Christians: Our Faith Is at Stake

Before I can move on, I must share this: 81% of evangelicals voted for a person whose words, character, behavior and promises were more opposed to the values and message of Christian faith than any presidential candidate in my lifetime. Some white evangelical leaders were in support, and others were deafening in their silence. They have destroyed any remaining credibility of the term "evangelical" in our our culture. And it should not be forgotten that evangelicals who are people of color, and some women leaders, were prominent among those making a very different public witness.

The results among mainline Protestants in the pews were not that much different, though this has not been tracked as carefully. And 67% of white Catholics supported Trump. All this says to me that this election marked the defeat of the public witness of Christians in the parishes and pews of America's churches — and especially those that are predominantly white. This is not about Democratic or Republican politics. It's about the ability of the Christian community to recognize when the integrity of our faith is at stake in the public square. That means that those, like myself, who have carried responsibilities to nurture faithful discipleship through Christian institutions, denominational structures, and organizations, have failed in the test of this time. Facing honestly this failure and loss is the only way God's grace can open the way to a different future.