Posted on 12/20/2019 2:04:37 PM PST by Impala64ssa
Christianity Today, one of the nation’s leading evangelical publications, published an editorial in 1998 calling on Bill Clinton’s resignation. In the midst of the Democratic president’s impeachment scandal, the magazine argued, “Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the President and those close to him have rendered this administration morally unable to lead.”
Two decades later, Christianity Today is making a point to remain consistent. The magazine’s latest editorial, written by Mark Galli, the publication’s editor in chief, is pretty brutal toward Donald Trump.
[T]he facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.
The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone – with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders – is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.
It’s worth noting for context that Mark Galli recently announced his retirement, and his last day at Christianity Today is two weeks from today. This matters insofar as the magazine’s editor may feel a greater sense of freedom, given his looming departure, to be even more candid in his assessments.
Nevertheless, what struck me as notable about the editorial, in addition to its striking conclusions, was Trump’s response. Plenty of publications, including the editorial boards of many of the nation’s leading daily newspapers, have run pieces in recent weeks calling for the president’s impeachment and ouster, but all have gone ignored by the Republican.
This one, however, prompted an angry Twitter response.
“A far left magazine, or very ‘progressive,’ as some would call it, which has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family for many years, Christianity Today, knows nothing about reading a perfect transcript of a routine phone call and would rather have a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President,” he wrote. “No President has done more for the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close. You’ll not get anything from those Dems on stage. I won’t be reading ET again!”
There was, to be sure, an enormous amount of nonsense packed into the pair of presidential tweets. Christianity Today, for example, is not, and has never been, a “far-left” publication. What’s more, Trump’s impeachment was about more than the July 25 call, which was not at all “perfect.” There are also no “radical” atheists, determined to take away anyone’s religion, running for the White House, and even if there were, if the president were removed from office, his replacement would be Mike Pence.
But this was the line that stood out for me: “No President has done more for the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close.”
Note, at no point in Trump’s response did he make any effort to defend his morality, character, or sense of right and wrong. Rather, the Republican’s instinct, once again, was to turn to a transactional model: he’s taken steps to make evangelical Christians happy, so he expects evangelical Christian publications to overlook his corruption – moral, political, legal, or otherwise.
It’s effectively the same as the president’s sudden offensive against the Dingell family: Trump believes he struck a quid pro quo, and he’s outraged by his partner’s willingness to break the perceived agreement. The religious right movement made the bargain – politically active Christian conservative leaders have already said they’ll turn a blind eye to the president paying hush money to porn stars, for example, in exchange for action on their wish list – and Trump seems annoyed by the evangelical magazine’s reluctance to follow suit.
As the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent put it, “In an unwittingly self-revealing moment, Trump responded to the magazine’s indictment of his profound moral failings with an argument that is thoroughly transactional and megalomaniacal: How dare you criticize me, after all the power I’ve granted to your movement? You’re breaking our deal, and now you’re dead to me.”
Exactly. The president seems to believe he’s bought the fealty of certain constituencies, and when he learns otherwise, he lashes out angrily.
Unfortunately for Trump, however, in this case, he’s helped prove his critic correct. The Christianity Today editorial characterized the president as a deeply flawed man who is “morally lost and confused.” His response was practically a confession that the assessment is true.
This is from the Wikipedia page from this guy’s seminary (Fuller Theological Seminary):
Social issues
While Fuller has established policies, the seminary is open to difference in opinion among students and faculty.[22] The seminary’s current president, Mark Labberton, marched in favor of comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants in 2013.[23] Others have expressed support in the Fuller forum for the “Black Lives Matter” movement as raising awareness for civil rights.[24] In 2015, some faculty at the seminary called on Christians to openly discuss, with respect, issues related to race, gender, sexual orientation, refugees, and immigrants.[25] While the seminary officially recognizes marriage as “between a man and a woman”, the seminary did allow an LGBTQ student club to organize on campus; the club, “OneTable”, became the first LGBTQ group organized within an evangelical seminary.[26]
MSNBC is troubled by immorality and inconsistency!!! I love it! And such devotion to The Constitution to boot.
reads like a lukewarm Christian. Makes sense now.
It’s worth noting for context that Mark Galli recently announced his retirement, and his last day at Christianity Today is two weeks from today.
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Decided to use his last chance to shiv the President.
Very Christian of him..../s
“A far left magazine, or very ‘progressive,’ as some would call it, which has been doing poorly and hasn’t been involved with the Billy Graham family for many years, Christianity Today, knows nothing about reading a perfect transcript of a routine phone call and would rather have a Radical Left nonbeliever, who wants to take your religion & your guns, than Donald Trump as your President,” he wrote. “No President has done more for the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close. You’ll not get anything from those Dems on stage. I won’t be reading ET again!”
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More truth from President Trump’s twitter account than all of the outlets of the Ministry of Propaganda combined.
POTUS Bill Clinton committed eleven separate Crimes including eight Felonies as outlined in the Starr Report.
POTUS Donald Trump committed ZERO Crimes as outlined in the Mueller Report.
