Walking away from the false theology and flawed politics of far right wing Evangelicalsm

[lees1975]

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/10/leaving-american-evangelicalism-behind.html

"Theology is not necessarily the defining characteristic of evangelicalism. Whiteness, capitalism and power helped to develop an evangelical industry. The theology takes a back seat. That may not be the case for every single person that uses the term "evangelical." But conservative, white Evangelicals act in a particular way and that deserves our attention. It deserves to be criticized within those terms, as much as whether they live up to their espoused theological beliefs.--Blake Chastain, podcast host, author, Exvangelical and Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That's Fighting Back.

Trump's lifestyle is his clearest expression of his complete and total denial of any kind of religious belief, Christian, cult or pagan. There's no evidence here of his belief in the existence of any kind of god, because he elevates himself to the highest place of importance in his universe, and that's what he cares about. If he has to give away a few insignificant political points, like supporting the religious right's opposition to abortion, he'll do that as long as he benefits the most in return.

He's shown some willingness to throw his Evangelical supporters under the bus as he has realized his stances on abortion, and his helping by appointing the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, have cost him large numbers of votes. He's also openly denied having anything to do with Project 2025, though his fingerprints are all over it, because when it leaked out prior to the RNC, it also wound up costing him votes, ultimately a lot of them. It hasn't really dented his MAGA base much, but he can't win on the strength of their votes alone, and he has lost a significant number of votes among independents, and among members of his own party who aren't so much in the MAGA base.

He basically figured out, once he got politically conservative Evangelicals in his back pocket, that their "theology" is cultural, not doctrinal. "Whiteness," and the idea that the United States was once a Christian nation that must be "take back" are their theological and doctrinal pillars, not anything that Jesus said or taught, is where they invest their faith practice. And they've come up with several points aimed at nullifying Jesus and putting Trump in his place, including the cliche, "God sometimes uses evil men to achieve his purposes." That's theological heresy.

In the Christian gospel, Jesus is the man God sent to achieve his purposes. Claiming that Trump is doing this is idolatry, by definition, but those who make the claim know nothing of the significance or importance of this theological point. They are making Trump into their savior, which is a denial of who Jesus was, something the Apostle John calls "antichrist." [I John 4:1-3]

[ck4829]

1. Good for these people escaping from this nightmare

[madashelltoo]

2. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. Luke 10:10

Remind you of anyone?

[EYESORE 9001]

3. The extent to which so-called evangelicals have thrown in with this charlatan has been a wake-up call for me

For a people who tout their spirituality, they must have not bothered to stand in line when the Holy Spirit was dispensing spiritual discernment.

[FakeNoose]

4. IMHO American Evangelical leaders lost their way long before Chump was on the scene

Remember Pat Robertson? Jimmy Swaggart? Jerry Falwell? Jim Bakker?

There were so many, and they all had their own TV shows and lived in mansions.
Most were involved in politics of one kind or another.

[lees1975]

5. I was in college when Falwell, Robertson and a guy named James Robison came out with their endorsement of

Reagan. And that was it for me. I'd already been able to distinguish between the folk religion that passed for Christianity, known as "Evangelicalism," and the genuine Christian gospel, rooted in history and culture. The fact that these guys could endorse someone like Reagan over Carter, who, by contrast, was perhaps the most genuine Christian ever to serve in the White House told me these guys were not able to recognize the authentic faith and they were all false prophets. They all got the money out of it that they wanted.

These phonies that follow Trump are hypocrites too.

[prodigitalson]

6. They compare him to the Persian King Cyrus who freed the Hebrew elite from the Babylonians... problem is

nowhere in the bible does it say King Cyrus was a complete moron who ranted and raved about sharks and batteries (or whatever the bronze age equivalent of batteries were). And if Cyrus were like Trump he would never have conquered the Babylonians to begin with because the Babylonians would have flattered him and gotten all the Persian secrets out of boxes in Cyrus' shitter

[Skittles]

7. I will forever think religion is proof people can be made to believe ANYTHING