Greetings my sister:
I have carefully read this pastor’s comments and I have made my replies below in bold. I pray that they will be helpful to you.
From Christian pastor John Pavlovitz:
“Dear White Evangelicals,
I need to tell you something: People have had it with you.
They’re done.
They want nothing to do with you any longer, and here’s why:
They see your hypocrisy, your inconsistency, your incredibly selective mercy, and your thinly veiled supremacy.
For eight years they watched you relentlessly demonize a black President; a man faithfully married for 26 years; a doting father and husband without a hint of moral scandal or the slightest whiff of infidelity.”
This is not true, while the media white washed much of Obama’s sins because they as he are leftist, Obama did indeed have allocations of sexual sin brought againt him
https://www.haaretz.com/life/.premium.MAGAZINE-the-biographer-with-no-regrets-about-uncovering-obama-s-sex-life-1.5477977
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4470040/Obama-s-sex-drugs-past-laid-bare-new-biography.html
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/11/02/gay-sex-barack-obama-running-mayor-florida/
And more that he did as president that was against our Nation much of which was exposed by Christian author Dinesh D’Suza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SLa-poeHY4
“They watched you deny his personal faith convictions, argue his birthplace, and assail his character—all without cause or evidence.”
I am a Black Christian and I do not trust his “faith conviction” as he claims to be a Christian. And I have biblical reasons, including his support for homosexuality and same sex marriage and Abortion. And any pastor who has the nerve to say that such issues are not “all that is at stake” as if they are not enough to be concerned about are not biblical pastors, they are cultural pastors who are more concerned about being politically correct than biblically sound and dedicated to God.
And there were legitimate reasons to question his birth place and records that still have a cloud of suspicion around it.
My sister, it is very easy to find thousands of pastors who are as this man, I need you to be as diligent in examining his biblical credibility as you are accepting Trumps lack of credibility. Isn’t that what being fair is all about? If you can’t you must ask yourself why?
“They saw you brandish Scriptures to malign him and use the laziest of racial stereotypes in criticizing him.”
What does this mean, where is the source provided for us to judge if indeed it was “maligning” and racial stereotypes?, Just making an accusation does not make it true. And it is obvious that anyone who would make a BROAD ATTACK ON WHITE EVANGELICALS as if they ALL did bad things that SOME may have done is, not interested in being balanced or accurate, but are more interested in impressing a certain group of people. This is certainly not a push to please God, it is a effort to please liberal –progressives on the left. My question to you my sister, and I ask in love not hostility, is why are you so willing to see this as a true blue Christian perspective? Is this pastor beyond any reproach or possible arterial motive? If you think so please tell me why.
“And through it all, White Evangelicals—you never once suggested that God placed him where he was,”
Neither did many Black Christians, Why should we, since God is in control of all such events, if He allows something to happen, it does not mean He “placed” him there. It was American citizens who voted for an ideal that was deceptively promised on the campaign trail, as all politicians do to get elected. Then when they get in office, they reward the money people that put them there and helped them to con the public.
“you never publicly offered prayers for him and his family,”
How does this pastor know this? Is it possible that he knows that NO WHITE EVANGELICAL PRAYED FOR OBAMA AND HIS FAMILY? NO, SO is this a possible –likely lie? Is it “Christian” to make such an accusation with no evidence? Or is this even important to you. I think we are accountable for how we accuse people.
“you never welcomed him to your Christian Universities,”
Why would a Bible believing Christian University invite someone to speak to their students who was a known smooth talker who did not respect God or the Bible?
“you never gave him the benefit of the doubt in any instance,”
Where in the Bible are we instructed to give a known rebel against basic biblical truth the “benefit of the doubt? If I know you are saying and doing things that I do not support, why should I ignore them and act like you might be okay? This is Christian? If so please explain how.
“you never spoke of offering him forgiveness or mercy,”
Now this seems contradictory, if you point is that he was a good Christian, why would he need and offer of forgiveness or mercy? On the other hand, again, how does he know that none of them ever did offer forgiveness and mercy? He seems to think he is all knowing when it comes to what WHITE EVANGELICALS DID AND DID NOT DO. How?
