Full disclosure right from the start. I used to be one of you. For many years, in fact. An evangelical, that is.

People who know me now find that difficult to believe, but it is accurate. So, for the rest of you, this is my moment of truth, my acknowledgment that I cannot accept any longer that what used to be religious viewpoints shared in a Sunday morning church context now have morphed into the Christian nationalist point of view that decries all beliefs except its own as heretical whether religious, political or philosophical.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

My personal belief structure does not bother me nearly as much as the troubling beliefs held by Christian nationalists, a term nearly synonymous with evangelicalism since Christianity Today states that 45% of Christian nationalists claim to be white, male and evangelical.

One of the biggest areas of consternation to me is why evangelicals as a group have endorsed and supported Donald Trump not only as president but have continued to support him twice more as a presidential candidate. He appears to stand contrary to every single thing they claim to believe except on a cursory level.

According to the Washington Post, more than 80% of evangelicals voted for Trump in 2020. I know. I have heard the argument, I dont want him to be my pastor; I want him to be my president!

In terms evangelicals used to use, this would elevate their following of Trump to cult status, a term that had been reserved for people such as Jim Jones, Charles Manson and David Koresh.

So, I am going to go out on one big, awkward limb here and state an area of confusion to me as an exvangelical (a term coined by podcaster Blake Chastain).

The same group that went ballistic over President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinskys blue dress doesnt seem to mind that neither Stormy Daniels nor the Man Who Would Be President were wearing any clothes.

Despite a conviction in a New York federal courtroom, Trump continues to assert, I did not have sex with a porn star!

In the but wait, theres more category, perhaps we should consider a few more foibles of the evangelical exception to the rule politicking that continues to be granted to Trump without so much as a sideways glance.

Moral character. If the evangelical dependence on Scripture is accurate, it is safe to assume they believe that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). Assuming that is the case, how is it he continually gets a pass on crude comments about women?

The documented list is a long one, from those aimed at former first lady Hillary Clintons inability to satisfy her husband and therefore the country, to talking about Kim Kardashians fat ass or the now-infamous line to Billy Bush about where to grab women.

Poking fun at those with disabilities. If anyone has ever been recognized as kind and tenderhearted to such people, one would guess it to be the Christian of whatever variety. Not so with Trump, who regularly at his campaign rallies performs his bad verbal imitation of a person with mental challenges.

Trump the Bible salesman. Soon after being hit with a multi-million-dollar verdict in one of his trials, Trump started selling Bibles, saying, All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. Its my favorite book.

Of course, the ones he is hawking are printed in a publishing operation he owns, but who is following that money?

Many evangelicals have acknowledged that Trump does not hold to their belief system, but that is easily excused because he is seen to be a person who fights for the things they believe in or against the things to which they are opposed.

These famously have included his despising of immigrants, whom he promises to mass deport immediately upon taking office (failing to recognize that Christ himself was an immigrant as his family fled to Egypt to escape a hateful tyrant) or his lack of support for Christs teaching to love your neighbor as yourself as seen in his frequent rants against the LGBTQ+ community.

Evangelicals have long been known for their tendency to believe that only their particular religious flavor is sufficient to gain entrance to their preferred afterlife. That has now morphed into the political viewpoint that only those who accept Trump as their president and savior can enjoy the good life here and hereafter.

That seems a little contrary to that pesky little First Commandment (its one of the top 10) that says, Thou shalt have no other Gods before me to which they have added except Donald Trump. Donald Trump is OK.

I still dont get it. Perhaps it is really just about the power after all.

Michael Shaffer of Fort Wayne is director of Ball State Universitys Masters in Educational Leadership Program and an associate clinical professor.

Read the rest here:

Exception to the Golden Rule: Supporting Trump requires suspension of religious beliefs - Fort Wayne Journal Gazette