Even since his 2016 campaign, President Donald Trump has been a strident supporter of far-right white evangelical Christian nationalists, often accusing Democrats of being anti-religion. But in fact, a long list of prominent Democrats are known for being devout Christians — from Catholics like former President Joe Biden and ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) to Sen. Raphael Warnock (a Baptist minister and Georgia Democrat) and MSNBC's the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Trump is quite popular among white evangelicals, but among non-evangelical, non-white Christians — including Mainline Protestants and Catholics — he has plenty of outspoken critics.

In an op-ed published by the New York Times on July 11, Esau McCaulley — a theology professor at Wheaton College in Illinois and author of the forthcoming children's book "God's Colorful Kingdom Storybook Bible" — examines the role Christianity plays in the anti-Trump resistance. And the op-ed's headline poses the question: "Is the Christian Resistance to Trump Growing?"

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"For too long," McCaulley argues, "this administration has presented itself as the only defender of Christianity while it engages in merely symbolic gestures like posting Bible verses or publicizing worship services in the White House. Frederick Douglass described this type of performance: 'Religion simply as a form of worship, an empty ceremony, and not a vital principle, requiring active benevolence, justice, love and good will towards man.' I fail to see how you can shout glory to God one minute and laugh about the harsh conditions of Alligator Alcatraz the next."

McCaulley notes that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) quoted the Bible when he was promoting Trump's "big, beautiful bill."

"Mr. Johnson's and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's use of scripture and that of the National Baptist Convention go beyond simply hurling verses at one another," McCaulley observes. "They offer contrasting visions of how the Bible forms the moral imagination of the faithful."

As McCaulley sees it, there is an "irreconcilable difference between Trumpian politics and Christianity."

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"Mr. Trump uses money and power to keep people in line," McCaulley writes. "If politicians, countries, businesses or even institutions of higher education go against his wishes, they will pay a financial penalty. Mr. Trump believes in making deals rooted in self-interest. Christians have the resources to resist this tactic because we are taught to model our behavior on Christ, who looked to the interests of others, not himself."

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Read the full Washington Post report at this link (subscription required) and The Guardian's reporting here.


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