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Schaeffer: Trump Will Lead Evangelical Christians to Their Doom
Former Evangelical says Trumpism, Christianity aren’t compatible
Frank Schaeffer was once a rising star in the Evangelical movement. Along with his father, he was a driving force behind the growth of Evangelical Christians as a political force and once promoted culture war issues, such as abortion rights. He was expected to “inherit,” his father’s crown. But he walked away from the movement more than 30 years ago and now calls himself a “Christian atheist.” He’s become increasingly critical of Christian fundamentalists and their alliance with the Republican Party and President Donald Trump. This is my interview with him.
Otiko: You walked away from both the Republican Party and the Evangelical movement. How would you describe your religious beliefs now? I think you call yourself a Christian atheist.
Schaeffer: All faith is paradoxical. I got tired of putting things in simplistic categories.
Otiko: What was the breaking point that finally made you say, “I’ve had enough.”
Schaeffer: I think it really came down to the ugliness of the relationships. The driving force of evangelicalism is not the teaching of Jesus Christ. It was reflecting a political power grab along right-wing conservative lines…
