Major evangelical publication “Christianity Today” calls for Donald Trump’s ouster

| 6:31 pm EST December 19, 2019
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Here’s how you know when you’re in real trouble as a politician. It’s not when your adversaries are calling for your ouster, as the House just did to Donald Trump. It’s not even when the people in the middle call for your ouster, as evidenced by rising pro-impeachment poll numbers. It’s when your allies, who should have every reason to be on your side, decide that they’re better off if they try to get rid of you.

That’s why it’s such a big deal that Christianity Today, a leading evangelical publication originally founded by the late Billy Graham, just ran an article titled “Trump Should Be Removed from Office.” The article unloads on Donald Trump for having tried to conspire with a foreign nation to “harass and discredit” one of his political opponents. It also asserts that Trump has “dumbed down the idea of morality.”

Because this is coming from a far-right evangelical publication that only pretends to be neutral, the article falsely accuses House Democrats of having been overly craven with impeachment, and the article makes a point of attacking Bill Clinton. But that’s the point, as these talking points are how people on the far right get others on the far right to listen to them – and the clear overriding message here is that Trump must be removed from office.

Donald Trump is still going to dominate with far-right evangelical voters, because they’re not real Christians. But if an op-ed like this from a leading evangelical publication can cost Trump even a couple of percentage points with evangelical voters, that can end up making a huge difference in the 2020 election. It also forces Senate Republicans to at least stop and reevaluate whether rubber-stamping Trump’s acquittal is really the best move when it comes to their own reelection bids.