Week Ending 12/30/19

Recent Events Show Evangelical Base Divided Over Trump

The editorial supporting removal of President Trump in the largest evangelical publication, Christianity Today revealed a divide among a group supposed to be solidly in support of Trump.  In a post using surprisingly restrained prose for  its author, David Virtue outlines that there is a division among evangelicals, and that a number are upset by Trump actions which go against evangelical beliefs.  Those defending Trump have criticized the journal as leftist and false news.  What Virtue added to the discussion is that the editor who penned the piece is a member of ACNA, the group founded by those who left the Episcopal Church.  This has been confirmed by ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach.  For more, you can read Virtue's piece here.  You may need to hold your nose if you look at anything else on his site which is notoriously homophobic, anti- women's ordination, and anti-Episcopal Church.  In a related incident, the Trumps made a last minute switch of churches on Christmas Eve.  In past years the Trumps have attended the Episcopal Church near Mar-A-Lago where they were married. This year they attended a conservative Baptist Church.  The speculation is that he was trying to reinforce his connection to evangelicals.

Resurgence of Interest in Black Reparations

In what is a slow news week (except for multiple Christmas messages by various religious leaders), Religion News has a background story on the growing interest among mainstream Churches in reparations to the black community.  The churches are coming to terms with their own involvement in racism, racial discrimination, and oppression.  The article cites examples from several denominations, but prominent among them are the actions taken by Virginia Theological Seminary, and the Episcopal Dioceses of New York and Maryland.  Update has carried notices of these actions earlier in 2019.

Blessings in this Christmas Season and Update will be back in 2020.