A piece in today’s New York Times acknowledges the role of evangelicals in sending a nutjob to the White House and concludes — What do you know? — that the evangelical brand needs a makeover.
As the election retreats like a hurricane heading back out to sea, first responders are assessing the damage left in its wake. One casualty is the reputation of evangelicalism.
Evangelicalism was closely associated with the campaign of Donald J. Trump, and more than 80 percent of white evangelicals voted for the president-elect.
[ … ]
As a result, much of the good that went by the name “evangelicalism” has been clouded over; now a new movement is needed to replace it.
[ … ]
True faith can never pledge allegiance to anything less than Jesus.
But Jesus-centered faith needs a new name.
Well … good luck with that. Call yourselves whatever you like — it’ll still be the same pack of ignoramuses who live in a world the size of a shoebox sitting in your pews every Sunday morning. They’ll still hate everybody whose life isn’t as straitened as their own, and they’ll still follow Pied Pipers like Trump who know how to capitalize on their ressentiment.
The problem you’ll never be able to overcome is that everybody in the educated world knows your schtick is untrue.