(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

PROTESTANT columnist Chuck Baldwin writes:

[J]erry Falwell Jr., Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, et al. have been gushing over Trump like he’s another John the Baptist who’s paving the way for the Messiah. These “Christian leaders” have the ear of millions of evangelicals. If these “great men of God” say it, it must be true.

But, again, that’s the superficial reason why evangelicals love Donald Trump. The real reason lies much deeper. Are you ready for this? The real reason evangelicals love Donald Trump is because they are just like him.

Thankfully, there are wonderful exceptions to what I am saying. Over my 44 years of Gospel ministry, I have come to know some of the sweetest, kindest, most loving, humble, godly, giving, honest and honorable Christian evangelists, pastors and people in the world: wonderful, precious souls. But without reservation or hesitation I can say that these terrific people are a small percentage of the whole. In word and deed, most evangelicals have a track record of being little more than miniature reflections of Donald Trump. Evangelicals love Donald Trump because in character and conduct he is truly one of them.

Liberal blogger Kevin Drum nailed it:

If you want to think of evangelicals as hypocrites, that’s fine. But don’t think of them that way because of Donald Trump. He is practically the apotheosis of conservative Christianity in America, not some weird, blustering outlier. No one should be either surprised or shocked that they love him.

However, there are four specific things about Donald Trump that make him achieve this almost god-like status with evangelicals.

No, it’s not his pro-life verbiage. Like Trump, most evangelicals only provide lip service to the pro-life cause. Evangelicals will look you in the eye and tell you that the GOP is a pro-life party. What a joke! Roe v Wade was passed by a GOP-dominated Supreme Court. The GOP has controlled the Supreme Court ever since 1973. The GOP controlled the entire federal government for 4.6 of G.W. Bush’s eight years in office. And they controlled the entire federal government for the first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Nothing was done to overturn Roe. Plus, know this: Nearly 50% of the women and girls seeking abortions are regular attenders of evangelical churches.

No, it’s not Trump’s anti-LGBT agenda verbiage. Most evangelicals are fine with the fact that homosexuality permeates their churches. Homosexuality is rampant in many Christian colleges and universities. It’s mostly hushed up; but almost everyone knows it’s there.

No, it’s not Trump’s pro-Second Amendment verbiage. First, Trump has already handed America more gun control than Barack Obama, and second, most evangelicals are as mushy on the Second Amendment as a bowl of hot grits. Tell me, when is the last time you heard the likes of Robert Jeffress and Franklin Graham say one word about the God-ordained right and duty to keep and bear arms?

No, it’s not Trump’s pro-limited government verbiage. Donald Trump has exploded the spending, size and scope of the federal government equal to or surpassing any of his predecessors.

No, it’s none of those things that make evangelicals love Donald Trump. Here are the four things that evangelicals absolutely love about Donald Trump.

1. Donald Trump loves money and so do evangelicals.

From their idolatrous love affair with the 501c3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization status of their “churches” to their opulent buildings to their success-driven “ministries” to their prosperity “gospel” to their golf club memberships to their all-expense paid luxury vacations, evangelical pastors and congregations love money. Even though he made his fortune via corrupt business practices, immoral bankruptcies, theft, Jewish mafia-backed criminal activity, tax evasion, etc., billionaire Trump is what many evangelicals wish they were.

2. Donald Trump hates Muslims and so do evangelicals.

One thing I have found to be consistent with evangelicals is their intense hatred toward the Muslim people—and the Palestinians as well. The evangelical sermons, seminars, rallies, community meetings, books, DVDs, periodicals, radio broadcasts, television broadcasts, etc., all spewing vitriol against the Muslim people are ubiquitous. Donald Trump gives these Muslim-haters justification for their hatred.

3. Donald Trump is a rabid Zionist and so are evangelicals.

The vast, vast majority of evangelicals are Christian Zionists. They worship all things Israel. Their misinterpretation of Genesis 12:3 (and the rest of Scripture relating to Israel) has turned our evangelical churches into little more than one big Zionist cult. Donald Trump could disappoint them on almost every other issue, but as long as he remains the rabid Zionist he is, evangelicals will continue to love him.

4. Donald Trump is a warmonger and so are evangelicals.

Support for Zionist Israel and support for foreign wars go hand in hand. In fact, take away the former, and it would automatically remove the latter. Evangelicals love war. They love the military. [cont.]

— Comments —

Randy B. writes on August 9, 2019:

Today I was slapped around by the opinions of Baldwin on Trump. I live very comfortably in the camp of ‘almost’ anyone is better than Obama, or Clinton, so I acquiesced and voted for Trump. A populist businessman over a foreign born communist sympathizing Muslim activist seemed like a sure bet, and while Obama was not running again, it could be, and has been soundly argued that his potential predecessor in Hillary might have been much worse.

Back to Mr. Baldwin. While he had what I consider to be several valid, if not entirely biased points, when he got to Trump loves money, all subsequent arguments fell apart. We all serve mammon in some capacity, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m happier when I have money or it’s provided flexibility, than when I don’t. Modern society and our survival depends on us being solvent. Most people out there want a better job, a nicer home, a more reliable car, a nice dinner out, less rugged clothing, et al., so when I completed Mr. Baldwin’s article I noticed his closing was to go to his site and buy his books it was hard to look beyond his pot and how black it was.

Mr. Baldwin has been a member of the Democrat, Republican, and Constitution Parties. He is listed as a Politician, Preacher, Doctor of Theology, Syndicated Radio Host/Spokesperson, and several other ventures, so for him to decry Trump’s “Love of money” seems a bit hypocritical. He is an ardent Anti-Zionist, and cries for the non-existent state and people of Palestine, which to me is a complete anomaly. I won’t venture down the road of arguing Biblical facts with a man who has spent the larger portion of his adult life in the ministry, but for a Christian the budding of the Fig Tree is the Christian version of canon.

Ironically, by and large I agree with many of his other stances. Unfortunately with his party waffling, and his constant state of mailability of definition and stances, I take issue with his blanket accusations. Maybe I’m naïve, but it seems to me that Trump has provided more positives than negatives, and he’s not been short on negatives.

Laura writes:

Thanks for writing.

I assume that Baldwin was not condemning ordinary and reasonable money concerns. Trump has long stood for excessive love of money. That’s basically what his image was all about before he ran for president; you know, the big tycoon with his name on his buildings and lavish properties decorated with ornate gilded furniture. As for Evangelicals who love money, I think of Trump’s favorite preacher, Paula White who appeared at his inauguration and delivered the invocation.

White is a popular proponent of prosperity gospel, a teaching that suggests God wants all Christians to be prosperous and that material wealth is a sign of God’s favor.

Yes, it is an anomaly for an American Protestant to sympathize with the Arabs in Palestine. I don’t accept your view that they are a “non-existent” people.

Baldwin needs help with the Bible and his religious views. Christ never spoke of the New Testament so it cannot be the primary foundation of the faith.

I won’t dissuade you from your support for Trump. You are not alone.

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