Evangelical Christians have always leaned to the right-wing side of politics. From recent issues like same-sex marriage and abortion to historical matters like slavery, there has been a conservative bent in the church. Although many try to forget, evangelical Christians even supported Adolf Hitler.
Hitler didn’t rise to power in a vacuum. He was voted into office on his promises to drive economic growth and bring order back to chaotic Germany. Many Germans saw him as a strong leader who would help the country recover from the damages of World War I.
In one letter to the editor of a magazine published by the Moody Bible Institute, an evangelical Christian generously praised Hitler. Hedwig Nabholz called him a man who “tries as best he knows how to help Germany” and someone who “studies the New Testament” before asking readers to “not misjudge him.”
It’s striking to see the parallels between this Christian defense of Hitler and the arguments used to support Donald Trump today. Many of his supporters are asking Americans to not judge Trump yet and wait to see how he behaves in office. Even his campaign slogan, “Make American Great Again,” sounds like a man who just wants to help his country.
Despite the President-Elect’s campaign statements that his mother often read “2 Corinthians” to him and his claims that he has no need to ask for forgiveness, evangelical Christians overwhelmingly voted for Trump. His support for Israel and overturning abortion rights helped him at the ballot box. So too did his anti-Mexican statements. He not only referred to many Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals but accused an American judge of Mexican heritage of bias.
Unfortunately, it seems that evangelical Christians did not learn from their history. Americans can only hope that they realize how non-Christian President Trump is before he can start another world war.