Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
The Trump Indictment and the Scandal of American Christianity

The Trump Indictment and the Scandal of American Christianity

Last updated on: June 9, 2023 at 9:52 pm by Mary Pezzulo

0 Comments

The Trump Indictment and the Scandal of American Christianity 2023-06-09T21:52:49-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I woke up yesterday morning to find that the loathsome Reverend Pat Robertson was dead. I went to bed, having learned that the former president of the United States, the darling of white Evangelicals and American right-wing Catholics, has been indicted for seven federal crimes including a violation of the espionage act. Those were the bookends of this particular Thursday. People were reminiscing about Robertson’s dehumanizing views on queer people and women as I got up. In the evening they were anticipating Donald Trump dying in prison.

I saw people sharing stories about vulnerable older relatives donating large sums of money to Pat Robertson because they thought it would make the Lord bless them– that Prosperity Gospel, which is a heresy against the actual Gospel. Of course, Trump’s bilked a lot of people out of their money as well, promising a different kind of salvation. He promised to save the Religious Right from not being the top dog in America, the ones who get to make all the choices on behalf of everyone else.

Today, the Trump indictment has been unsealed. We all see the photos of the classified documents stacked in boxes in a gaudy marble bathroom under a crystal chandelier. This is a man who had absolutely no regard for honesty, for the rule of law, or for anybody’s safety. The indictment is shocking; his behavior is almost comical in its dishonesty.

That makes seventy-one felonies that the former president is under indictment for, counting the state crimes in New York and the federal crimes in Florida together. And, of course, he’s been proven in a court of law to be a sexual abuser. And the American Christian Right thinks he’s being persecuted, because they can’t admit they’ve been had. They’ll follow him to the grave. I didn’t believe this was the case once upon a time, but I do now. There is no persuading them.

I’ve been mulling these events for the past twenty-four hours, thinking of what I could possibly say.

Is there anything I can say that I haven’t already said?

Haven’t I been denouncing this nonsense for seven years?

I’ve written so many, many things about American Christianity. And when I say that, I don’t mean just being a Christian who lives in America; I mean this bizarre brand of Christianity that is American. This unlikely truce between the stuffiest Catholics who don’t even believe that more modern Catholics are Catholic, and the Evangelical Christians whose theology is fundamentally opposed to Catholic theology. The mundane wishful thinking of the Prosperity Gospel peacefully co-existing with the tawdry martyr complex of traditionalists. The wealthy televangelists. The Catholic priests and laymen honking alt right talking points on their podcasts. The fearmongering and stochastic terrorism against marginalized people. The Christianity which is all about finding an enemy, scapegoating them, and hurting them as hard as you can. The Christianity which is ashamed of Christ, because Christ didn’t fight His enemies. Christ meekly surrendered and died. American Christianity is all about power.

American Christianity takes only one line from the Gospels, and it’s not one of the lines in red: “All these things I will give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”

I wonder how many people have been driven away from Christ, because of American Christianity.

One day, not long from now, Donald Trump will be in prison or dead from old age. American Christianity will move on and find another idol. But I don’t think they should ever live down this disgrace.

The one good thing about this era of American Christianity, is that we can see them clearly for what they are.

They are people who worship power and powerful men.

They have nothing to do with Christ.

Mary Pezzulo is the author of Meditations on the Way of the Cross, The Sorrows and Joys of Mary, and Stumbling into Grace: How We Meet God in Tiny Works of Mercy.

Steel Magnificat operates almost entirely on tips. To tip the author, visit our donate page.

America

American Christianity

Christ

Christianity

Previous Post

June 6, 2023

The Return of Serendipity

Next Post

June 10, 2023 In the Strawberry Time

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"What is the issue with capital punishment? A life for a life as the Bible ..."

American Nationalist

On Traditionalist Bullies, and the Death ..."

"I'm still considering it myself. I don't know what the answer is. I respect where ..."

Mary

On Traditionalist Bullies, and the Death ..."

"Thank you for bringing so much goodness into the lives of so many children.Ran across ..."

alwayspuzzled

The Passion of the Red Oak

"This current administration has had me reflecting on the Nuremberg trials and the like, for ..."

axelbeingcivil

On Traditionalist Bullies, and the Death ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Ephrathah" mean in Hebrew?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Lord’s House Chosen Land Fruitful Holy Place