Op-Ed: The Evangelical Responsibility Toward Racism
How much of Wednesday’s events are Evangelicals’ fault?
Since Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, President Donald Trump has done everything in his power to overturn the election — from asking the Georgia secretary of state to “find 11,780 votes for him,” to vaguely threatening lawmakers and governors if they didn’t help him. But on Jan. 6, he did something no president in the history of America has done: he called upon his supporters to “show strength” against the Senate, which was largely in favor of Biden’s victory.
“You’ll never take back our country with weakness,” Trump said. “You have to show strength and you have to be strong.”
Not long after, Trump supporters stormed the capitol, threatening the lives of congresspeople, police officers and civilians alike. Many of these rioters were members of white supremacist groups, such as the Proud Boys. In a video released of the incident, a group of white Trump supporters chased a lone Black police officer as he frantically called for backup. As the cop warned the group not to come further, the apparent leader smiled, and continued to chase him until more officers arrived.
Since then, many people have pointed out the clear hypocrisy of Wednesday’s events. Whenever Black Lives Matter (BLM) protestors march to end police brutality, they are sprayed with tear gas, shot with rubber bullets, arrested and killed almost immediately. But since these were white rioters, and not Black, they were not met with the same opposition. Trump did not even call the National Guard when they stormed the capitol, forcing Vice President Mike Pence to do so instead.
What happened during this riot was not legal. It was not a protest. It was a direct result of racism, white supremacy and violence. But there is another layer to this issue which has yet to be discussed in depth, and that is the lack of response from white Evangelicals to this display of hatred.
Republicans like to boast that they are the most American, and most Christian of the two main political parties. Yet, they are also the group that white supremacists align with most often. Evangelical Republicans align their faith with politics so strongly that they often undermine their ethics in favor of political empowerment. In fact, it was this quality that Trump relied on from the start of his political career.
From speaking about his love of God, to explaining how he takes the Eucharist to honor Christ, Trump has continually labeled himself a Christian while simultaneously indulging and elevating racists.
In 2016, Trump refused to denounce the Ku Klux Klan, claiming they could support him if they wanted to. Whenever a racial issue occurs between white supremacists and people of color, Trump always sides with the racists, calling them, among other things, “great people.” And after Wednesday’s riots, he told the insurrectionists that he loved them.
“We love you. You’re very special,” Trump said.
White supremacist groups like the Proud Boys and the KKK make it clear that they identify as Christians, making them the perfect supporters for someone as hateful as Trump. This is not unlike the way Adolf Hitler appealed to Christian prejudice leading up to and throughout World War II.
These racists claim white people are in danger of being extinct; that people of color are less human; that LGBT+ folk are “unnatural;” and that it is the job of white men to uphold traditional values. These white supremacists are more likely to quote Luke 22:36 “If you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one,” as a means to justify gun ownership, rather than Matthew 26:52, which reads, “All who draw the sword will die by the sword,” or any other verse that advocates for life, peace and forgiveness. And whenever gun control is discussed, there are always those who threaten that if the government wants to take their guns away, they will have to fight them over it.
Racist ideologies have overpopulated the Republican Party and Christian groups to the point that many people associate these communities with one another. But for all that, it is rare to hear a popular Christian — whether politician, celebrity or pastor — denounce white supremacy. In all their talk of loving one’s neighbor, helping the poor and the marginalized, and being made in God’s image, they never acknowledge the hatred occurring within their own communities.
Are Christians blind to the racism occurring in their own churches? Have they forgotten how the KKK burned crosses and used God’s name to justify lynchings? Are Christian politicians not aware that their supporters are largely racist? Do they not know how to denounce them? Or is all of this silence a matter of not wanting to turn away supporters? Does the modern Republican Christian value popularity, power and peace over true faith? Is turning a blind eye what Jesus would do?
The riot on Capitol Hill did not come from nowhere. It was merely an explosion of the hatred and bigotry that has been simmering for years. If Evangelicals are going to call themselves Christians in good faith, they must denounce Trump, white supremacy and the unlawful actions many republican politicians have taken to try to discredit Black and Hispanic votes, as well as other marginalized communities.
