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Are You a Conservative Evangelical . . . If So, Please Hear Me Out

Are You a Conservative Evangelical . . . If So, Please Hear Me Out

Last updated on: November 17, 2020 at 11:30 am by Matthew Distefano

Are You a Conservative Evangelical . . . If So, Please Hear Me Out 2020-11-17T11:30:51-06:00 Matthew Distefano

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Before I say what I feel like I have to say, let me tell you something: I used to be one of you. I used to be a conservative Evangelical. In fact, I spent 25 years as one. I’m 38 right now. That means roughly 2/3 of my life was spent in your camp. I attended your Bible studies. I led your worship services, playing multiple instruments in multiple teams for over a decade. I was one of the first members at Church on Sunday morning and one of the last to leave later that night. Between setting up amps, drums, and mics, and then tearing them all down a few hours later, I would be there damn-near all day. So, I know all about that life. Trust me ’cause I’ve been there.

That’s why I’m so confounded by what you’ve become, what Evangelicalism has become. When I was a kid, you taught me that how we treat others matters – that it matters more than what we believe, even. You taught me to be humble. You taught me to respect others, even if I disagreed with them. You taught me to love the sinner, even if hating the sin was waaaaaaay over-emphasized. And then, it seems all that went out the window the minute your guy moved into the White House. Let me back that up a bit: He was your guy even before that! You voted for him in 2016. And then you doubled down in 2020.

Why?!?!

What was it about him that made you sell out so quickly and so easily? What was it that you saw in him? Because it wasn’t his humility. It wasn’t his love for others. It wasn’t his Christlikeness. It was something else, something completely foreign to what YOU taught me it means to be Christian.

The thing is, if people want a narcissistic leader like Trump, so be it. That’s their prerogative. But for my entire life, you taught me that character matters. How we live matters. You set yourselves up to a higher standard. God’s standard. You were supposedly the ones who knew better.

But you didn’t. You still don’t. To this day, support for FORMER President Trump among white Evangelicals is 78%. That means roughly 4 out of ever 5 Evangelicals reading this support the former President, in spite of the fact that his Christianity seemed like nothing more than a blatant pandering to you.

Could you not see this???

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t care if people are Christian or not. I have many friends who are not. Hell, I don’t even think about that label any longer, and in fact find Buddhism much more helpful these days. But (and it’s a yuge BUT), if you are going to self-identify as a Christian, at least take it seriously. At least try to do the things Christ taught. I get it: We all fall short of the glory of God. Fine. But that shouldn’t be an excuse to not care about the core tenets of what you claim to believe, namely that we have to ask for forgiveness, that we have to repent, that we have to give our heart to Jesus, yada yada yada.

Again . . . y’all taught me this. And while I don’t necessarily believe what I once did, you still do. Or, at least you claim to on Sunday. But then, Monday through Saturday, it’s as if you don’t. And then, when Sunday rolls back around, there you are again, talking the talk but not really walking the walk.

Look, I’m not trying to be a judgmental prick. I’m just trying to understand how what you taught me throughout my whole life runs counter to where your political allegiances lie. I really DO want to understand. So help me out. Comment below. Just be kind.

If you wanna get to know me better, please follow me on social media. I’m pretty active on all platforms:

About Matthew J. Distefano

Matthew is a best-selling author, blogger, podcaster, long-time social worker, and hip-hop artist. He is an outspoken advocate for nonviolence, happily married, with one daughter. Outside of writing, his interests include gardening, hiking, and European football. He lives in Northern California You can read more about the author here.

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