In our founding documents, Billy Graham explains that Christianity Today will help evangelical Christians interpret the news in a manner that reflects their faith. The impeachment of Donald Trump is a significant event in the story of our republic. It requires comment.
The typical CT approach is to stay above the fray and allow Christians with different political convictions to make their arguments in the public square, to encourage all to pursue justice according to their convictions and treat their political opposition as charitably as possible. We want CT to be a place that welcomes Christians from across the political spectrum, and reminds everyone that politics is not the end and purpose of our being. We take pride in the fact, for instance, that politics does not dominate our homepage.
That said, we do feel it necessary from time to time to make our own opinions on political matters clear—always, as Graham encouraged us, doing so with both conviction and love. We love and pray for our president, as we love and pray for leaders (as well as ordinary citizens) on both sides of the political aisle.
Let’s grant this to the president: The Democrats have had it out for him from day one, and therefore nearly everything they do is under a cloud of partisan suspicion. This has led many to suspect not only motives but facts in these recent impeachment hearings. And, no, Mr. Trump did not have a serious opportunity to offer his side of the story in the House hearings on impeachment.
But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.
The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.
Trump’s evangelical supporters have pointed to his Supreme Court nominees, his defense of religious liberty, and his stewardship of the economy, among other things, as achievements that justify their support of the president. We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country, and damages both the spirit and the future of our people. None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.
This concern for the character of our national leader is not new in CT. In 1998, we wrote this:
The President's failure to tell the truth—even when cornered—rips at the fabric of the nation. This is not a private affair. For above all, social intercourse is built on a presumption of trust: trust that the milk your grocer sells you is wholesome and pure; trust that the money you put in your bank can be taken out of the bank; trust that your babysitter, firefighters, clergy, and ambulance drivers will all do their best. And while politicians are notorious for breaking campaign promises, while in office they have a fundamental obligation to uphold our trust in them and to live by the law.
And this:
Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the President and those close to him have rendered this administration morally unable to lead.
Unfortunately, the words that we applied to Mr. Clinton 20 years ago apply almost perfectly to our current president. Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election—that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?
We have reserved judgment on Mr. Trump for years now. Some have criticized us for our reserve. But when it comes to condemning the behavior of another, patient charity must come first. So we have done our best to give evangelical Trump supporters their due, to try to understand their point of view, to see the prudential nature of so many political decisions they have made regarding Mr. Trump. To use an old cliché, it’s time to call a spade a spade, to say that no matter how many hands we win in this political poker game, we are playing with a stacked deck of gross immorality and ethical incompetence. And just when we think it’s time to push all our chips to the center of the table, that’s when the whole game will come crashing down. It will crash down on the reputation of evangelical religion and on the world’s understanding of the gospel. And it will come crashing down on a nation of men and women whose welfare is also our concern.
Mark Galli is editor in chief of Christianity Today.
光impeachment的这件事来说，拖着国会批准的对乌克兰援助款不放，削弱了乌克兰军队力量，对俄罗斯有利，乌克兰是美国盟友，这就相当于危害了美国国家安全。 如果没有这个whistleblower，如果没有国会监督，他成功逼迫乌克兰公开宣布对biden启动调查的话，他就会成功地invited foreign interference into american election，就像2016一样。 同时发出“美国的领导人是可以用政治上的好处买通的”的信号，造成美国在世界上的credibility和领导力下降，也危害了国家安全。
其他的政策上的就不详细说了，随便列举几个：但这些只是政策上的sb，不算违反什么法律。 1.9 trillion tax cut 最后60%的cut进入top 20%，其他人没见什么经济上的好处，财政赤字增加 50%，增加了经济不稳定性； 对white supremacists说great people on both sides，造成上任后白人至上主义者造成的惨案多了很多； 没事搞个跟中国的贸易战结果害美国农民东西卖不出去，只好动用纳税人的钱去给农民补助，花了十几billion。
这在昨天是一个爆炸性新闻。因为福音派是 trump 的基本盘，重中之重。副标题是：
It’s time to say what we said 20 years ago when a president’s character was revealed for what it was.
The typical CT approach is to stay above the fray and allow Christians with different political convictions to make their arguments in the public square, to encourage all to pursue justice according to their convictions and treat their political opposition as charitably as possible. We want CT to be a place that welcomes Christians from across the political spectrum, and reminds everyone that politics is not the end and purpose of our being. We take pride in the fact, for instance, that politics does not dominate our homepage.
That said, we do feel it necessary from time to time to make our own opinions on political matters clear—always, as Graham encouraged us, doing so with both conviction and love. We love and pray for our president, as we love and pray for leaders (as well as ordinary citizens) on both sides of the political aisle.
Let’s grant this to the president: The Democrats have had it out for him from day one, and therefore nearly everything they do is under a cloud of partisan suspicion. This has led many to suspect not only motives but facts in these recent impeachment hearings. And, no, Mr. Trump did not have a serious opportunity to offer his side of the story in the House hearings on impeachment.
But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.
The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.
Trump’s evangelical supporters have pointed to his Supreme Court nominees, his defense of religious liberty, and his stewardship of the economy, among other things, as achievements that justify their support of the president. We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country, and damages both the spirit and the future of our people. None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.
This concern for the character of our national leader is not new in CT. In 1998, we wrote this:
The President's failure to tell the truth—even when cornered—rips at the fabric of the nation. This is not a private affair. For above all, social intercourse is built on a presumption of trust: trust that the milk your grocer sells you is wholesome and pure; trust that the money you put in your bank can be taken out of the bank; trust that your babysitter, firefighters, clergy, and ambulance drivers will all do their best. And while politicians are notorious for breaking campaign promises, while in office they have a fundamental obligation to uphold our trust in them and to live by the law.
