Trump's Broken Promises Won't Matter to Evangelicals

They're used unanswered prayer

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Donald Trump signed between 70-200 executive actions on the day he was sworn in as the 47th president. After running a campaign to reduce the price of groceries, particularly eggs, and promising affordable housing, healthcare, and unity, the first day addressed none of the above.

On social media, I read frustrated progressives and democrats who hoped evangelical MAGAs would now finally realize their chosen leader doesn’t really care. He was never going to bring down the price of groceries.

While Trump blamed Biden, and his believers bought into that vilified narrative the way they say, “the Devil made me do it” when they need a bad guy to blame, it wasn’t long after winning that he was forced to admit he couldn’t bring down the cost of groceries after all.

This wasn’t a surprise. But, it is a broken promise. Historically, the promises politicians break or keep matter. So it’s reasonable to imagine evangelical MAGAs who voted for Trump based on his grocery promises are feeling pretty gruff right now, at least when they’re shopping at the store. But in my experience, there’s no chance of that.

I think something progressives and democrats might not realize about evangelical MAGAs is how conditioned they are to accept broken promises.

This is Christian Nationalism, the merging of religion and politics

When evangelical Trump supporters chose a president who promised to take their personal worries seriously, they were choosing in accordance to their faith.

The savior cares about the cost of eggs. (his eye is on the sparrow) The savior can see the cost of my bills. (and I know he watches me.)

Evangelical leadership has long appealed to followers by drilling a personal faith that serves personal needs.

Examples:

• The personal plan of salvation

• Your personal walk with God

• The personal admonition of the Lord

(that last one is a line pastors use to discourage public accountability for wrongs)

This me-based faith is a feature of evangelical culture. Believers are encouraged to ask God for “anything that’s on your heart,” from a prime parking space when they pull into Walmart to a new job promotion to a new jet (in the case of celebrity pastors.)

God provides by blessing you with an easier life, loading the Christmas tree, and doing better by you than your enemies.

Anyone outside of this culture can see how me-based faith underscores the contrast between the “haves” and “have-nots.” It may sound self-centered to your ears.

The evangelical response is an invitation rather than awareness or repentance. Outsiders are welcome to join them. Then, you, too, can have access to a savior who cares about your personal needs.

We’d all join were it not for evidence.

There are some inconvenient truths when it comes to these so-called personal blessings. Examples:

• Prayers are not wishes that come true and they often go “unanswered”

• When your personal blessing comes at someone else’s expense (such as tithes and offerings paying for that jet)

• Science, probability, reason, plurality: all offering contrasting perspectives

• Corruption in leadership masking a private agenda

Evangelicals suffer just like anyone else. The price of eggs falls on the just and the unjust alike. The difference between you is that while you might look for explanations regarding

• supply and demand economics

• avian flu science

• price gouging corruption

• alternative sourcing for nutrition,

An evangelical will pray for salvation and look to leadership to solve this for them.

It’s a mistake to assume voters are all aware of economics, science, corruption, and nutritional alternatives in an egg crisis. Democrats made this mistake, only addressing the economic crunch of groceries while in reaction mode. When evangelical MAGAs feel a pinch over the price of eggs, their default will be prayer and asking leadership to “fix it.” They’ll show up and do their part for the savior who promises a solution. They’ll trust the promise will hold.

The wider evangelical culture matters. The evangelical push for a personal faith seeking personal blessings from above exists within a church environment that also

• offers conditional community outreach in exchange for conversions

• monetizes joiner swag

• enjoys tax exemption and their own economy

• decries other faiths with a service mindset

• denies evidence-based information

• sweeps corruption under the rug, refusing to clean house after testimonies of abuse, cheating, and lying come to light

When Donald Trump was sworn into office and did not place his hand on the Bible and signed all those executive orders on the first day, and none of these orders addressed eggs, groceries, prices, affordable housing, or any other personal need of the average evangelical MAGA supporter, he was behaving as Trump (beyond the historical rules we’ve come to trust,) as an evangelical pastor (without accountability) and as the evangelical God (some prayers just don’t get answered, no matter how ardently you ask.)

Democrats and progressives might expect the evangelical MAGAs to feel disappointed or disillusioned. Maybe they’ll realize he doesn’t care about them at all.

But evangelical MAGAs are used to unanswered prayers, broken promises, corrupt pastors “getting away with it,” leadership getting rich off the backs of the congregation, feeling small and invisible, finding their identity within the sea of the whole, and carrying the weight of the faith even when the faith lets them down.

They will not hold Republican leadership accountable. They’ll wait for God to privately even the score, in a personal admonition from the Lord. Donald Trump will claim to have had one the next time he needs their numbers, money, or enthusiasm.

What? Donald Trump will claim a personal “admonition?” No. He won’t use such a big word. And he’s infamously said he doesn’t like asking for forgiveness. But he knows how to work a Christian crowd. There’s plenty of propaganda available demonstrating the evangelical adoration for “God’s Man,” and he’ll tap that devotion when he needs them.

Those of us who are used to report cards, accountability, progress, service mindset, evidence, consequences, and integrity need to stay our course.

We can’t lower the bar just because a small group of powerful people attained office through decades of gerrymandered maps, Christofascist strategy, fraud, special rules, and preying on the vulnerabilities of struggling people.

Progress is as progress does. If we want better, we have to be better.