Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Some observers – those who support real, genuine Christianity, including me – might say “it’s about time.”

The headline on this blog appeared in USA Today and was picked up by other newspapers, such as the Salem Statesman-Journal where we live in Salem, Oregon.

Here is how the reporter, Marc Ramirez, started his national story.

“Hundreds of Christian leaders and scholars nationwide are denouncing President Donald Trump’s administration and urging more active resistance among the faithful to ‘the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the nation.’”

Well written and well said.

Rather than write about this first, I’ll just publish the USA Today article in full because it is so good, then make a few comments.

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Hundreds of Christian leaders and scholars nationwide are denouncing President Donald Trump’s administration and urging more active resistance among the faithful to “the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the nation.”

“We are facing a cruel and oppressive government,” their collective statement begins.  “In moments like this, silence is not neutrality ‒ it is an active choice to permit harm.”

Titled “A Call to Christians in a Crisis of Faith and Democracy,” the letter says the nation is facing a profound moral, spiritual, and democratic emergency.  Its release coincides with the start of the Christian season of Lent, a period of repentance, self-reflection, and resistance to temptation.

“We thought it was important to tie into a season where many Christians go deeper into their faith,” said Adam Russell Taylor, president of Sojourners, a Christian social justice organization.  “Part of what we’re critiquing is the way in which many White evangelical Christians succumb to an unconditional support of the administration, despite the fact that its actions are completely antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.”

Leaders of all faiths have increasingly spoken out and participated in protests against the policies of the Trump administration, particularly aimed at what many see as overly aggressive efforts to detain and deport undocumented immigrants.  Pastors have been arrested and struck with pepper balls during demonstrations.

The statement says Christians have a moral obligation to speak out against “citizens and immigrants being demonized, disappeared, and even killed; the erosion of hard-won rights and freedoms; and a calculated effort to reverse America’s growing racial and ethnic diversity – all of which are pushing us toward authoritarian and imperial rule.”

“This moment is a defining test of Christian discipleship and civic responsibility,” said the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder and director of the Georgetown Center for Faith and Justice in Washington, DC.  “Democratic freedoms are being taken away and the gospel is being distorted.  The vulnerable people Jesus told us to stand with and defend are being targeted and assaulted.”

Wallis and Taylor organized the collective effort along with Barbara Williams-Skinner, president of Baltimore’s Skinner Institute, a faith leadership development organization.

About 400 people initially signed the statement, representing a range of Christian denominations, leaders of Black, Asian and Latino churches and associations and Christian universities and institutions.  Hundreds more have added their names since the letter’s February 18 release, organizers say.

The Executive Office of the President of the United States, which includes the White House office, did not respond to a request for comment about the statement.

The Christian leaders and scholars say, aside from the risks to democracy, they are troubled by “a Christian faith corrupted by the heretical ideology of White Christian nationalism.”

“People look at it as just a democratic crisis, but it’s not,” said the Rev. Cynthia Hale, pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia, who was among those who signed the letter.  “It’s a crisis of faith.”

Christian nationalism, the idea that Christian people and biblical law should govern American life, has seeped into the highest levels of American government, with conservative evangelicals becoming a major political force with strong support of Trump.  Evangelical pastor Doug Wilson, who has said women should neither vote nor hold religious or political leadership positions, was recently invited by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to conduct a service at the Pentagon.

“Their religious leaders have been so unconditionally supportive that it’s almost branded this administration as being religious in the minds of many Americans, which is a distortion,” said Bishop Raymond Rivera of the Council of Holistic Christian Churches and Ministries, who also signed the letter.  “They’ve confused proximity to political power with proximity to the power of God.  They’re not the same.”

Taylor called such conflation “a form of idolatry” and said the Trump administration in turn has misused Christian language to support its activities, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ads that quote scripture in their appeals – one ad, for instance, includes a verse saying “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

“That feels particularly offensive and egregious in light of the tactics we’ve seen them employ in Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles and elsewhere,” he said.  “It’s corrupting the Christian faith to advance its own political agenda.”

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University, a Christian institution in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said she initially wondered before signing whether the moment required something more than signing yet another statement.

“I realized this statement isn’t primarily for people who have been on the front lines of these issues but for pastors and ordinary Christians who may be just waking up to what’s happening and what’s at stake,” Du Mez said. “I think it’s important to offer a statement that clarifies the political and theological stakes and that people can put their name behind.  This is a way for ordinary Christians to step up.”

The letter concludes by tying a set of core theological convictions to actions the signers pledge to take to practice their faith and protect democracy, including defending voting rights, pursuing peace, and standing with unjustly targeted immigrants.

Dottie Escobedo-Frank, bishop of the United Methodist Church’s California-Pacific Conference in Pasadena, said she signed the letter to encourage her Southern California community and all Christians to live out their callings to serve the downtrodden, demonstrate compassion, and challenge political leaders to act on their behalf.

However, with church ministries offering food distribution, childcare, or elderly assistance having faced disruption from ICE agents or anti-immigrant demonstrators, “we’re seeing people in our communities who are afraid to live out their faith because of the actions of our government,” she said.

Taylor understands many may be justifiably fearful of living out their creed, but said it’s critical for people to engage at a time when “the pages of the authoritarian playbook are very much in effect,” he said.

He said one way to overcome such fears, aside from leaning into the resilience of faith itself, is to connect with other Christians.  The letter effort includes a website where supporters can find ways to get involved.

“One of the most consistent refrains in scripture is ‘do not be afraid,’” Taylor said. “Authoritarian governments thrive on people feeling isolated and overwhelmed, so we’re trying to create a network of solidarity and courage. We have the power to prevent things from getting worse.”

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My comments:

I appreciate the letter because it illustrates that it is past time for Christian leaders to call out Trump and his sycophants for promoting their fake brand of Christianity.  So, the letter does the good deed.

God is too big for Trump and it is too bad that it appears he doesn’t know Him.

Back in the day, when I was on the leadership team at Salem Alliance Church in Salem, Oregon, I was part of an effort to make sure our church did not risk becoming just another political instrument, as had happened to many churches around the country.

We viewed a bright line – from the platform or in writing, don’t tell those in the congregation how to vote; let them make their own decisions – but also don’t be afraid to provide a Biblical perspective on what could be labeled “political issues,” emphasis on the word “issues.”

We wanted to focus instead on what Christ has done for us, even as we live as citizens in a country, paying credit as the Scripture advises, “to render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s,” from Matthew 22:21.

But, given the huge excesses of Trump, it is time to say, “enough is enough.”

I join with letter signers to call out “the injustices and anti-democratic danger sweeping across the nation” due to Trump’s bid to become an autocrat, someone equal to a god.

Enough is enough.  God’s name should not be taken in vain any longer by Trump or anyone else.  If you choose to play politics, just don’t do it in the name of the real God.