From our American correspondent, Esteban:
A common editorial page question of late is “how can Evangelical Christians support President Trump?” Some of these challenges are based on policies, for example arguing that securing the Southern border is somehow racist or immoral. Others challenge this support on the basis of style or personality. A recent column by Mary Sanchez (who writes for the Kansas City Star) is typical of the second variety. The entire 15-column article never delves into policies at all, strictly his personality or style.
She declares that President Trump is “the least Christlike president this country has ever had”. I’ve seen other letters making similar arguments, that the Bible calls on Christians to be humble, etc. OK, for the sake of argument let’s agree that Trump is a braggart, lacks humility, is often bellicose, etc., even more than other politicians. So, how do Evangelicals look the other way?
Well, let’s consider abortion, just for one example (there are other issues, but this should suffice). Evangelicals as a group are staunchly Pro-Life. They’re not monolithic, they have a range of positions – the vast majority support abortion if the woman’s life is in danger. Likewise, if her health is truly endangered. But as a group they believe that abortion for the sake of convenience is the killing of a human being. And they’re not down with the whole “it’s no big deal, just a bit of meaningless tissue” thing – at best it’s a necessary evil.
The Democrat Party in the U.S. today has a slightly different view: they support any abortion at any time for any reason. If a baby somehow survives an abortion, it is completely outside the woman’s body, the Party does not support saving the baby’s life. The Governor of Virginia said on camera that “the baby would be set aside and kept comfortable while the woman and her doctor decided what to do”.
So, if you’re an Evangelical, how do you weigh these two issues: Trump is a rude braggart, but the other party supports killing babies? Hmm, that’s a real toughie. A frequently told story claims that during the Civil War Abraham Lincoln was frustrated by his generals’ unwillingness to press the fight, Ulysses S. Grant being a notable exception. When someone complained to Lincoln that Grant was a heavy drinker he said find out what he drinks and send a case to all the other generals – one of these things is more important than the other.
For the moment put aside your position on abortion, or Mary Sanchez’s for that matter. For the moment we’re just trying to figure out how those crazy Evangelicals can support Trump, and it’s their position that matters. I’m pretty sure that Ms. Sanchez has a clue where Evangelicals stand on abortion. And yet, she can’t figure out how they overlook this SOB’s ego and rudeness.
‘… is a braggart, lacks humility, is often bellicose, etc.‘
Sounds just like any evangelical I have heard, so they clearly can identify with Orange Man.
Never encountered an evangelical explaining at the top of his/her lungs to passing miserable sinners why they should believe in the Word of the Lord, give up their carnal desires, their wicked and evil ways in order to escape hell-fire and eternal damnation when the day of Rapture comes and the righteous will ascend into Paradise to be with the Lord?
Did you never hear Ian Paisley?
Lucky me, I’ve missed out on the evangelicals.
But I’ve noticed plenty of Greens screaming that we should control population and stop raping the environment and farting out CO2 in order to escape the coming hellfire and human extinction.
They don’t mention eternal damnation though.
Sounds like the average misotheist or greenie to me. Rude, condescending and ignorant. Back on topic, I suggest Tim is assessing the Horns of the Dilemma the evangelicals (whatever they are) are in, in choosing the next USA glove puppet. Which is the lessor of two evils ?
If you want to go to some destination and you’re given a choice of a dirty, ramshackle bus full of loud and somewhat obnoxious people that is going to close where you want to go, or a another ramshackle but more expensive bus full of somewhat obnoxious people going in the opposite direction, which one are you going to take?
I can’t find Mary Sanchez either at Wikipedia or in the current contents at the newspaper website KansasCity.com, so perhaps she is no more an evangelist than the current Pope is Catholic, but just another leftie with a clever “wedge” to drive between Republicans.
Indeed the key question to ask is Sowell’s “Compared to what?” None of the Democrats are paragons of virtue, from the eat-the-rich hypocrites to boss-from-Hell Amy Klobuchar. Nor Obama, Clinton, LBJ, or Nixon. The Bushes at least cared about virtue, provided it didn’t cost too much political capital.
Spike, where is she described as evangelical ? Not in Tims article, unless my domestic blindness is worse than I thought Just a journo I read.
No, author Esteban didn’t say that Mary Sanchez was an evangelist. But one basis of a column purporting to tell Evangelical Christians what to do is that the author is one. (For instance, this might give Sanchez a basis to state how Christ-like Donald Trump is.) Another basis, again, is that she is simply a leftie ready to throw any nearby object at Trump backers.