A Christian writer in the Charlotte Observer has called out his fellow believers who still remain loyal to former President Donald Trump despite his history of alleged criminal activity and general un-Christ-like behaviour.
Isaac Bailey said his brothers and sisters in faith were being duped into believing that Mr Trump shared any of their alleged values by the former president and the GOP, admonishing them to "wake up."
His piece was inspired by the words of Russel Moore, a Christian leader and editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, who said Mr Trump's influence has resulted in some members of his faith community claiming that Jesus's teaching showed weakness.
"Maybe in their minds, Trump is the Jesus of Revelation," Mr Bailey wrote, citing the final book of the Bible that describes a revelation to the Apostle John that many adherents take as a description of the end times. "He’s the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords with a sword in his mouth who has come back to judge the righteous and unrighteous, to wage war."
He reasoned that perhaps their belief that Mr Trump represents that figure is why they refuse to think critically about the former president.
"It’s why they view every Trump indictment not as democracy working as intended, upholding the principle that no man is above the law, but as akin to a lash from a Roman soldier’s whip on Jesus’ back. I wish it weren’t true. But it is," he wrote.
He cited a Christian man, Edgar Maddison Welch, who took the "Pizzagate" conspiracy to heart and showed up at Comet Ping Pong Pizza in Washington DC armed and on a mission to save non-existent children from non-existent child abuse at the restaurant as an example of believers falling for the right-wing "hoax."
Mr Bailey said Welch should serve as a lesson to Christians buying into conservative conspiracies.
"I hope those who’ve come to believe Trump is here to save us wake up before it’s too late for us all," he said.
Conservative Christians have been tying themselves in knots since 2015 attempting to justify their support of Mr Trump despite the fact that his behaviour and actions often appear inconsistent with the teachings of Christ.
Donald Trump holds a Bible outside a church in Washington DC in 2020— (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
A 2018 movie, The Trump Prophecy, is loosely based on the "true" story of a firefighter who received a revelation from God that the former Celebrity Apprentice host would return America to a righteous path.
Australian Cardinal George Pell said Mr Trump was "a barbarian, but in some important ways, he is 'our' barbarian," while promoting a new book.
Mr Moore, whose writings prompted the Charlotte Observer editorial, said he believes that Christianity is in crisis, and that Mr Trump is a major reason why.
He recalled pastor friends telling him that following preaching that paraphrased Jesus' Sermon on the Mount — which includes exhortations like "turn the other cheek" — some parishioners would ask them where they got their "liberal talking points."
“And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ,' the response would not be, 'I apologize.' The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak,'" he said during an interview on All Things Considered. "And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis."