“your evangelists never publicly thanked God for his leadership”
Nor did I and many other Black Christians ever, I guess that makes us some kind of bad Christian? Based on what? Is he suggesting that we as Christians do not have the right to decide who we think is worthy of our praise for the work they have done? Can you not see what he is doing without thinking? His focus is so much on pleasing his base and rebuking those who did not like Obama as president, that he is not concerned about being reasonable.
“your pastors never took to the pulpit to offer solidarity with him,”
Why should they when they saw the many things that he stood for and did that they did not agree with?
I noticed that this pastor has nothing to say about Obamas disrespectful comments and attitude towards Trump, his cocky comments about Trump never being President etc. Isn’t it interesting that he seems to act as if Obama was a saint?
“you never made any effort to affirm his humanity or show the love of Jesus to him in any quantifiable measure.”
Why would anyone have to affirm another human beings “humanity” this is intersectionality language. Progressive language, his ideology is slipping out and he does not even realize it. How does he know that no evangelical showed any love of Jesus to him? What does he define as “love of Jesus? I assure you that it all has to do with mushy sweet kind words about love and tolerance and affirmation, and never anything corrective, or any kind of rebuke. You see such people do not seem to think that Jesus ever showed love by speaking the truth to people that was not sweet or affirming. Yet Herod, Pilot and the scribes and Pharisees would tell you otherwise. This is not a biblical pastor my sister, and I would not trust him to teach me.
“You violently opposed him at every single turn—without offering a single ounce of the grace you claim as the heart of your faith tradition.”
Again, look at his language; note his emphatic, omniscient declarations. And again is he suggesting that Christians are never to be stern against those who would pervert the truth of God’s word? If so, based on what Bible principle?
“You jettisoned Jesus as you dispensed damnation on him.”
He does not have the decency to include a reference or source and again, he has the nerve to put all evangelicals in the same boat. And again, he suggests that we cannot have Jesus while pronouncing condemnation on someone who leads people away from God into sin, who promotes sin as a good thing and pokes fun at anyone who speaks against sin. And reticules commitment to the biblical teaching while taking the Bible out of context and attacking it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPIr5qJEtP0
“And yet you give carte blanche to a white Republican man so riddled with depravity, so littered with extramarital affairs, so unapologetically vile, with such a vast resume of moral filth—that the mind boggles.”
I have never seen any evangelical Christian ignore or condone any of Donald Trump’s depravity before he became president, or any of his “vile” comments, But he did not document the resume of moral filth or reference it which boggles the mind. And His immoral personal life has not prevented him from keeping his political promises and trying to do what was best for America. That is what we elected him for, not to be the epitome of moral rightness. There has not been a “moral” President for some years and a Truly Christian one for even many more years. But Trump has stood more with Christians and our worldview and concerns than any president in recent history. That is a fact and any “Christian” pastor who does not know or acknowledge this, is clearly not concerned about God or the Bible, but pleasing the progressives and willing to twist the Christian faith to appease them.
“And the change in you is unmistakable. It has been an astonishing conversion to behold: a being born again.”
With him, you suddenly find religion.
With him, you’re now willing to offer full absolution.
With him, all is forgiven without repentance or admission.
With him you’re suddenly able to see some invisible, deeply buried heart.
With him, sin has become unimportant, compassion no longer a requirement.
With him, you see only Providence.”
Again, this is a blatant dishonest take on what has happened with Trump and many evangelicals.
I have not seen any statement by evangelicals offering full absolution to Trump. Or a pass on repentance and admission, he has admitted to some things he has been accused of and the wrongness of comments he has made in the past. He has shown a respect for Christians and our faith and claimed a faith in it as well, but no one has said his sin was not important and he has been ministered to by Christian ministers. He invited them, Obama did not to my knowledge. AS for seeing providence, I could see it in any president who stood up for Christian rights and concerns against a leftist agenda. If he can’t you should ask why? Again, this does not seem to me to be a balanced, fair look that these men.
“And White Evangelicals, all those people who have had it with you—they see it all clearly.
They recognize the toxic source of your inconsistency.”
And just what is that “source”? And why can’t he see his unbiblical attitude and unsound comments?
