Why only a 'narrow slice of right-wing' Christianity is safe from Trump’s fundamentalist push

16 April

The Rev. Paula White in Grapevine, Texas on June 11, 2021 (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

President Donald Trump reiterated his support for far-right white evangelical fundamentalists when, on February 7, he announced the creation of a task force on "anti-Christian bias" and the new White House Faith Office (WHFO) — which is being headed by the Rev. Paula White, an evangelical known for promoting the "prosperity gospel."

White is a controversial figure within Christianity. The "prosperity gospel" claims that God rewards the faithful with money and material gains, but White's Catholic and Mainline Protestant critics point out that the Bible is highly disdainful of materialism.

Trump isn't shy about accusing Democrats of being anti-religion, but in an article published on April 16, The Guardian's Adam Gabbatt stresses that Trump — by making "white Christian nationalists" and "right-wing Christian loyalists" so prominent in his administration — is the one attacking freedom of religion.

Gabbatt notes that while Democratic former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden "welcomed Muslim and Sikh leaders," Trump — in "stark contrast" — is raising concerns that "a specific brand of Christianity will be prioritized over other faiths and Christian denominations."

One of the people sounding the alarm is journalist Katherine Stewart, author of the new book "Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy"

Stewart told The Guardian, "We will see the further dismantling of government institutions. We will see an abandonment of democratic principles and a further perversion of the institutions of justice…. Trump’s anti-Christian bias taskforce will lead to a further chilling of free speech, political opposition, and investigations of corruption. We will see public funds flowing directly to religious institutions, and the insertion of the Bible and sectarian messaging in public schools, town meetings and other places that serve religiously diverse populations. The intention is to make anyone who is not on board with their agenda feel that they don’t belong."

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a religious studies professor at Notre Dame University, argues that WHFO is not only hostile to religions other than Christianity — it also ignores non-evangelical Christians.

Du Mez, author of the 2021 book "Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation," told The Guardian, "It's not even representative of Christianity in the United States. It's a pretty narrow slice of right-wing, predominantly, but not exclusively, white conservative Protestantism. But that is the Christianity that Trump thinks of when he thinks of Christianity."

Read Adam Gabbatt's full article for The Guardian at this link.

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