Evangelical leaders outraged as one of their own calls for Trump’s removal

The editor-in-chief of Christianity Today argues that Trump is profoundly immoral and Evangelicals shouldn’t justify his behavior by his outward defense of religious liberty.

By World Israel News Staff

In a letter sent to Timothy Dalrymple, president of Christianity Today, nearly 200 evangelical leaders expressed outrage at an editorial published in the magazine which called for Evangelicals to listen to their moral compass and support the removal of President Donald Trump from office.

“We are, in fact, not ‘far-right’ evangelicals as characterized by the author,” the letter said.

“Rather, we are Bible-believing Christians and patriotic Americans who are simply grateful that our president has sought our advice as his administration has advanced policies that protect the unborn, promote religious freedom, reform our criminal justice system, contribute to strong working families through paid family leave, protect the freedom of conscience, prioritize parental rights, and ensure that our foreign policy aligns with our values while making our world safer, including through our support of the State of Israel.”

On Thursday, Mark Galli, the editor-in-chief  of Christianity Today, wrote an op-ed titled “Trump Should Be Removed from Office.”

Galli argued that Trump is profoundly immoral and Evangelicals shouldn’t justify it by his outward defense of religious liberty.

“The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country and damages both the spirit and the future of our people. None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character,” Galli wrote.

“To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this:

“Remember who you are and whom you serve. 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?”

Galli also said that Trump’s Twitter feed is a “near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.”

Not long after the op-ed was published, Christianity Today’s website crashed from all of the traffic and #ChristiansAgainstTrump began virally trending on Twitter.

In response to the editorial, Trump tweeted, “No President has done more for the Evangelical community, and it’s not even close. You’ll not get anything from those Dems on stage.”

In an interview with CBS’ “Face The Nation,” Galli defended his opinion.

“I am making a moral judgment that he is morally unfit or, even more precisely, it’s his public morality that makes him unfit,” Galli said.

“The fundamental argument I’m making is we crossed a line somewhere in the impeachment hearings, at least in my mind, that that balance no longer works,” he added.