I don’t want to say, “I told you so.”

I haven’t written in a while because I didn’t want to simply write, “I told you so.” I didn’t want to sound patronizing. Yet, my frustration is that everything that happened last week at the nation’s capitol was entirely predictable.

For five years I’ve been lamenting the Christian support for Donald Trump. Over that time I’ve learned a great deal about the way the evangelical church in America has been shaped by Christian Nationalism, racism, xenophobia, and toxic masculinity. I’ve been thankful for the writings of Gerardo Marti, Samuel Perry, Drew Hart, Kristen Kobes Du Mez, Soong Chan-Rah, Russell Moore, Mark Labberton, John Fea, David French, and many other evangelical voices who have continued to speak truth to power and encourage Christians to open their eyes to see what was so obvious to us.

I accept the sad reality that some will not get it (and yes, that means I miss things too). Even educated folks don’t always get it. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, Jesus said to him, “You are Israel’s teacher and do you not understand these things?” Sometimes we just miss things that are right in front of our eyes. That is why we pray that we would have eyes that see and ears that hear. Others have been deliberately ignoring and disparaging the voice of these highly respected leaders in the church choosing instead to go down the path that Paul warned Timothy about, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Tragically some of my Christian friends even bought into conspiracy theories like Qanon.

I don’t write to judge those outside the church. As Paul says, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?” I write in faithfulness to my calling to proclaim the full counsel of the Word of God. Not just the parts I like. There is a cost that comes with that.

Over the last five years I have been accused of being a liberal for pushing the clear teaching of Scripture. I have lost friendships over as I have stood up for racial justice and pushed back against nationalism and xenophobia. I have been accused of being anti-life, because Trump was the supposed “pro-life” candidate (read anti-abortion). I have been called a socialist and a Marxist, which I am not.

But really, all that has transpired should be plain to anyone who has eyes to see. Back in February 2016 I wrote this. I titled it, “Trump and Ten Year Old.” Over the last five years everything I wrote then has continued to be true of Trump and the dehumanizing words he has spoken, as they so often do, eventually spilled over into violence.

"Slow down, one thing at a time!" My mum would tell me when I came home all in a tizzy over something. These were wise words she spoke as I was trying to unravel the way I felt about a particular situation.

Over the last few weeks I have become immensely concerned about the momentum that Donald Trump has been gaining in the race to become the GOP nomination for this fall's presidential election. Certainly I have concerns about all the candidates, none are perfect, but Trump is the only one that gets me all in a tizzy and I have had to slow myself down and take one thing at a time to understand why.

The first is the name calling. The way he mocks those who stand in his way labeling them as "morons," "idiots," "losers" and "dummies." Then there's the disparaging comments he has made about Mexicans, the disabled, Megyn Kelly, his fellow GOP nominees and others. I explained to my ten year old daughter that if she talked about people the way Trump does she'd be sent on a timeout to her bedroom until she apologized. I don't believe that's bad parenting, I believe it's helping her understand the value of all people and teaching her to respect others even when we disagree. We don't have to dehumanize others for us to do well. It's not a win/lose equation.

Then there's the lies. Yes, the fact checkers have evidence that every candidate stretches the truth but Trump is way out there on this one. It's not just the blatant lies he tells; it's his inability to ever acknowledge fault even when confronted with the evidence. He shows no level of shame for anything he says. Even when he backtracks a little he never accepts he was wrong. I believe two of the most powerful statements a person of strong character can make are, "I was wrong" and "I am sorry." These statements demonstrate that a person is learning and growing and acknowledging their weaknesses. It demonstrates that they are on a journey to becoming fully human again. My ten year old understands this, we don't tolerate lying, it is the one thing you can't do in our home without consequence. Truth matters.

I also want to highlight Trump's xenophobia. It is part of a culture of fear. Trump called for "a total and complete shutdown on Muslims entering the United States." What happened to the idea of freedom of religion? He would add to this a call to build a wall to keep the Mexicans out and doesn't want to allow any Syrian refugees into the nation. He will use torture, waterboarding and worse, in the name of national security. This sort of rhetoric and practice must be opposed. The gospel call is clear that we are to love our enemies; it is clear that we are to welcome the stranger; it is clear that we are to love our neighbor which Jesus puts a wonderful twist on by having the neighbor be a foreigner (a Samaritan). 

My ten year old says Trump is a bully. She's listened to his words and heard his tone of voice. It doesn't take an expert to see this, it only requires a set of eyes that have been shaped by the gospel.

Trump is appealing to the angry voter. 

Here are my questions for those who didn’t get it, “Do you get it now? Will you repent, that is will you have a change of mind and heart?”

If we are on a journey to be fully human we must confront every action and system that seeks to take away the full humanity of others.