Thursday, August 11, 2022

Conservative Evangelicals Are Deeply Disturbed Over Trump Raid

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We have heard from every pundit and politician regarding how they feel about the FBI raid on Trump's home, but what are the leaders in the evangelical community saying about it?

Conservative Christian leaders have denounced the Federal Bureau of Investigation's raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, claiming the action was politically motivated.

I agree.

This event is not about justice---or "getting to the truth." It's about politics. 

And that could have a direct effect on churches and ministries that speak God's Word to the culture.

Be informed, not misled

The former president announced the raid on his residence and safe, calling it an unfair action spurred by the Justice Department and Democrats to hurt his 2024 chances.

More than a few evangelical leaders are very upset with the episode. And they are not silent about it.

Jentezen Franklin, a megachurch pastor, and bestselling author posted a statement on his Instagram page Tuesday saying he is "deeply disturbed over the raid of a former president's home."

"If the goal of the current administration was to further divide this country then that mission was accomplished with the weaponization of the DOJ and the FBI," Franklin, the pastor of the Free Chapel in Georgia, stated.

"The American people are not blind to political bias and injustice and they witnessed both with this unprecedented act of cowardice."

Franklin, who was among groups of pastors who attended events at the Trump White House, claimed that the raid was a "federal abuse of power" that only occurred because of Trump's "political ideologies and his opposition to woke policies and values."

"If you are like me, you cannot wait for November to vote this failed and incompetent leadership out of office all across the nation," he concluded.

Tony Perkins, a Baptist pastor and the president of the Washington, D.C.-based conservative Christian advocacy group the Family Research Council took to his Twitter account to express his opposition to the Mar-a-Lago raid.

"Who trusts the FBI to pursue justice?" asked Perkins. "The agency has become so politicized that even if their actions were justified half the nation still would not trust them."

I was particularly interested in all that Franklin Graham had to say about the raid. And the FBI.

He believes the FBI and DOJ risk losing credibility--- again. 

He also mentioned the 1992 Ruby Ridge incident in which an FBI sniper shot and killed the wife of a man believed to have been tied to violent white supremacists, sparking outrage.

Thirty years ago the FBI lost a lot of credibility over the unfortunate events that surrounded Ruby Ridge. Last night as we watched the events that unfolded at Mar-a-Lago, I couldn't help but think that the FBI and DOJ are losing credibility and the trust of the American people again," Graham wrote.

"I have no idea what was in former President Trump's safe, but if the government thought there was something there that belonged to them, they certainly could have asked for it."  

Graham insisted that "politics has entered into the FBI, the DOJ, and even the IRS," expressing concern over the recent news that the IRS is hiring around 87,000 new personnel.

Takeaway

"Hillary Clinton was allowed to delete and acid wash 33,000 E-mails AFTER they were subpoenaed by Congress. Absolutely nothing has happened to hold her accountable. She even took antique furniture, and other items from the White House," Trump and others have said.

People familiar with the discussions surrounding the raid told The Washington Post Wednesday that federal authorities had grown increasingly concerned that Trump or his aides had not returned all documents and material that were government property. 

According to the anonymous sources, officials were suspicious after Trump handed over 15 boxes to the National Archives seven months ago that either Trump or those close to him held onto important documents. According to two sources familiar with the situation who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity. 

National Archives claims to have made attempts to contact Trump's team to demand the return of documents believed to be covered by the Presidential Records Act. 

I personally believe the desired effect of the raid was primarily a fishing trip to see what they could find in Trump's private office and the other rooms of his mansion including Melania's clothes closet. 

I'll be talking more about this on the radio this morning.

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.