'Idolatrous': Christian activist rips evangelicals' Trump 'worshipping'

At a No Kings Day protest in Philadelphia on Saturday, June 14, one of the many participants will be Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons of the Interfaith Alliance and the liberal/progressive Christian group Faithful America.

As many as 2000 No Kings Day protests are being held all over the United States to express opposition to President Donald Trump's military parade in Washington, DC, which, critics argue, isn't really a celebration of the military, but a promotion of Trump's authoritarian agenda and the MAGA movement.

In an op-ed published on June 14, Graves-Fitzsimmons cites Christianity as a major reason for taking part in Philly's No Kings Day event — which MSNBC described as the day's "flagship" No Kings event.

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"For the Philadelphia protest," Graves-Fitzsimmons explains, "Faithful America, an online community of progressive Christians, is bringing its giant Trump Golden Calf balloon. It's a reference to the Exodus passage about the ancient Israelites worshipping an idol they created while Moses was away on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. The Trump Golden Calf sends the unmistakable message that Christians worshipping Trump is idolatrous, and we rebuke our siblings in Christ who are providing spiritual cover for Trump's authoritarian destruction of American democracy."

Many Christian nationalists are openly saying that they believe Trump was sent by God Himself — a claim that Graves-Fitzsimmons finds insulting to Christianity.

"Trump shows no evidence of personal piety or of an attempt to follow Jesus Christ — recall when he said he never had to ask God for forgiveness — and has made it a priority to aid the wealthy and attack the most vulnerable in our society," Graves-Fitzsimmons writes. "He exhibits the polar opposite of Christian social ethics…. Christians believe Christ’s kingdom will reign forever. As American Christians in the year 2025, we must also believe and work to ensure that Trump’s power, granted to him by voters, ends at the end of his second term in accordance with the Constitution."

Graves-Fitzsimmons adds, "And every day, until the end of his presidency, he must be prevented from acting like a king and made to remember that we live in a democracy. "

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Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons' full op-ed for MSNBC is available at this link.