June 8, 2020
1. News and reactions to protesters removed from near the White House so President Trump could have a photo-op holding a Bible in front of a church.
DC Episcopal Bishop: 'I Am Outraged' by Trump Church Visit
A priest was forcibly removed from the patio of the church before the visit.
Statement from American Bible Society:
In this time of pandemic fear and social isolation, in this time of racial injustice and senseless violence, in this time of economic uncertainty and generational pain, we should be careful not to use the Bible as a political symbol, one more prop in a noisy news cycle.
Franklin Graham:
And I’m not offended that he held up the Bible—as a matter of fact, I was encouraged! I appreciate it. I believe that God’s Word is the only hope for each individual and for our nation.
Jack Graham (no relation):
My take? The President walked to an historic church and held up the Eternal Word of God and publicly declared his faith and demonstrated solidarity with people of faith. I am praying for my President and his family.
(My response.)
Robert Jeffress:
I imagine George Washington had his share of critics who accused him of a photo-op when he knelt down in prayer at Valley Forge.
Tony Perkins:
Any other leader visiting a church in the middle of a nationwide street war would have been praised for his solemnity, his search for healing. Not this president.
Johnnie Moore:
I will never forget seeing @POTUS @realDonaldTrump slowly & in-total-command walk from the @WhiteHouse across Lafayette Square to St. John's Church defying those who aim to derail our national healing by spreading fear, hate & anarchy. After just saying, "I will keep you safe."
Ben Sasse:
There is a fundamental — a Constitutional — right to protest, and I’m against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop.
Rod Dreher:
This is obscene! Cities are burning, and he's using the Bible and the church for a campaign clip. God help us, we need a real leader in the White House now, not this fake-Christian reality TV clown.
Ed Stetzer and Andrew MacDonald:
This episode laid bare a fundamental misunderstanding we must recognize and confront: The Bible is not a tool for political photo ops.
Jim Wallis and Adam Taylor:
Last night, Donald Trump used and abused a church, and a Bible, as presidential props for a photo-op. In a violent and authoritarian act, the president of the United States took the space of a church and used a picture of a Bible to make a political move.
Andrew Whitehead:
How do we square Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric with a photo-op in front of a church he did not enter, holding a Bible he did not seem to own, after not speaking to any clergy?
The answer is Christian nationalism.
Michael Gerson:
Trump is attempting something ambitious and revolting. He is trying to reshape the content of Christian social engagement in his own image. He is making the claim that brutalizing protesters, disdaining migrants, excluding refugees, discriminating against Islam and treating opponents with casual cruelty are the natural elements of a biblical ethic. And he is using the Bible itself as a kind of talisman or fetish, carried into culture war conflicts. “In this sign,” Trump seems to be saying to his followers, “you will conquer.”
A prayer vigil was planned for the next day at the same location but police prevented them from going to the church.
For some humorous responses, see @drewdyck and @aoc.
2. On Christians and racism:
An evangelical group led a march in DC on Sunday that drew 10,000 people, including Mitt Romney.
Statement from National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
I call upon Christian leaders to join us in a call for justice and reform. Our call for justice is for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others like them, but our call for reform is an acknowledgement that we have yet to thoroughly root vestiges of bigotry and racism that hinder and obstruct trust between our communities of color and those who claim to serve and to protect them. These systemic injustices must be addressed; they must be purged from our system, once and for all.
Statement from National Evangelical Latino Coalition.
Statement from National Association of Evangelicals.
Center for Public Justice: "Principles for Racial Justice in Policing"
Mike Pence had a listening session with conservative black church leaders. You can watch the whole thing here.
Kyle Howard on a prior church job in which he was told he couldn't criticize Trump or talk about racial justice.
Regarding our church (Immanuel Baptist Church), I was given an ultimatum by the staff pastors to either stop talking about racial justice and criticizing Donald Trump on social media or continue and have ministry opportunities and pastoral relationships withheld.
3. Trump was asked if he has grown in his faith as president.
So I think maybe I have, from the standpoint that I see so much that I can do. I’ve done so much for religion. The Johnson amendment, getting rid of it, Mexico City … Two Supreme Court justices.
4. Supreme Court of Texas is taking a case on whether a church can be sued by priests who were outed as sex offenders.
7. PRRI poll on Trump and religious groups.
Trump favorability is back down to normal among most religious groups after a spike in March. White Catholics showed the biggest drop and is now at only 37%. Nonwhite Protestants are more supportive now, 40%, than they were in 2019, 30%.
10. Becket: "Diverse religious groups, 76 Members of Congress and 16 States support foster families at the High Court"
11. FRC publication: "Biblical Principles for Political Engagement: Worldview, Issues, and Voting"
13. New Books:
Religion Is Raced: Understanding American Religion in the Twenty-First Century
Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference
A review at Providence.
Faith in American Public Life
An interview with author Melissa Rogers at Religion & Politics.
No Border Land: Finding Amazing Grace in a Dark and Dying World
The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump: 30 Evangelical Christians on Justice, Truth, and Moral Integrity
Listen to an interview with editor Ron Sider on Mornings with Carmen LaBerge here, starting about the 20 minute mark. Subscribers to this newsletter can get a copy for 40% off with the code DANGER40. I'll be giving away another free copy to one, maybe two, subscribers to this newsletter. Stay tuned for more info.
(Header photo by Chris Dixon on Unsplash)
