RIDGELAND — New York Times columnist Ross Douthat hosted a round table discussion recently on Donald Trump’s relationship to Christian conservatives. His guests were David French of the National Review and John Zmirak, the author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism.”
Zmirak is Catholic and is in disagreement with Pope Francis on many social issues. French is Protestant and an attorney who defends the rights of Christian institutions against government intrusion.
As anyone who knows me can attest, I am a devout and practicing Catholic. It truly bothered me, therefore, that upon reading Douthat’s account of the round table, I identified more readily with French’s arguments and found Zmirak to be petty, vain and generally detached from sacred religious beliefs. In his view, policy decisions related to social issues supersede morality and the imitation of Christ to which all believers are supposed to adhere. Zmirak argued that Trump’s past behavior was of no consequence to him or to most Christian voters. French responded that such an assertion runs counter to traditional Christian beliefs.
Ever since the religious right became associated with the Republican Party in the 1970s, the gospels have become increasingly more about social policy than following in Christ’s example. A person could be reprehensible in his personal behavior but as long as he said what the religious wanted to hear on the issues of abortion, same-sex marriage and guns, he was God’s chosen candidate. Recent national elections bear witness to that political certainty.
If French is correct in his assertion that “Christians can’t and shouldn’t laser focus on policy but always be mindful of eternity,” then what does that say of the ongoing behaviors of Vice President Mike Pence and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders?
Pence traveled to a football game in Indiana at the taxpayers’ expense for no other reason than to become publicly indignant at players for kneeling during the national anthem and leave. In short, it was a political trick calculated to score points for his boss. He was also tasked with proving that Donald Trump was deprived of the popular vote victory by illegal voting in certain states, a claim for which no evidence has ever existed. Don’t hold your breath waiting for him to admit the truth.
Sanders has continually demonstrated how pliable morality, truth,and Christian witness are when policy issues and political credibility are at stake. The video Trump shared that purportedly showed a Muslim immigrant attacking a crippled man in Holland was revealed to be a hoax. Huckabee countered that despite the hoax, the threat itself is real. This past July, she stated, “The president in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence.”
Both Sanders and Pence claim to be true Bible Christians, but is it not fair to ask how long one can bear false witness in the search for political gain and still be a Christian?
Voters in Alabama narrowly rejected a man who was credibly accused of stalking and molesting teen-age girls from becoming one of their national senators. Those who remained steadfast in his corner were evangelicals who found him preferable to a Democrat who supports abortion rights. Never mind that the United States Senate is highly unlikely to ever seriously take up the question of abortion. That will fall to the courts and to the individual states.
• Vincent J. Venturini, of Ridgeland, is the former chair of social work and associate provost at Mississippi Valley State University.
