New York Times Op-Ed: Is the Christian Resistance to Trump Growing?, by Esau McCaulley (Wheaton College; Author, The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary (2024)):
Shortly after the passage of President Trump’s domestic policy bill, Speaker Mike Johnson posted a Bible verse on his social media from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. It read, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” [2 Cor. 5:18]. Mr. Johnson appeared to be referring to the House’s passage of the reconciliation bill. Adding his own commentary on the text, he wrote, “soli Deo Gloria,” which is Latin for “glory to God alone.”
You almost have to appreciate the nerve it took to apply Paul’s words to a law that is likely to lead to millions of Americans’ losing their health care. Consider that the apostle was referring to sharing the good news about Jesus Christ and the chance to be reconciled to God.
In a rare moment of Christian ecumenism, white evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Roman Catholics and Black church leaders agree that there’s no glory to be found in this legislation. They have leveled distinctively religious criticism at Mr. Trump’s signature piece of legislation. Their issues with the legislation vary, but they seemingly all note that the ravenous greed at the core of this law threatens to devour the poor. …
The National Baptist Convention, a historically Black denomination representing millions of members, has often criticized this administration. Instead of manipulating the words of the Bible to support its argument against the bill, it cited Psalm 82:3, which reads, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and needy.” …
Psalm 82 was, in fact, a message to human rulers telling them that they would be judged for how they treated the poor. Mr. Johnson, by contrast, seems to be simply using biblical language to justify something that he had already done. This is religion as ornament, not the tree. …
The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities critiqued the legislation’s tying of federal funding to degree programs based on salaries of graduates. It said, “The emphasis on earnings as a measure of value risks penalizing students who pursue lower-paying public service roles — many of whom do so out of a deep sense of faith and calling.” … The idea that Christian colleges might be punished for encouraging their students to follow in the example of Christ while rewarding colleges that do not is deeply troubling. …
[T]hese statements highlight the irreconcilable difference between Trumpian politics and Christianity. Mr. Trump uses money and power to keep people in line. If politicians, countries, businesses or even institutions of higher education go against his wishes, they will pay a financial penalty. Mr. Trump believes in making deals rooted in self-interest.
Christians have the resources to resist this tactic because we are taught to model our behavior on Christ, who looked to the interests of others, not himself. It is precisely that interest in others, namely, the millions of working-class Americans negatively affected by this legislation, that led so many Christian leaders to say no to it. For some, this is a part of a long history of resistance; for others, they are finally finding their voice. Whether new or old, I am happy to see it.
The op-ed has generated over 1,000 reader comments. McCaulley responded to one of the comments:
A few consistent themes run through the Christian tradition: Grace and Hope. Grace means that we recognize that despite our many failures God forgives us. That means we extend that forgiveness and grace to others. Secondly, it is the concept of hope. Even the darkest times are not beyond God’s power to fix. Therefore, I try to not present myself or people who agree with me as the true Christians and everyone else as irredeemable hypocrites. I try as best I can to invite those who claim to share the same convictions to live up to those ideas. Cynicism has never liberated anyone.
Other op-eds by Esau McCaulley:
- This Palm Sunday, Ponder Donkeys, Not Palm Branches (Apr. 13, 2025)
- War and Faith (Dec. 17, 2023)
- Why I Am Still A Christian Despite The Evils Done To My Enslaved Family (Oct. 8, 2023)
- The Streets Sent Me to the Pulpit (Sept. 24, 2023)
- Frederick Douglass Knew What False Patriotism Was, Especially On The 4th Of July (July 4, 2023)
- My Father Failed Me. Here’s How I Learned To Forgive Him. (June 18, 2023)
- Lent: The Season Of Repentance And Renewal (Apr. 2, 2023)
- There Is Glory And God In Our Struggles (Feb. 12, 2023)
- Does The Meaning Of A Christmas Song Change Depending On The Race Of The Man Who Wrote It? (Dec. 25, 2022)
- MLK's Legacy: Push Past Tweetable Quotes To True Christlike Love (Jan. 17, 2022)
- The Dangerous Politics Of ‘We Will Not Forgive’ (Oct. 3, 2021)
- Why Christians Must Fight Systemic Racism (Aug. 1, 2021)
- MLK's Legacy: Push Past Tweetable Quotes To True Christlike Love (Jan. 18, 2021)
- What The Bible Has To Say About Black Anger: 'The Cross Helps Us Make Sense Of The Lynching Tree' (June 21, 2020)
- The Christian Response to the Coronavirus: Stay Home (Mar. 22, 2020)
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