Being gentle in the age of Trump

Christians agree on Jesus. We won't agree on everything else.

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. —Romans 15:7

Welcome to this blog on global Christianity. It is not coincidental that I’m launching it on a U.S. presidential inauguration day.

My goal, after nearly 10 years of high-level involvement with the World Evangelical Alliance, is to advance the collaborative work of the body of Christ, especially in the Majority World, through good information and interviews you might not find elsewhere.

I’m keenly aware that U.S. political developments cast an enormous shadow over on global Christianity—and that opinions among Christians are deeply divided. This Christianity Today article I helped to prepare after Trump’s re-election described favorable reaction to his victory in Iran, Nepal, Kenya, and the Philippines but markedly less enthusiasm in the UK, South Africa, Japan, and Brazil.

There’s a general pattern here. In countries with religious persecution or where most Christians resist LGBT legitimacy, Trump’s win was widely welcomed; in more culturally progressive nations where Trump’s perceived close relationship with evangelicals is a source of embarrassment, his victory perpetuated the problem.

Even though all Christians are supposed to be teammates on the kingdom-of-God team, their views are significantly shaped by their own local cultural context. Globally, there is great diversity among Christians—and there should be, since two billion people are united by their faith in Jesus Christ, not by their political, cultural, or gastronomic preferences.

But all Christians, regardless of their views on other topics, should embody the gospel through their love, respect, and compassion for every human made in the image of God.

I attended an academic panel discussion shortly after the U.S. presidential election. When I spoke with the organizer afterwards, we agreed that the panel was skewed—none of the four participants were happy that Trump won. But we also agreed that it would have been nearly impossible to find a Trump defender, especially a Christian Trump defender, willing to engage in a friendly, respectful, well-informed, constructive conversation.

That’s sad.

It’s understandable that many politically and socially conservative Christians, both in the U.S. and abroad, would rather have Trump as president, despite his obvious narcissism and weakness of moral character, than a left-leaning alternative who campaigned unabashedly for “reproductive rights.” But when a large segment of Christians becomes so ensnared in polarizing culture wars—or so distanced from civil discourse—that reasonable people don’t invite them into conversations, they may not be helping their cause.

I hope to equip Christians all over the world, whatever their cultural or political flavor, to represent the gospel well. Throughout my professional career, I have sought to be both irenic and intellectually rigorous, gentle yet provocative. I pledge to do that here: Mondays on global issues, Fridays on spiritual matters, and interpreting U.S. politics for a global audience as the need arises. I’ll give space for other important voices (mainly through interviews facilitated by my fast typing fingers), not just my own. If you like what I offer, please encourage others to subscribe. The more subscribers I have, the better I can make this forum by inviting other global leaders into the conversation. Thanks for your support, ideas, and prayers.