From John Pavlovitz:
I believe this President, emboldened by this version of the Republican Party and a fully politicized Evangelical Church—is doing irreparable and continual harm to our rule of law, our standards of decency, our environment, our personal liberties, our elections, our people, and our standing in the world.
I see this Administration as an unprecedented betrayal of the freedoms and systems we all hold dear. I believe there has been a wholesale soul-selling of Republican politicians and Conservative Christian leaders; a historic power grab the likes of which we've never seen in this country.
That, along with the increasing silence of many of my white, moderate Christian friends, has left me feeling more burdened than ever to speak explicitly and repeatedly; to leverage my platform and my newsfeed and my voice on behalf of a nation and Church that have lost the plot.
Because of the volume and the relentlessness of this President's cruelty—there must be a similarly passionate and compassionate response.
Because every day we are bombarded with a new real or manufactured urgency—we need to step in again with facts and truth to combat it.
Because each morning a different attack comes: on migrants or meal vouchers or national parks or transgender soldiers or Jewish Americans or journalists or shooting victims—then each morning there must be those of us who unequivocally oppose it all.
As long as this man and his cadre of sycophants continues to shun their responsibility and horde wealth and preach fear and prey upon the vulnerable and serve only half of their constituents and use religion as a weapon—I'm going to continue to say everything.
You're free to label it "too political," but I know that's simply a term people use when someone else's boldness conflicts with their comfort, challenges their prejudices, calls out their malevolence, and rattles their privilege.
If this clarity and directness offends you or you feel I've grown too angry or too political, you're free to mute or unfriend me, to stop reading me or stop inviting me to dinner or talking to me at the bus stop. Social media is optional and my page is not a Democracy—though I'm working to make sure we continue to live in one.