Last Sunday I argued that mainline Protestant churches and clergy should speak out against the abuse of Christianity by Trump and his supporters. I urged that Protestant leaders should join Pope Leo in challenging the president\u2019s corruption of Christian principles.<\/p>\n
My criticism extends to local churches for what I perceive as their reluctance to address government atrocities in sermons and public statements. This lethargy was poignantly stated by a reader and friend in comments to my posting, \u201cA Sunday Lament,\u201d April 19, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent post! This is what has got me crazy for the last several months. Thank goodness for the Pope\u2026\u2026and shame on \u201cChristian\u201d leaders (White, Graham\u2026\u2026and I won\u2019t forget Jeffries). In all honesty, I sit in church every Sunday waiting for something to be said. Every week something happens that Christians (at least the Christians I know) should be saying, \u201cWhoa, that\u2019s not what we believe or what should be done.\u201d Yet we just move forward on other topics like that didn\u2019t just happen. These are VERY confusing times for those who are, perhaps, seeking or open to Christianity\u2026\u2026and I cannot fathom the silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is at this point in such discussions that I always invoke the Social Gospel, a movement within Protestantism that aimed to apply Christianity to social problems, including social justice, economic inequality, racism and the dangers of war. It was prominent during the early 20th century in the United States and Canada at the same time that the progressive movement in politics was influential. Its two major founders were Washington Gladden* and Walter Rauschenbusch.** Their work ultimately influenced Liberation Theology*** within the Catholic church.<\/p>\n
The caveat for my suggestions, of course, is that they must find acceptance in the contemporary secular world. Protestant pastors and church leaders tend to be conservative and hostage to their local communities for their jobs. Preaching Christian values that counter the social and political makeup of congregations is difficult at best. Further, the structure of most denominations does not allow for titular leaders who represent their beliefs. In this case, the Catholic church with its structure and the prominence of the pope can more easily speak out.<\/p>\n
Still, the question remains: when does injustice and sin demand that we speak out; is there never a point that we stand by our beliefs regardless of the consequences?History is replete with warnings. Just this morning, The<\/em> Economist****<\/em> quoted Robert Penn Warren who wrote, \u201cThe lack of a sense of history is the damnation of the modern world.\u201d<\/p>\n * Washington Gladden (1836-1918, an American Congregational clergyman popular as the \u201cpioneer \u201c of the Social Gospel.<\/p>\n ** Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918), a Baptist pastor of the Second German Baptist Church in Hell\u2019s Kitchen in New York city.<\/p>\n *** Liberation Theology movement (1960s\/70s) in Latin America advocated social, economic, and political liberation, not just spiritual liberation.<\/p>\n **** \u201cThe World in Brief,\u201d The Economist<\/em>, April 24, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last Sunday I argued that mainline Protestant churches and clergy should speak out against the abuse of Christianity by Trump and his supporters. I urged that Protestant leaders should join Pope Leo in challenging the president\u2019s corruption of Christian principles. My criticism extends to local churches for what I perceive as their reluctance to address…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-robert-fischer"],"yoast_head":"\n