Last week, Donald Trump began to openly challenge and mock the pope and then posted an image of himself as Jesus Christ. Many conservative Catholics and even evangelicals who have wholeheartedly defended and supported Trump were taken aback, but not one man: his most visible “spiritual adviser,” Franklin Graham.
Although anyone with an ounce of honesty could see Trump was portraying himself as Jesus, Graham said Trump did not mean to portray himself that way and went on to praise him for being such a great defender of religious liberty. He also said Pope Leo should thank Trump.
Will McCorkle
The truth is that although Trump’s psychopathic tendencies have been there for decades, the messiah complex has been fostered and strengthened under the religious leaders who have done nothing but praise Trump and run cover for all his horrific actions.
Graham has talked as if Trump is the greatest president ever, especially for Christian values. He even compared him to Esther while praising his illegal war in Iran. Of course, there are other people who have done the same and gone even further, such as Paula White, who recently compared Trump to Jesus himself. However, Graham is more dangerous because Trump and the American people see Graham as more legitimate given his name and being slightly less theatrical than White.
Many evangelicals who might already have abandoned Trump cling to the voices of people like Franklin Graham to justify standing behind someone who not only opposes everything Jesus taught but now is openly comparing himself to Jesus and mocking the Christian faith. It would be far better if Trump had no spiritual advisers than to have charlatan advisers like Franklin Graham who never call him out but rather just publicly praise him and all his actions.
This has led us to a dangerous place in the world. Trump’s messiah complex is not just narcissistic social media posts. It has led him to think he can do whatever he wants in the world, start illegal wars and take unconstitutional actions because he is some type of chosen figure.
The blasphemy we saw in Trump’s latest iteration of his narcissism is at least partially due to the son of the most popular evangelist of the 20th century. Franklin Graham’s father made mistakes politically, but Billy Graham at least spoke about the regret he had for aligning himself with Richard Nixon.
Nixon, of course, looks like a saint in comparison to Donald Trump. Franklin Graham will be remembered very differently in history. He will be viewed in the same vein as those religious leaders who supported Mussolini, Franco, Pinochet or Hitler.
Hopefully, Graham might find an ounce of the humility and self-awareness of his father. The fate of our nation and global stability may depend on it.
Will McCorkle serves as an education professor in Charleston, S.C., and is a board member with Practice Mercy Border Ministries. He writes on the topics of immigration, peace and faith.