After my conversion to the Catholic Church, I have continued over the last 25 years to renew my subscription to keep updated on the happenings, the movers and the shakers and the ideas permeating the Evangelical world. It was still interesting to peruse its pages to keep on eye on the world I used to thrive in.
But today I am calling their offices to cancel my subscription after 40 years. I will also express my profound disappointment.
Like so many good meaning periodicals and organizations, they could not resist the slide to the Left, to become a mouthpiece of the liberal Democratic camp and to abandon the common sense and morality of historic Christianity. Yesterday they posted an editorial calling for the removal of President Trump. Their words could have been written by Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff. You can read it here.
Here is the first paragraph of Graham’s response:
Christianity Today released an editorial stating that President Trump should be removed from office—and they invoked my father’s name (I suppose to try to bring legitimacy to their statements), so I feel it is important for me to respond. Yes, my father Billy Graham founded Christianity Today; but no, he would not agree with their opinion piece. In fact, he would be very disappointed. I have not previously shared who my father voted for in the past election, but because of this article, I feel it is necessary to share it now. My father knew Donald Trump, he believed in Donald Trump, and he voted for Donald Trump. He believed that Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in history for our nation.
Whether you like President Trump or not is not the issue. He is the duly elected president of the United States and to attempt his removal by this Pelosi/Schiff scam of an impeachment process is unconstitutional and bordering on hysteria.
The name “Evangelical Protestant” used to mean something. In my earlier years, I considered myself an Evangelical Protestant – one who held to the historic truths and morality of biblical Christianity. Today, however, the word “evangelical” has lost its meaning and is claimed by groups across a vast spectrum. Christianity Today has lost its way and has also lost a loyal subscriber. My guess is that my cancellation will only be one of thousands.
*******************************************************
Carol M. Swain and Dr. James Dobson write eloquently against Galli’s cheap editorial against Trump in CT Magazine.
For another article written by my friend Thomas Williams of Breitbart News on this issue with lots of comments and discussion, click here.
Jerry Falwell, another “Evangelical Protestant” tweeted on this also, see here and here.
Read here for a great rebuttal to the CT editorial by Jenna Ellis. I recommend you also read Dr. Michael Brown’s and Samuel Sey’s.
This Post Has 8 Comments
I predict that Christianity Today will soon be giving us another example of the phrase: “Get Woke, Go Broke.”
The CT article said, “The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents.”
Doesn’t anybody find it odd that asking for an investigation of the Bidens and Burisma is seen as something that will “harass and discredit” Joe Biden? Nobody – not the Bidens, not anybody else – has said, “Investigate away! An investigation will show only how utterly innocent the Bidens are.”
On another point, I was startled by the way the CT article tossed in this “Trump’s evangelical supporters have pointed to his Supreme Court nominees, his defense of religious liberty, and his stewardship of the economy, among other things, as achievements that justify their support of the president. . . None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.”
So: religious freedom is unimportant, Supreme Court justices who actually follow the Constitution (and it is startling to see an allegedly Christian magazine not even mentioning abortion, and the fact that President Trump has done a great deal to support life, including nominating justices who don’t think butchering babies is a right enshrined in the Constitution) – the only thing that matters is CT’s personal judgment that he is grossly immoral.
It also doesn’t matter that “The Democrats have had it out for him from day one, and therefore nearly everything they do is under a cloud of partisan suspicion. .. And, no, Mr. Trump did not have a serious opportunity to offer his side of the story in the House hearings on impeachment.” So, simple justice, impartial justice, don’t matter either; what matters is that Christianity Today can say to itself, “‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. “
I am reposting the comments of Tim (below) which was accidentally deleted. I WANT this comment to appear due to it’s interest for the discussion. I have also interposed my responses.
A new comment on the post ""Christianity Today Magazine" has soiled itself – I am cancelling my 40 year subscription" is waiting for your approval
https://catholicconvert.com/blog/2019/12/20/christianity-today-magazine-has-soiled-itself-i-am-cancelling-my-40-year-subscription/
Author: Tim (IP: 98.206.236.235, c-98-206-236-235.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Email: tjhorneman@comcast.net
Tim’s comments in italics and my responses in normal text.
Christianity Today has spoken with exceptional moral clarity. Every word is written cautiously but powerfully. They have laid out the problem in such a way that is impossible to refute. So neither Mr. Ray nor Franklin Graham have tried.
I disagree completely. The whole editorial if a Leftist diatribe against a duly elected president. The Left hates the fact that Trump was elected as president and know he is about to be reelected. This is their way of attempting to invalidate an election. I have neither the interest nor need nor time to go word-by-word through the editorial to disprove it. Those you have the ability to reason and any perception of the current situation can see it for themselves. If not, no amount of response on my part will change their minds. They have drunk the cool-aide.
The supposed “immorality” of Trump — as the Left is trying to push through this sham impeachment, that he abused his power and hindered the Congress — is a joke. They tried all kinds of imagined crimes and moral turpitudes which all fell flat (like the “Russia Hoax” earlier). If their pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey attempts to charge him with some kind of immorality or crime is what you’re appealing to, you fall far short as does the editorial.
Instead, Mr. Ray said something about "the left," and Mr. Graham appealed to the authority of his father, who is dead and so cannot verify any claims, then yelled about Democrats. Again, neither one of them has bothered to address the ample substance of the editorial. Most likely, this is because neither one can do so.
Most likely you are incorrect 🙂 If I had the time or the inclination I could rip the editorial to shreds. Alas, my life is very busy and I have no intention of wasting my time on such a piece of tripe. Others have done it (and here) and will be doing it and there’s no sense in me wasting my time. I recommend you read Dr. Michael Brown’s and Samuel Sey’s as well.
