Progressives Do Not Understand Christianity

Salon is an American politically progressive and liberal news and opinion digital magazine. Because of their political slant, you can expect that anything they publish is going to be not only political but will actively promote a politically left-wing point of view.

Recently, they published an article called Trump's transformation into a religious totem turns Christian nationalism toxic (You can read it at: https://www.salon.com/2024/09/25/donald-transformation-into-a-religious-totem-has-turned-christian-nationalism/). This article was specifically written to promote a particular political agenda by disparaging both Donald Trump and Christians.

Certainly promoting their point of view is their prerogative. However, when they do that, they should at least do it in a way that accurately expresses the truth. But that is not their mission. Their mission is to promote their progressive liberal agenda, and to destroy that which does not agree. And, since their worldview foundation is Naturalism (the belief that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists), there is, for them, no such thing as objective morality. The definition for what is moral and immoral, for them, is based purely on their personal preferences – and they have no trouble lying to promote their agenda if that is what it takes. After all, there is no such thing as objective right and wrong. Their version of what is right is what people can get away with.

In the article mentioned above, Salon has completely misrepresented Christians and Christianity. They claim that Trump has been turned into a “religious totem” by the Christians who support him. To support this viewpoint, they turned to Robert P. Jones, president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). PRRI is an American nonprofit organization that claims to be “a nonpartisan research and education organization that conducts public opinion polls on a variety of topics, specializing in the quantitative and qualitative study of political issues as they relate to religious values.” Jones gives himself away, however, in the titles of his three books: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future; White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity; and The End of White Christian America. Far from being neutral, this group is profoundly anti-evangelical Christian.

In calling Trump a religious totem, what they are saying is that Trump is a symbol that Christians are looking to use in order to restore their rightful place of power in society. And by making him a religious symbol, Salon asserts that it puts Trump in a position of being above any kind of moral judgement. Not only is this a slap at evangelical Christians, it is a totally false representation.

But in reading the article, it becomes evident very quickly that PRRI is not only a left leaning political organization, but that they totally misunderstand and misinterpret the beliefs and motives of conservative Christians. Salon’s profound bias against Christians also comes across loud and clear.

As for the Salon interviewer, the pejorative questions he asks are very telling. Here are some that have built in negative assumptions about Trump and Christians.

• What do we know about Trump’s messianic martyr appeal for his White Christian right-wing followers?
• Your new polling and other work examine the role of authoritarian personality in support for Donald Trump and his neofascist MAGA movement, specifically among white Christians. In this new research, what do we know about authoritarianism and “conservatives” in the age of Trump?
• What does your new research reveal about authoritarian values and members of that group (white Christians)?

Jones’ answers fall right into line with the presuppositions of the journalist’s questions. It seems that Jones has developed a what PRRI calls a “Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWAS).” This scale, supposedly developed using objective measures, assumes from the beginning that Christians have authoritarian inclinations, and was created to prove that point. However, it is certainly not based on objective measures. They actually begin with a set of presuppositions that assume people who hold Christian values are authoritarian, while people who are not conservative Christians are not. And since PRRI created this arbitrary definition of what is authoritarian, they have been able to put their finger on the scales to say that Christians have both authoritarian inclinations and are also prone to violence.

What is most interesting as the article unfolds, is how both the journalist and Jones have jumped with both feet on Christians and Christian beliefs, while totally ignoring the authoritarian tendencies of the political left (which is their particular point of view).

What these people don’t seem to grasp is that while Christians are interested in the political process, their interest is not in politics per se. What Christians are interested in regarding politics, is that biblical values be promoted in society; not because they want to be authoritarian, but because they want the best life outcome for all people – Christian and non-Christian alike. Biblical values provide an environment where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are possible. Salon’s preferred value system for society promotes a societal environment that corresponds to what we actually see going on in modern society – rampant crime, economic chaos, denigration of life, censorship, unrestrained sexual immorality, and government control.

The fact is, progressives simply do not understand Christianity, so they end up mischaracterizing both the actions and the motives of Christians. What we end up with is worse than lies. It is falsehoods made out of total ignorance.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

To set up an appointment to speak to a Literary Agent:
Email: Alfredo Baguio
Call: (702) 605-4354