and Militarism. Both of these articles perfectly reflect exactly what happened on January 6th, 2021, in Washington D.C., as thousands of MAGA chuds rallied outside the Capitol attempting to overturn the election at the behest of their dear leader.
Several insurrectionists broke inside, thanks to the police's help, killing five people while trashing the place. Stealing mail and podiums, sitting at senator's desks, and smearing feces on the walls. It was certainly a great day for the United States.
Many of these protesters were Qanon believers, and many more of them were Christians. There was really no telling the difference between the two. Nor was there a way to tell the difference between those carrying the Christian flag as opposed to those carrying a Confederate or even a Nazi flag. While I’m sure many a pulpit was pounded the following Sunday attempting to condemn these actions, let’s not forget just who the hell has been egging them all on for the past several decades.
Over the past week, I’ve checked in on the Joneses to see if they had any thoughts they might want to add to this discussion. Any words of condemnation for those who participated in the attempted coup, perhaps a strong tongue lashing for their Trump-loving followers? No. Not a word. At least not that I was able to find. Although this doesn’t surprise me, I still wish it were different.
This is a chance, and a pathetically simple one at that, for all Christian leaders to condemn Trumpism in its truest form. While some Evangelical leaders did do this, it’s also far too little and far too late.
While I’m sure there are plenty of people that agree with my perspectives and political leanings, I know that not everyone does. I don’t expect you to. As much as I would like to avoid politics altogether while writing, it’s impossible to do so. Evangelicalism and the Republican Party are symbiotic. They are so intertwined that it’s impossible to separate them.
So, why did this dumb bullshit happen? Well, outside of Donald Trump using his bully-pulpit for his own benefit and the destruction of others, church leaders across the nation decided in 2016 that they were going to embrace this man, hell or high water.
What Rob Fee says in his post is dead-accurate. I lived it. I saw it everyday for over two decades. It takes nothing more than minimal lip service to persuade the cult of American Christianity to embrace and passionately support someone like Donald Trump. Many people have done the same with Ted Cruz, despite him being adamantly against Trump all those years ago. Ted is a pathetic coward and a liar, but it doesn’t matter. He says he’s a Christian and occasionally quotes the Bible, so GOOD ENOUGH!
I know that many Christians across America have furrowed their brows and shook their head almost every time Trump said or Tweeted something asinine or racist, but they never stopped supporting him. “Well, I don’t like what he tweets, but you know he’s done a lot of good things” Nope. Sorry, that’s horseshit, and you aren’t fooling anyone, let alone yourself. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead. The country is divided more than ever; there’s been an insurrection, unhinged conspiracy theories are running rampant, and families have been torn apart because of the dedication required to support this demagogue.
All because self-serving bullshit artists like Franklin Graham and Kenneth Copeland told their followers and the rest of the country that it was all ok. That Trump was “called by God.” That he was “a baby Christian, but still a Christian.” That Trump was called for “such a time as this.”
They gave power to white supremacists, bigots, and hatemongers all in the name of God. Fuck you, you lying, cowardly, selfish, monstrous assholes. There is blood on your hands.
I try very hard not to let my anger bleed through when I write. I’ve covered many topics that make my blood boil and lived through many experiences that still infuriate me to this day. This, however, pisses me off to no end. It’s disgusting and shameful. We’re on the world’s stage and our pants are around our ankles.
I’m not here to condemn all Christians. I know there are many believers that have condemned Trumpism and toxic theology from the beginning. People that honestly love one another. People that work hard for their communities and strive to bring change through social justice. People that have marched with BLM and have worked hard on Police and healthcare reform. People that act like Jesus.
Unfortunately, they’re the minority.
None of this is shocking, it’s the natural evolution of things. When your faith is inundated with conspiracy theories, false or misleading information, political rhetoric, and straight-up lies, of course this is what happens. People were conned into believing that Trump is a savior when in reality he’s a buffoon and an egomaniacal idiot.
And church leaders across America knowingly stoked the fires.