Here is what CT wrote: "Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?"
>What is your reply, Mr. Ray? Are you a Catholic Christian first, or a Trump-following conservative first?
What a stupid question. Anybody who knows me knows that my allegiance is to Jesus Christ and his Catholic Church. To suggest anything else is uniformed and foolish. However, as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ I am also involved in politics and I consider Trump the man for our times. We did not hire him to do brain surgery or to teach moral theology in a seminary. We chose a tough and astute businessman who has thick skin to turn our country around and put an end to our loss of freedoms, loss of innocent human life and so much more. Obama nearly brought our country to its knees and thankfully Trump has reversed that disaster.
The American people did not hire the Immaculate Conception to be our president. They hired a man who is tough and business-oriented, who supports and defends Christianity and the unborn, who resists the tyranny and intolerance of the Left, the Media and the Democrats, who supports our military and law and order (including our police and fire fighters), etc.
We elected a man who could fix what the Obama legacy left broken. Is that unchristian? Of course not! It is perfectly obvious that one can be a devout disciple of Jesus Christ and love their country too and work to make it successful, just and free. We’ve given a lot of weenies the chance to fix it and they fell flat on their face. We finally found a man who is tough and up to the job and I support him 100%.
(By the way, impeachment is constitutional, of course — it's right there in Article I, section 3. If you're going to call something unconstitutional, you might want to make sure it actually is.)
You know what I meant about this impeachment process being unconstitutional. Don’t play dumb. Of course impeachment is in the Constitution, but not the fiasco perpetrated by Schiff and Pelosi. What they’re doing is as unconstitutional and despicable as anything the Democrats have ever tried to pull. It is typical of their methods, their hysteria and their hatred. If they want to do a proper constitutional impeachment they should find real crimes and NOT do it in such a partisan and utterly ridiculous manner.
Don’t bother commenting further on my blog Tim. Not interested. Send your comments to the now ridiculed CT.
CT has tried and convicted President Trump without hearing his side, without any real, credible evidence against him in this impeachment fiasco. President Trump is not a stupid man. He would absolutely not have deliberately tried to take down Biden for the 2020 election. Instead, he had suspected that nasty behind-the -scenes stuff went on during the 2016 election, and he made a promise to look into it. He asked the Ukranian president to investigate the server question and Biden’s son who was being paid a horrendously astronomical and very suspicious amount of money. This inquiry was not to take down Biden from running in 2020, but to find out what went on during the campaign on 2016. Period. And, even the Ukranian president said many times that there was no quid pro quo which was the Left’s first accusation in this mess.
STEVE RAY HERE: I have approved the comment below because I try to be fair and objective. However, I might mention that Carmelo, the author of this comment, is quite incorrect about the Ukraine phone call. He admits he’s not an American citizen and I think he had to also admit he doesn’t know much about our politics.
Second, he has me mixed up with Franklin Graham who wrote the article. Billy Graham is not my father. If he wants to make corrections to his post, I am quite willing to accommodate him.
CARMELO WROTE:
I am not an American citizen, so what happens in America does not affect me directly. However, I was hit by the double standards Steve works by in his reasoning.
It does not matter for Steve that President Trump may have made a grave mistake in dealing with Ukraine, all it matters is that his father knew Trump and voted for him.
On the other hand, because we read an article in a magazine with which we do not agree, we forget all the "good" of the past and go ahead and cancel our subscription.
I have discovered Steve Ray in the past two weeks, and I was very impressed with his sermons about Sainthood and another about Atheism. So I subscribed to his page, hoping to be fulfilled with more knowledge and good things from Steve. Then I get the above article. An anti-climax.
My first reaction was to do the same what Steve did to the CT, unsubscribe and say goodbye. However, I don't want to fall into the same trap. None of us are perfect. So, I thought that the best way would be to make this point clear and continue on to hear the good messages Steve Ray has to give to the world.
Thanks Steve for giving me a chance to correct my comment. As I said, I am not an American and what I get of American politics is bits and pieces, of which I try to find what is really going on. The western press seems to not like President Trump as the picture we get here is not a nice one of him.
Of course you are right about my confusion with Billy Graham, I'm sorry for attributing his words to you.
STEVE RAY HERE: You are obviously a good-hearted and honest man.
But am I still correct in understanding that Steve is the one cancelling the subscription? If it is so, then, don't you consider this as double standards? One is allowed to make mistakes whilst the other one is not.
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how I feel.
STEVE RAY HERE: If you are suggesting that Trump made a mistake, I tell you he did not. Your media is lying to you about our president who is the most Christian president we have had in my lifetime. He is more pro-life, more pro-Christian than anyone before him. What the Democrats are accusing him of is a scam and a lie. They hate him and this is the only way they can try to get at him. They will fail.
No double standard. I subscribed to their magazine for 40 years but this editorial is so ridiculous and wrong that they will lose a LOT of other good Christians too.
BTW, today I listened to your speech about Islam. An eye-opening speech indeed. As Christians we need to do two things: First and foremost to love our neighbor (and even enemy) and the second is to protect ourselves from danger, especially dangerous to our faith.
STEVE RAY: Wise man you are. There are a lot of enemies of the Christians today – and of freedom, family and pro-life. That is why I support Trump all the way.
Once again I would like to thank you for your efforts in spreading the good news.
STEVE RAY: God bless you my friend and thanks for your comments.
Just curious — has anyone else had trouble canceling their subscription?
STEVE RAY HERE: I called them on the phone and they canceled my subscription very easily and refunded $50 towards my remaining subscription.
Thanks, Steve! CT’s website doesn’t include any phone numbers (that I could find), but I just found one in my last issue.
Comments are closed.