Every American has the obligation to vote. But in this week’s midterms, white Christians in particular have a responsibility to undo the damage they’re done by supporting Donald Trump and his MAGA movement.
Christians should vote against the movement that has continued to support a deeply authoritarian and dangerous man. For anyone who cares about the basic norms of the Constitution and democracy, it is a necessity. White Christians have put Trump in this position; if it were not for them, he would not be in power and elected to a second term.
Will McCorkle
It is true that Trump’s numbers increased among Latino voters and even to a small extent among Black voters in 2024. But his base always has been white voters, particularly white religious voters. For example, according to 2024 Pew research among the nonreligious white vote, he garnered only about 30% support. However, among voters in white Mainline denominations, which on a national level are usually more progressive, he had 57% support. Among white Catholics, it was 60%, despite the growing rift between the Vatican and the White House. And among white evangelicals, an astounding 81% supported Trump.
It is therefore imperative that white Christians of good conscience go out and try to make amends for the great damage our fellow believers have done to our nation and our world. As we see families torn apart by ICE, children dying around the world from lack of support due to the cuts to USAID and the support for Russia against Ukraine, it is time for Christians to make their voices heard.
“One day we will have to tell our grandchildren what we did during this moment.”
Unfortunately, far too many white Christians have put their racial identity and conservative ideology above their faith, continuing to support a man who so clearly mocks the teachings and ideas of Jesus. Some have gone even further, openly treating Trump as some type of prophetic or messianic figure. This is why white Christians are the last group to jump ship from the MAGA movement even when the numbers are dropping rapidly across the country.
One day we will have to tell our grandchildren what we did during this moment. We need to remember that in every authoritarian movement, whether Franco in Spain, Hitler in Germany or Putin in Russia, leaders have used religion to help drive their support, even if their movement was completely absent of any true spirituality or faith.
The same has happened with the Trump movement; he has used Christians, particularly white Christians, to gain power, but he has completely abandoned the teachings of Jesus or the call to care for the poor and the foreigner. One of the most dangerous things for the American church is to align itself with such authoritarianism and nationalism. History often shows us this alignment damages the church even more than it does the state.
It is not only a political duty but a religious obligation for Christians to stand against the MAGA movement. While Democrats are far from perfect and certainly deserve their own critiques, the greatest danger the church faces right now is alignment with this far-right movement that uses Christianity as a prop while having nothing to do with its true essence.
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.