American Christians, this is on you.

For years, you have told us that we – the atheists, the agnostics, the homosexuals, the Muslims, the liberals – are the reason bad things happen in America. You have argued that mass shootings are due to our immorality, that we removed God from our schools and homes, that our acceptance of sinful behavior has led God to abandon us.

Hypocrites, I am here to overturn your tables.

You, the American Christian (the 58% of all Christians who voted for Trump and the 81% of so-called Evangelicals who did and still largely continue to support him) have embraced a president with no morality.

He has openly cheated on all of his wives, speaks in vulgarities and insults, lies blatantly and without excuse. He has been sued for racial discrimination. He has been sued for creating a scam university, and subsequently settled. He openly bragged about grabbing women’s pussies (if that word offends you, take it up with him).

And we are to believe that at some point between 2005 (or 2006) he became a Born Again Christian, seeing the error of his ways and abandoning his sinful life for a path of high-minded civic service. No matter how many times you say it, no one will believe it. We don’t believe it. You don’t believe it. Billy Graham, Jr. doesn’t believe it.

If I’m being generous, maybe you could claim that, yes, Trump is a terrible man (who ran for president for his and his family’s financial gain), but sometimes God uses evil men to do good things.

I might respect you a little if you’d at least acknowledge that, but all criticism of Trump’s morality is immediately deflected. “Other people are bad, so why judge Trump?” you ask.

Which puts you in the position of defending Trump’s policies. Policies that have literally left 4,645 American citizens to die (about the same number as died in Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, combined). Policies that rip thousands of children away from their parents for committing a misdemeanor. 

Defending this administration’s policies is very difficult, and you can tell that’s true, because even this administration can’t figure out how to defend them. Unsurprisingly for a man who can’t take any criticism or critique, Trump has chosen to blame his predecessor and the Democrats, everyone but himself. It is, you won’t be surprised to learn, a lie.

It doesn’t matter how much he lies, though, because his predominantly Christian base is more than happy to run with that lie and push it. If only the Bible had anything to say about bearing false witness. (You were okay when Trump lied about Obama being born in Kenya, so this is really no surprise. You’re consistent hypocrites.)

It’s very telling when the most common defense of Trump is, “But Obama” (or, confusingly, “But Hillary”). In defending the indefensible, you point at flaws in others and say, “See, everyone is bad.” It’s a weird day when Christians admit they don’t care about being holy or moral, they just don’t want to be called worse than “sinners” and “heathens.”

If you rate your morality by how it stacks up against the worst of humanity rather than comparing it to the best, you have no claim to moral authority.

Christ would spit you out of his mouth.

In the Bible, God reserved his harshest punishment for His people. If, as you have claimed for years, God is punishing America, the Bible says it is because of you.

In supporting Trump, you stand with White Supremacists, Holocaust-deniers, and flat out criminals. Every time you defend an abhorrent policy because you see it as more important to fight liberals than to fight for justice, every time you defend Trump because he’s on your “team,” you reveal yourself for what you are: Fake Christians.

This is America, the Christian Nation

America’s Christian heritage is one of supporting slavery (quoting Romans 13, the same verse Jeff Sessions used to defend the current administration’s policy on separating children from parents), supporting Jim Crow laws, supporting war without end, supporting the powerful over the weak.

America has done good things in the world. But it has also done vile things, often in the name of God. You can be sure, in the eyes of history, this will be considered the most vile American period since slavery was legal.

If your mentality is that you are at war against liberals because they stand against Biblical teaching, isn’t it ironic that you have abandoned the most fundamental Biblical lesson – love your neighbor as yourself – in order to pursue this political vendetta?

You claim it is Biblical to defend your borders, and yet Jesus’ message was for you to open your doors to strangers. Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek when attacked. Give your cloak to those in need. These are direct teachings from the Bible. To defend Trump’s policies (and the way you practice your faith) requires distorting Biblical teachings beyond recognition. 

I don’t care how often you go to church. I don’t care about your snarky memes saying liberals who support legal abortion are hypocrites for caring about living children. I don’t care that you don’t care that I’m calling you out. You are Fake Christians. You are why America is in decline. #FakeChristians

Gospel Truth

I know I have been harsh in this post, so I want to leave you with a comforting thought. I actually have good news for you. You might even call it The Good News: there is no God, no Christ. There is no one watching over us.

Your actions reveal that you know it to be true. Your workless faith is dead.

So, take heart, God won’t punish you for the evil that you support and do in His name. There is no hell waiting for you. There is no eternal damnation to come.

No, any punishment that awaits you will come from your children and grandchildren who will refuse to acknowledge you and abandon you in your old age, unable to stomach the sight of you and your hypocrisy. That is your legacy. That will be your reward.

Amen.