And this:
Unsavory dealings and immoral acts by the President and those close to him have rendered this administration morally unable to lead.
Unfortunately, the words that we applied to Mr. Clinton 20 years ago apply almost perfectly to our current president. Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election—that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.
To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?
We have reserved judgment on Mr. Trump for years now. Some have criticized us for our reserve. But when it comes to condemning the behavior of another, patient charity must come first. So we have done our best to give evangelical Trump supporters their due, to try to understand their point of view, to see the prudential nature of so many political decisions they have made regarding Mr. Trump. To use an old cliché, it’s time to call a spade a spade, to say that no matter how many hands we win in this political poker game, we are playing with a stacked deck of gross immorality and ethical incompetence. And just when we think it’s time to push all our chips to the center of the table, that’s when the whole game will come crashing down. It will crash down on the reputation of evangelical religion and on the world’s understanding of the gospel. And it will come crashing down on a nation of men and women whose welfare is also our concern.
Mark Galli is editor in chief of Christianity Today.
建议你们把彭斯也打包弹劾了，这样婆罗洗直接就位，岂不美哉？
打人脸的基督徒，其实有点可笑（虽然我不是基督徒）。
迟到总比没有好 :)
作为无神论者，这篇文章至少让我重拾一点对Christian的尊重。
你金主知道你偷偷夹带私货么
对于这种网络喷子回贴，我只有两个字：
无耻
你错了。有些人，比如我，当初选的就是Pence。因为Trump 的品行作为总统太差。我现在也希望Trump 下来，Pence 上去。
“到那日，必有许多人对我说：‘主啊，主啊！难道我们没有奉你的名讲道，奉你的名赶鬼，奉你的名行过许多神迹吗？’ 但我必向他们声明：‘我从来不认识你们；你们这些作恶的人，离开我去吧！’”
马太福音 7:22-23
品行好不好不好说，不过至少川总没四处传扬自个儿是听到神的召唤，按神的意志行事的。
支持大流氓大骗子的基督徒，要么是假的基督徒，要么是蠢到不知道自己正在去地狱的路上。
选总统不是炫圣人 否则当年克林顿早该给弹劾下台了
选总统是各人自个儿的事，别说选圣人了，选明星，选年轻英俊的，选老成持重的，选白人，选黑人，选同性，选异性，都是人家自个儿的选择。
难不成您觉得别人选总统的标准也需要您批准？您真逗。。。
呵呵，看看这个，跟神棍差不多了：
哈哈哈，你这个打脸太响了 ---发自Huaren 官方 iOS APP
最近刚看了一个报道20-40岁这代美国人40%在脱离基督教，美国基督教在萎缩，现在信息越来越透明，不信主的人越来越多 ---发自Huaren 官方 iOS APP
“My father vote Donald Trump”
美国基督教萎缩不萎缩没关系啦，完全不影响这里华人中那些忠实的信徒们嘛。应该不会美国基督教一萎缩，她们就失去了对主的信赖吧？
那惨了，所有政客都是大骗子。bush说，伊拉克有master destruction weapon，克林顿说我从来没有和luwensky有过性关系，奥巴马说，you can keep your doctors。真正的基督徒应该不投票才对。
至于谁是50步，谁是100步，各说各有理啦。
投票的基督徒，除了是假的基督徒之外，楼上那位没把话说死，实际上还给了一个选择：“要么是蠢到不知道自己正在去地狱的路上”。
所以了，真正的基督徒也是可以投票的。
还是你家教主厉害👍
[twitter]1207980004669194243?s=21[/twitter]
本来还对基督教有一点点好感，因为这个全无了。猪党连基督徒都收买了啊。
您觉得谁厉害，就选谁呗。别自个儿选不了就四处替人找教主 - 不是人人都像您似的特喜欢弄个教主拜拜的，您说是不?
后两个的性质和对民众造成的影响完全跟第一个不可同日而语。 bush在号称有wdw的时候知不知道自己在说谎？奥巴马是故意说谎还是没有完全实现承诺？ 克林顿说的这个谎是关于自己的私生活还是公共生活？对纳税人造成了什么伤害？ 问问自己吧。
特朗普对纳税人造成什么伤害了？
然后很快就被创始人儿子打脸了
☆ 发自 iPhone 华人一网 1.14.05
谢谢分享。猪党那些狗娘养的。
光impeachment的这件事来说，拖着国会批准的对乌克兰援助款不放，削弱了乌克兰军队力量，对俄罗斯有利，乌克兰是美国盟友，这就相当于危害了美国国家安全。
如果没有这个whistleblower，如果没有国会监督，他成功逼迫乌克兰公开宣布对biden启动调查的话，他就会成功地invited foreign interference into american election，就像2016一样。
同时发出“美国的领导人是可以用政治上的好处买通的”的信号，造成美国在世界上的credibility和领导力下降，也危害了国家安全。
其他的政策上的就不详细说了，随便列举几个：但这些只是政策上的sb，不算违反什么法律。
1.9 trillion tax cut 最后60%的cut进入top 20%，其他人没见什么经济上的好处，财政赤字增加 50%，增加了经济不稳定性；
对white supremacists说great people on both sides，造成上任后白人至上主义者造成的惨案多了很多；
没事搞个跟中国的贸易战结果害美国农民东西卖不出去，只好动用纳税人的钱去给农民补助，花了十几billion。
lol
☆ 发自 iPhone 华人一网 1.14.05
猪党都在盼美国经济下滑。猪党看到美国股市新高、经济恢复、就业发展等等如丧考妣。
猪党过了一个不爽的2019，其他美国人都身价上涨。
☆ 发自 iPhone 华人一网 1.14.05