Ben Howe’s theology stinks. He confuses Church and State, also Law and Gospel. He thinks one is ‘persuaded’ to be a Christian by other Christians, like politics. No, only God chooses by grace through faith in Christ through the Holy Spirit’s work in the Gospel.
The State is about power to maintain order, in order that the Gospel may be freely preached and heard, not banned by authorities. President Trump does exactly that.
Too bad Ben, you were raised in poor theology and now it disappoints you. A form of Pietism.
Howe, like many mega-church critics, prescribes mega-church leaders political power to tell their congregation what to believe and do.
What Howe misses or ignores, and what most critics of mega-churches miss and ignore, is the vast majority of Christians of personal faith who don't need a mega-church leader to tell them what to think and do.
You can't ascribe what goes on in a mega-church to every Christian. Howe and others lump 'evangelicals' into one united bloc which they aren't.
There's a difference between a mega-Church and Christians who don't attend mega-churches and who think for themselves.