This is what Nancy Pelosi said when asked about the comparison of the Clinton Impeachment to what she is doing against Trump:
“I mean, I love him, I think he was a great president, but being stupid in terms of that, what would somebody do, not to embarrass their family, but in any event, so they did Bill Clinton,”
Yep, a perfectly good reason for Bill Clinton to commit eight Felonies. Those mean Republicans should have left poor Bill alone so it’s time to get even.
MSNBC lecturing US on morals?!?!?!?!?!
THAT’S rich.
It is profoundly immoral that Trump ask the president of Ukraine to investigate corruption? Oh, OK.
Fun, fun, fun!
Fuller has always been far left. They would probably like Netflix’s portrayal of Jesus.
quoting:
“Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the President and those close to him have rendered this administration morally unable to lead.” Two decades later, Christianity Today is making a point to remain consistent”
THAT’s TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY FALSE!
CToday has ZERO evidence of a single impeachable offence or moral dysfunction by PDJT
and yet they line themselves up with the lying commies and other anti=Biblical “radicals” of the extreme left... in repeating the Big Lie against Trump
again, CT is LYING LYING LYING along with its Communistic allies
and its ESPECIALLY IMMORAL for a supposedly “Christian” publication to be doing this!
GTH CT!
we have stopped reading CT, period., end of file.
Spread you damned lies elsehere
First, msnbc can’t be serious about Mr Trump dumbing down the morality of the white house. The Clintons ended any veil of morality.
Second, Christianity Today is on the left end of the evangelical spectrum.
Indeed, and it bears repeating.
This writer, Benen, has no clue about the lines of division in Christendom today. There should be none, but there are. In Protestantism, I see 3 distinct factions which, unfortunately, consider each other in the wrong.
1) There is the loosey-goosey, social justice oriented Christian left. They’re not Christian, they’re CRINOs. Take away the fake Christian and all that’s left is Left. They have absolutely no use for President DJT. I don’t take any rebuke from them, whatsoever.
2) There is the Puritan, covenant-oriented calvinistic faction. They are mostly postmillennial (i.e., Jesus comes to earth at the END of the millennium, so we’re “already in it, if it even exists”). “Signs of the times” do not exist because Revelation already happened in 70 AD. They think the Church will Christianize the world; then Jesus will come. It irritates them when dispensationalists point to Israel’s return in 1948 as a signal event to the end-times. They are extremely holy and irritated that DJT is not their idea of what a Christian should look like. Don’t get me wrong: many from this faction like DJT; but the purest of them don’t. This faction can be occasionally impressed by the President, but it’s like they think they have him on a “short leash”.
3) Then there are those Christians who are dispensationalists. They DO see signs that things in this old world are ramping up toward rebellion not unlike the times of Noah when the imagination of men was only evil continually, or the times of Lot when perversion was so rampant it threatened the continuance of civil society. Their view of these times includes intense support of Israel, a literal interpretation of Christ’s Olivet Discourse, where He foretold of Great Tribulation such as the world had never seen nor ever would again. This faction most heartily embraces this President as a champion par excellence.
I’ve oversimplified, I know. But the writer is Type 1, Christian Left. Christianity Today is Type 2, as is my Alma Mater, Wheaton, I’m sad to say. I am Type 3, and I’m extremely excited to have Donald Trump as my modern-day King Cyrus, or maybe Jehu, who came into Israel and cleaned house on the Jezebel monarchy.
“The Christianity Today editorial characterized the president as a deeply flawed man who is “morally lost and confused.” His response was practically a confession that the assessment is true.”
1. I am a Christian.
2. I have read and studied the Bible all my life and I am much more conversant with it than the average person and most ministers.
3. I have heard Trump talk and give speeches for the last 3 - 4 years.
4. I have never seen him do anything or heard him say any thing that is morally lost and confused, i.e. contradict scripture if it has bearing on the concept.
5. Based on that, any religious leader who stands up and tries to persuade me any different and tries to use his religious leadership as a club to pummel Trump with can go to hell. And I care not who it is.
Mark Galli is unambiguously dumber than bringing a pet skunk to a church picnic.
Someone needs to remind Christianity Today lying and bearing false witness are still sins. Real Christians stand with the truth even when it challenges their political indoctrination. Here is the truth
FLASHBACK, 2018: Joe Biden Brags At CFR Meeting About Withholding Aid To Ukraine To Force Firing Of Prosecutor
Just because Biden is now a political opponent does not make him immune from investigation for possible wrong doing while VP. The Democrat party has reckless lied to the US People during this whole impeachment scam. The President has both a legal and a moral obligation to have this investigated. Their “Abuse of power” accusation is an absurd lie with not a hint of shred of a clue of either legal, or moral, legitimacy.
Galli/Gallo ? Perhaps he will be happier in his next job.
All this bickering and political partisan stuff is a joke. We have real enemies that are ready to take America down, and they are getting close to opening the gates, and we’re asleep, lost in a maze of bull. Yeah lets just keep doing what we are doing and nitpick and keep this charade alive while hell is on its way. We need God and we need God now today. The strong good God. To whip us in shape - fast. Or this is not going to go well.
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