Nearly 200 evangelical leaders rally to Trump’s side to condemn ‘offensive’ Christianity Today op-ed

(File photo by Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images)

For as much as liberals have come to dominate in education and the media, gains in religion have been more subtle — but gains nonetheless.

The Christian magazine Christianity Today called for President Donald Trump to be removed from office last week, one day after House Democrats passed strictly along party lines two articles of impeachment against the president — the only bipartisan action was in opposing the effort, as three Democrats broke from the party.

But one voice was countered by nearly 200 voices who condemned the op-ed.

Invoking the magazine’s founder, Billy Graham, formner editor-in-chief Mark Galli penned an op-ed widely embraced by the left to “help evangelical Christians interpret the news in a manner that reflects their faith.”

Declaring the facts to be “unambiguous,” Galli found the president guilty of trying to use his power “to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit” a political opponent.

“That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral,” he said.

Galli concluded, “That he should be removed, we believe, it is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.”

Seen as a parting shot — Galli is set to retire on Jan. 3 — from a noted Trump critic, the op-ed hopes to influence evangelical voters, who will be critical to the president’s reelection chances, though it may be more akin to Galli burning the house down on his way out.

In a Sunday letter to Timothy Dalrymple, president of Christianity Today, nearly 200 evangelical faith leaders condemned the editorial and Galli, for dismissing those who oppose his views on the matter as being “far-right,” the Christian Post reported.

The leaders said in the missive that the editorial “offensively questioned the spiritual integrity and Christian witness of tens-of-millions of believers who take seriously their civic and moral obligations.”

“We are, in fact, not ‘far-right’ evangelicals as characterized by the author,” the letter stated. “Rather, we are Bible-believing Christians and patriotic Americans who are simply grateful that our president has sought our advice as his administration has advanced policies that protect the unborn, promote religious freedom, reform our criminal justice system, contribute to strong working families through paid family leave, protect the freedom of conscience, prioritize parental rights, and ensure that our foreign policy aligns with our values while making our world safer, including through our support of the State of Israel.”

“We are not theocrats and we recognize that our imperfect political system is a reflection of the fallen world within which we live, reliant upon the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is freely given to sinner and saint, alike,” the letter continued. “We are proud to be numbered among those in history who, like Jesus, have been pretentiously accused of having too much grace for tax collectors and sinners, and we take deeply our personal responsibility to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s — our public service.”

The condemnation of Galli’s op-ed came from far and wide, beginning with Franklin Graham, the son of the late pastor Billy Graham.

Graham said his father would have been “disappointed” by the editorial, and told Fox News his father “dissociated himself from the magazine years ago.”

“My father knew Donald Trump, believed in Donald Trump, and in this last election, he voted for Donald Trump,” Graham added. “And if he were here today, I’m sure he would tell you that himself.”

Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, dismissed the magazine in an appearance on Fox News, saying they should call it “Christianity Yesterday.”

“You cannot imagine a publication more out of step with the faith community that it once represented,” Reed said.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins was also critical of the magazine.

“For the most part, conservative (Bible-believing) Christians quit reading Christianity Today quite awhile ago,” he said in a release to the Christian Broadcasting Network.

President Trump took to Twitter to condemn Christianity Today, calling it a “far-left magazine, or very ‘progressive,’ as some would call it, which has been doing poorly.”

He also noted that “no President has done more for the Evangelical community.”

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