When Will Christians Stand Up To The Far Right?
When I asked a friend of mine who is an evangelical Christian, what she thought of Trump, she shuddered. She said that her church was opposed to his policies and their congregation would never support him. Sadly, the figures for the USA and other European countries show that Trump and far-right politicians are still attracting Christians like a magnet.
Where are the Christians? Hiding in their churches and praying? Praying for what? Surely they are praying for the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. Maybe they are only thinking of Heaven and hoping to get a free pass!
The Kingdom of God, whether on earth or in heaven is based on loving your neighbor as yourself, welcoming immigrants and helping the poor (even selling all you have and giving it to the poor!) But how many Christians or even Christian churches have ever done that?
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Mathew 6:10.
Recent events have shown that Christians are either afraid or cannot be bothered to stand up to the far-right in the USA, Italy, Hungary, Poland, and France, just to mention a few countries.
The far-right advocates no immigration or very strict laws on that, natives must come first on all economic and social issues. They encourage hate speech on social media and are homophobic and xenophobic. It is also sad to see that according to PEW research, the US has favored Christian refugees over any other religion.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
Of course the far- right is against the EU but not so clear about how they would survive economically. The risks of Brexit are yet to come to light and that may take a few years although most economists forecast recession and stagnation. Already, the UK economy is slowing down and quite a few businesses have moved to the EU. The implications for Ireland, the EU itself and Scotland are less clear.
How the far-right encourages fascism
The fact that many of the right-wing parties have never distanced themselves from fascism and violence on the far right of their spectrum is alarming. The main right-wing parties in Europe are:-
- Dutch Freedom Party (PVV)
- French Front National (FN)
- The League (formerly Northern League, Italy)
- Alternative for Germany (Afd)
- Sweden Democrats (SD)
Just to give us an idea of how insidious fascism is, the following definition from Griffiths says it all
“Fascism is hostile to egalitarianism and loathes liberalism. It champions ‘might is right’, a Darwinian survival of the nastiest, and detests vulnerability: the sight of weakness brings out the jackboot in the fascist mind, which then blames the victim for encouraging the kick. Fascism not only promotes violence but relishes it, viscerally so. It cherishes audacity, bravado and superbia, promotes charismatic leaders, demagogues and ‘strong men’, and seeks to flood or control the media. Even as it pretends to speak for the people, it creates the rule of the elite, a cult of violent chauvinism and a nationalism that serves racism.”- Griffiths (2017)
Christ’s message is to love all people and even those who oppose you. They might be different in their religious beliefs, Muslims Jews, gays, immigrants but for Jesus, they are all equal. This is anti-fascism and you cannot escape it.
“You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43–45, NIV)
Why are Christians supporting Trump?
The US election results show that 80% of white evangelical Christians voted for Trump. Even now, after all the impeachment proceedings, many Christians still support a President who is everything a Christian should NOT be. The fact that abortion and immigration have been highlighted as Christian values appeals widely to these believers.
The idea that the Trump Presidency is a divine plan has led to a film being made which is known as “The Trump Prophecy”. God sometimes uses evil men to fulfill his plans is the message of the film and it is based on the story of Cyrus (Isaiah 45) and a dream by a man called Mark Taylor. You can read about this here.
Taylor claimed that God intervened in having Trump elected as President in 2016.
“The army of God stood up and repented on behalf of the land, and God healed the land and performed a miracle on Nov. 8.” — Mark Taylor
Is this science or religious fiction? Dreams seem to be back in fashion. They certainly were in the Old Testament.
Why are Christians not protesting about the far right?
This is a very good question. It is also alarming to see that up to $51 million of dark money has been sent to Europe to help the far right. The American organizations who contributed in the period 2007–2017 include (among many others) -
- The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Graham’s son describes Satan as the architect of gay marriage and that Islam is an “evil and very wicked religion.”)
- Family Watch International
- Human Life International
MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) have described this flow of cash as “shocking”
Here are 3 exceptions where Christians are beginning to stand up and be counted.
Hungary
In Hungary one Christian minister, Pastor Gabor Ivanyi’ has stood up to Viktor Orban the Hungarian PM and has issued a strong statement criticizing his policies which, he says, are anything but Christian.
Yet Orban talks of the importance of maintaining a Christian heritage and culture. His actions are exactly the opposite as he makes homelessness a crime and blocks food supplies to asylum seekers on the Hungarian border.
“ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Matthew 25.
Pastor Ivanyi has denounced Orban in a declaration:-
“We are calling for resistance to an arrogance of power that makes the concept of ‘Christian liberty’ a slogan for exclusionary, hate-filled and corrosive policy; a power that destroys the social fabric … that systematically threatens democracy and the rule of law. True Christian freedom is always threatened by a politics that separates and isolates. The authoritarian exercise of power is spreading around the world but especially before our eyes in Hungary.”- Pastor Gabor Ivanyi
The alarming fact is that other Christian churches in Hungary have not signed this declaration. They are:-
- The Catholic Church
- Evangelical Lutherans
- Hungarian Reformed Church
Italy
Matteo Salvini (leader of the League) has exploited the Catholic church and has shamelessly used Christian symbols as political ammunition. He even closed ports to ships carrying rescued refugees. There has been some condemnation of this but as many Catholics support him, the response has been, at best, muted.
A Catholic prelate reprimanded Salvini when he suggested that the crucifix must be hung in all public buildings. A close advisor of the Pope, Rev.Antonio Spadaro protested:-
“The cross is a sign of protest against sin, violence, injustice and death. It is NEVER a sign of identity. It screams of love to the enemy and unconditional welcome.”
Italian Catholic bishops have also criticized the government’s policy on immigration as has the Pope.
The only good news here is that Matteo Salvini was forced to resign in August 2019 and the new government has taken a more humane approach to immigrants arriving in desperate conditions after weeks at sea.
Support among Catholics for Salvini has still doubled even though he is using immigrants as a scapegoat for all of Italy’s problems. That is why it is so alarming. As the present government struggles and new elections loom, Salvini and his far-right allies are in line to win a large majority.
The USA
Is there any sign at all that Christians are beginning to doubt Donald Trump’s anti- Christian policies? A recent editorial in Christianity Today states:-
“Consider how your justification of Mr Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come?” Christianity Today editorial
But Trump has already shrugged that off and has announced that on January 3, 2020, there will be a rally called “Evangelicals for Trump” to help him get re-elected as President in November 2020.
While the older generation supports Trump, many younger adults do not but they are not practicing Christians.
Ironically, they are much better at loving their neighbors than so-called Christians. They have no trouble in accepting LGBTQ people or in welcoming immigrants.
Ask any fervent Christian you know why they are or are not supporting the far right. You should get a few interesting answers.
Too little, too late?