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"Christians are under siege," former President Trump claimed this week. Turns out he is correct, but not in the way he meant. Christians are under siege by Trump supporters.
A Christian group now faces death threats for helping immigrants, Religion News Service reported this week.
Over the past few months, Pajanor and staffers at Catholic Charities across the country, a decentralized, 113-year-old faith-based non-profit, have become the targets of right-leaning media personalities, conspiracy theorists and even members of Congress. The smear campaign is rooted in opposition to offering aid to immigrants, which critics frame as incentivizing illegal immigration, while sometimes accusing faith groups of breaking the law or working with drug cartels.
The result has been a series of unsettling incidents that have transpired near or even inside Catholic Charities facilities in what officials say is a rapidly growing threat to their safety.
“We have never seen this level,” Pajanor said, referring to the avalanche of vitriol he and his staff have received. “Some of our team members have been here for 20, 30 years, and they have said they have never seen such a thing happen.”
Another Catholic charity worker said that when he explains to these callers that their work comes from Jesus' commands in Matthew 25, "they tell me the Gospel is wrong."
Here in Texas where I live, our governor, who often touts his Christian faith, has also been actively working to shut down a charity that is following Jesus by helping immigrants in need. In February, Gov. Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton sued to revoke the operating license of Annunciation House in El Paso.
This comes amid an oft-heard refrain from many on the right that progressives and Democrats are attacking Christians. For instance, here are some quotes from former President Donald Trump's speech at the National Religious Broadcasters meeting:
Our country, I believe is doomed. I believe it's doomed. As you know, the left is trying to shame Christians. …
And never forget our enemies want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom. And I'm never gonna let it happen. They wanna silence me because I will never let them silence you. And in the end, they're not after me. They're after you. I just happen to be standing in the way. …
How any Christian can vote for a Democrat. ... It's crazy…. Never again will the federal government be used to target religious believers. They are targeting religious believers. …
And in America the radical left ... want to tear down crosses where they can and cover them up with social justice flags. ... But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration. I swear to you, that will never happen. Never happen. …
We're listening to millions of Americans value listening to Christian broadcasters. And you're under siege.
And this week, Trump started selling a $59.99 "God Bless the USA" Bible. In the infomercial, he similarly claimed, "Christians are under siege. We must protect content that is pro-God. ... We must defend God in the public square and not allow the media or the left-wing groups to silence, censor, or discriminate against us."
According to the website, the God Bless the USA Bible includes copies of the US Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights (which is part of the Constitution but maybe just the first 10 amendments are included?), and a handwritten chorus to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."
While most Christians, especially evangelicals, claim to believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, the website claims this Bible was "inspired by America’s most recognized patriotic anthem, God Bless The USA," the Lee Greenwood song.
Sells of this Bible could help Trump pay his legal bills, which are due to his many criminal indictments and verdicts, including failure to disclose a porn star hush money campaign expense.
Here are a few reactions to Trump's patriotic Country song inspired Bible:
Kaitlyn Schiess
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Skye Jethani
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David French
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An Opportunity?
Do you have a friend or loved one in your life who has or would give money to a fear-based patriot Bible huckster? The double-standards on display this week could be an opportunity to break through their information bubble. Ask them what they think about Matthew 25, Christians helping immigrants in need, and the Republicans and right-wing extremists attacking them for practicing their faith.
What Else We're Reading
More in Common: "Do Americans have civic role models?"
New research, by More in Common and others, indicates that we have a reason to be concerned about the status of Americans’ civic disposition. The aforementioned Citizen Data and the Institute for Citizens and Scholars’ report found that 40% of young adults (ages 18-24) were able to correctly answer only one out of four civics questions. In addition, 35% of young adults (ages 18-24) say they do not feel informed enough to participate politically, and 33% indicated no intention to participate civically, even by voting, in 2024.
NPR: "AI images and conspiracy theories are driving a push for media literacy education"
Videos, images and text created by generative artificial intelligence tools are turning up in elections, for sale on Amazon and even in court documents. Learning to identify the growing flood of deepfakes, along with online conspiracy theories, is becoming a rite of passage for students.
The Spokesman-Review: "Secession, fluoride and hand-counted ballots: Spokane County GOP adopts first changes to platform in decade"
The county party now officially opposes “forced vaccinations or medical procedures,” as well as adding fluoride into public drinking systems, as the city of Spokane has been considering for years. The county GOP also clarified its stance against the state’s Climate Commitment Act, as well as opposition to income, capital gains or inheritance taxes.
The platform also calls for the removal of the United Nations Headquarters, currently located in New York City, from U.S. soil and strict limits on the power of the governor to act through executive order during emergency situations, a response to the authorities wielded by Gov. Jay Inslee during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prior platform already called for identification in order to cast a vote and supported a “physical paper trail” for ballots. Now, however, the party also calls for removing all “internet-capable machines, computers and software” from the election system, an end to mail-in voting and a return to hand counting ballots, all while reporting final election results the night of the election, a proposal that current and former election officials from both major parties called unfeasible and unnecessary.
WaPo: "Was the 2020 election stolen? Job interviews at RNC take an unusual turn."
“Was the 2020 election stolen?” one prospective employee recalled being asked in a room with two top Trump advisers.
The query about the 2020 election startled some of the potential employees, who viewed it as questioning their loyalty to Trump and as an unusual job interview question, according to the people familiar with the interviews. A group of senior Trump advisers has been in the RNC building in recent days conducting the interviews.
Axios: "DOJ warns of "new era" in targeting election officials as 20 charged over threats"
Department of Justice officials said Monday they're investigating "dozens" of reports of threats against election workers and have charged some 20 people.
Politico: "John Eastman, architect of Trump’s 2020 election plot, should be disbarred, judge rules"
A California judge on Wednesday recommended the disbarment of John Eastman, calling to revoke the law license of one of former President Donald Trump’s top allies in his failed last-ditch gambit to subvert the 2020 election.
Judge Yvette Roland, who presided over months of testimony and argument about the basis of Eastman’s fringe legal theories, ruled that the veteran conservative attorney violated ethics rules — and even potentially criminal law — when he advanced Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results based on weak or discredited claims of fraud.
NPR: "Legal experts worry about presidential abuse of the Insurrection Act. Here's why"
"It's really up to the president to decide when to use the armed forces as a domestic police force," said Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty & National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. "And that is tremendous cause for concern, because an army turned inward can very quickly become an instrument of tyranny."
What Else We're Watching
Disinformation: A Weapon to Destroy Democracy?
Event
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You're Invited to Join the AVC Book Club!
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It’s not too late to join the AVC Book Club! We’re reading Tim Alberta's The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism (affiliate link), and the author will join us for one of the meetings. We meet online Mondays, 8pm eastern. Next week we’ll cover chapters 5, 6, and 7.
Deadline Soon!
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Do you know a Christian pastor or ministry leader who has experienced political and cultural divisions in their church and community? Are they concerned about increasing polarization in an election year? AVC has a new project especially for them!
J29 Coalition will help pastors and ministry leaders disciple their congregations through our current challenges by connecting them with experts on these topics and putting them in fellowship with other pastors experiencing the same challenges. Our first J29 Cohort starts in April and is limited to 50 pastors. We'll meet online throughout the year and at an expenses paid trip to Chicago in September. We’re close to capacity, so sign up soon!
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