I can see clearly his agenda and it is not biblical truth or pleasing God.
“They see that pigmentation and party are your sole deities.”
Then what would that mean for the many millions of Blacks who support him who are Christians? Are we making a deity out of the Republican Party Too? Is that a Christian thing to say about us? Oh, you and the left are allowed to be verbally abusive and rude to us, but we can’t be honest about you. That is amazing. And quite arrogant.
“They see that you aren’t interested in perpetuating the love of God or emulating the heart of Jesus. They see that you aren’t burdened to love the least, or to be agents of compassion, or to care for your Muslim, gay, African, female, or poor neighbors as yourself.”
Notice the progressive accusation, we are not showing the love of Jesus if we aren’t burdened to “love” Muslims, gays, they don’t love Blacks, females (even though many of them are females) or the poor.
How does he define “love”, what does he mean by “supporting Islam” or “homosexuality” and based on what text of scripture? How are White evangelicals not showing love to Blacks, Females and the poor? By not condoning the welfare state, by not agreeing with abortion? By not buying into the lie that All white cops are out to kill Black people and that America is a Systemically racist nation? But I am Black and I don’t agree with any of that either. So pastor what do you call me? I have biblical reasons for my convictions and I am willing to defend them, are you? Can you?
“They see that all you’re really interested in doing, is making a God in your own ivory image and demanding that the world bow down to it”
This is sinful; to lie on an entire group of people because of a few who may fit the bill is sinful.
“They recognize this all about white, Republican Jesus—not dark-skinned Jesus of Nazareth.
And I know you don’t realize it, but you’re digging your own grave in these days; the grave of your very faith tradition.”
My sister, you cannot see the insanity and venom in this kind of statement? Do you actually think this is the condition of all or even the majority of White evangelicals in our country?
“Your willingness to align yourself with cruelty is a costly marriage.”
He does not think it is cruel to misrepresent an entire group of literally millions of people? This is not only hypocritical, it is sinful.
“Yes, you’ve gained a Supreme Court seat, a few months with the Presidency as a mouthpiece, and the cheap high of temporary power—but you’ve lost a whole lot more.”
His agenda is slipping out again, note he is a Democrat and he resents the Republicans in power, this is not about God and The Bible or the Christian faith, this is a Dem who is a professing Christian who is using his Christian profession to attack other Christians because of their political views, and he does not have the decency to be honest about it.
“You’ve lost an audience with millions of wise, decent, good-hearted, faithful people with eyes to see this ugliness.
You’ve lost any moral high ground or spiritual authority with a generation.
You’ve lost any semblance of Christlikeness.
You’ve lost the plot.”
He is strangely speaking for the many who like him, are deeply influenced by what they see and hear on TV and social media, not by what they read in the Bible. He nor they could ever believe the things he said in this piece if he or they were governed by God’s word that tells us that we must judge righteous judgment and are not to be false accusers. John 7:24, 2 Timothy 3:3. Titus 2:3. If an accusation against an elder must be accompanied by at least two witness, 1 Timothy 5:19, don’t you think he should have at least provided proof that ALL EVANGELICALS are guilty of what he accused them of?
“And most of all you’ve lost your soul.
I know it’s likely you’ll dismiss these words. The fact that you’ve even made your bed with such malevolence, shows how far gone you are and how insulated you are from the reality in front of you. But I had to at least try to reach you. It’s what Jesus would do.”
I am amazed at how easily so called pastors and Christians say things without actually bothering to be biblical or Christian. I am more concerned that other Christians are so easily taken by such rhetoric out of a sincere desire to be a good person and to be kind to everyone. But in the process they end up allowing foolish people to influence them to think incorrectly about issues and even other people.
I love you my sister, and I have no doubt at all that you are sincere and desire to be on the right side of these issues. I commend you for that. I only caution to be careful of who you hear and how you hear who you hear. It is very easy to think that someone is sincere, but if you pay careful attention to what they say, how they say it and the evidence (or lack thereof) that they use to defend what they say, you can usually determine their level of credibility. It is tedious work, but it is necessary if we are going to be Christian in our evaluation of things and people.