It remains a central puzzle of our time: Why do white evangelical Christians continue to support Donald Trump?
Yes, last week, the evangelical flagship magazine Christianity Today published an editorial from its outgoing editor supporting the impeachment of Donald Trump. They may lose readers, but, then again, they may not. I’m not sure that many of Trump’s evangelical supporters read Christianity Today, mostly because I don’t think many of them read much.
There was a predictable backlash from other conservative Christian leaders, and Trump, also predictably, weighed in by calling Christianity Today, which refuses to hire writers who publicly advocate for LGBT inclusion, a “left wing” publication.
I’m doubtful that the editor’s letter either reveals a demographic of formerly silent Trump doubters among evangelicals or signals a shift in evangelical support for Trump. To be frank, people who didn’t break ranks when the president imprisoned immigrant children–a King Herod act if there ever was one–don’t get my thanks for being upset about the Ukraine call.
So, why do so many of them continue to love Trump?
We’ve examined this question repeatedly at 606 before, but over the next few blog posts, I’ll suggest a variety of explanations.