A Pivotal Moment For the Evangelical Church

I want to give you a riveting introduction, but I’m questioning the wisdom of it. Let me tell you what I want to do.

I want to give you a picture of 1930’s Germany but write it as if it is 2016 America. In that little snapshot I want to point out (using the Holocaust Encylopedia as my source) the various factors which led to a silent church in the face of Hitler. It wouldn’t be such a bad introduction until I made “the turn” and played gotcha by saying, “I’m not talking about 2016 America but 1930’s Germany!” Perhaps I’d have opened up your eyes to the glaring similarities between our day and pre-Hitler Germany. But then I’d lose you all because comparing someone to Hitler is supposed to be some kind of logical fallacy or something.

Yet, it’s hard for me to proceed with my point without urging you to pause for just a moment and consider the similarities. Forget Hitler for just a moment and simply ask whether or not there might be some similarities between white evangelical types and the Protestant church in the 1930’s.

• Are you frustrated by the Obama Administration and all of the cultural changes that have been forced upon folks? Well, that’s partially the way Protestants felt after World War 1 and the failed Weimar Republic.
• Do you believe that America is the greatest nation on the planet, but we have fallen on hard times? Do you long to see America as great again? Are you a bit saddened by the way the world views us? Well, replace America with Germany and you are in the same position as a German citizen in the 1920’s and 30’s.
• Are you absolutely mortified and a bit frightened by the rise of terrorism? Is this influencing your immigration policies? Do you think that America is being a bit too accepting of other cultures and a bit too much of a melting pot? Do you fear that terrorists will ruin our great nation by infiltrating our ranks? Well, replace terrorist with Communism or Jew and you understand what Germany felt like in the 1930s.

Nazi Germany rose to power so quickly because they hit upon each of these fears and promised to make Germany prominent again. And when Hitler started doing a few things which were obviously wrong, the churches turned a blind eye because they believed there were bigger fish to fry. And, let’s be honest, the safety and security of the Jewish people was never too big on their radar. So they were willing to overlook a few indiscretions because the Führer was giving them so much in return.

Now, it’s very important that you hear me on this point. I am not saying that Donald Trump is Adolf Hitler. The jury is still out. He might be an absolutely terrific President. That’s not my point. And comparing Trump to Hitler is just silly and helpful rhetoric. But what I am attempting to say here is that the factionalism within our nation and how it has infiltrated our churches puts us in a position similar to the Protestant churches in 1930’s Germany.

I have been unsettled for quite some time by the relationship the evangelical church has with the Republican party. And my fear is that if a Trump presidency does enact policies opposite the gospel and ultimately harmful to people that the church will be rendered silent. Our uncritical pursuit of political power and our determination to fry big fish (like abortion) while overlooking a holistic pro-life commitment will put us in the history books on a page next to the scandalous and cowardly position of the German Evangelical Church.

I’m intentionally writing all of this now before Trump puts one policy in place. Because I’m convinced that this battle will be one or lost before it begins. The key question for us as evangelicals is whether or not we will be truly evangelical. Will Christ be our measuring stick for truth or something else? Will we assess our new President, and Congress, and their respective policies by the word of God or by some other measure? Do we have it within us to call out and condemn things in a bi-partisan way? Can we celebrate the good in both parties?

The German Evangelical Church had long before forsaken the word of Christ as their measuring stick and replaced it with a weak liberalism which was not only powerless in the face of Hitler but actively complicit in some of the atrocities. Will the evangelical church of America do the same? Or will we have the courage to believe Christ and stand with him regardless of the political consequences? Will we praise the good we see regardless of which party it comes from? Will we have the audacity to condemn the sinful even if it comes from those who support some of the policies we hold dear?

I’ll confess with the start we’ve had so far I’m not encouraged. But I’m confident that Christ is able to deliver us and recapture the heart of His Bride. May He give us boldness to live and die for the only kingdom which will never topple.