I’m sure you’ve heard about how Donald Trump allegedly paid a porn star $130,000 in exchange for her silence about an affair between her and the man once caught on video bragging about grabbing women by the genitals against their will.
While both parties deny the story—which you’d expect if the bribe was indeed been paid—this scandal is once again shining a spotlight on how so-called Christian leaders have compromised the gospel for a seat at Trump’s table.
In a piece I wrote at the time of the release of the video mentioned above, I pointed out how evangelicals not only dismissed Trump’s lewdness, but defended him as a man "raised up by God” to be our president (as stated by Trump's religion advisor Michele Bachman) and not our pastor-in-chief (as Jerry Falwell, Jr. proudly proclaimed).
Values such as character and morality were secondary in God’s eyes because . . . #notHillary.
In one accord, evangelicals embraced the false binary choice between Dem and Dem-er, and they invoked the name of Christ as they defended Trump’s indefensible behavior—the same behavior they once condemned when it was Bill Clinton doing it.
With this history, it should come as no surprise that evangelicals are defending Trump against porngate, nor should it be a surprise that there are voices calling them out for their obvious hypocrisy.
In two pieces written for National Review, Jonah Goldberg and David French nailed it when they called out “social conservatives” and Christians for compromising their convictions—damaging America and the gospel of Christ.
- “Morality is supposed to be way, way upstream of politics. If your position is that your team doesn’t have to do right because the other team does wrong, you don’t really believe in doing right for its own sake.” - Jonah Goldberg.
- “There is a high cost for moral compromise . . . this is the time for the Christian moral witness.” - David French
Just prior to the election, I wrote a piece reminding those who defended Trump as God’s man that sometimes God raises up immoral leaders to bring judgment, not blessing, as He exposes the immorality of false prophets, teachers, and the deeds of the disobedient (Ephesian 5:12-13).
I think it would be wise for the Fellowship of the Pharisees surrounding Donald Trump, and anyone else defending him and his abhorrent behavior, to consider this possibility. More than likely, America and the church are about to get shook.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His daily radio commentary is nationally syndicated with Salem Radio Network and can be heard on stations across America.
