How evangelical support of Trump helped to bring pornography into the mainstream

Related Link Christian Nationalism and Evangelical Support for Donald Trump  By John Fea

... I think many Americans, whether they are religious or not, would agree that porn has a negative effect on our culture.

I am sure there will be many — libertarians or some feminists — who disagree with me about the destructive nature of pornography, but most followers of Jesus believe that pornography leads to sin. Christians who watch porn seek to gratify desires that can only be truly satisfied by God and one’s marriage partner.

I know the court evangelicals agree with me. Many of Trump’s most ardent supporters are pastors. I am sure they have counseled people who are addicted to pornography. They can tell stories about families that have been torn apart by porn. They have seen men squander their savings or run up massive credit card debt on Internet porn sites. Some of the most unsung heroes of the evangelical world are those who work with ministries that help men whose lives have been destroyed by pornography.

I would imagine that the court evangelicals are disgusted that Stormy and Karen have replaced Walt and Marlin. But there was a time when opposing pornography was on the top of the Christian Right’s agenda. Today, many conservative evangelicals have cast their lot with a president who, perhaps more than any other politician in American history, has brought pornography into the political and cultural mainstream.

If the court evangelicals are troubled by the fact that the porn industry is getting free publicity every night on the news, they must realize that they are partly to blame. Trump’s past sins (forgiven or not) have found him out. Presidential character matters — past and present. The court evangelicals should be ashamed of themselves.

As the Stormy Daniels interview aired Sunday night on “60 Minutes,” Texas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress was leading his congregation on a “March for Eternal Life” through the streets of Dallas. Members of First Baptist Church carried a large white cross and announced that the gospel of Jesus Christ — the message we celebrate this Holy Week — is the only hope of the nation.

Sadly, I don’t think anyone was listening. The good news of the gospel will fall on deaf ears as long as the hypocrisy of the court evangelicals continues.