On Sunday, after nationwide controversy erupted over their editorial last Thursday from their editor-in-chief calling for the removal of President Trump, Christianity Today doubled down on its criticism of President Trump in another editorial, this time from the magazine’s president, Timothy Dalrymple.
In a piece titled, “The Flag in the Whirlwind: An Update from CT’s President: Why our editor in chief spoke out against Trump, and why the conversation must continue,” Dalrymple commenced by adumbrating the disparate responses to the original editorial, including those who read the editorial “with tears in their eyes, sharing it with children who have wandered from the faith, rejoicing that at last someone was articulating what they felt in their hearts … Stay strong, they told us, knowing we were about to reap the whirlwind,” and those who “felt incensed and insulted. These readers felt the editorial engaged in character assassination, or maligned a broad swath of our fellow evangelicals, or revealed that we prefer the Democrats to a President who has done a lot of good for causes we all care about.”
In the original editorial, titled, “Trump Should Be Removed From Office,” Christianity Today’s editor-in-chief Mark Galli wrote, “None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.” Franklin Graham, the son of the late Rev. Billy Graham, who founded the magazine, slammed the magazine, writing, “For Christianity Today to side with the Democrat Party in a totally partisan attack on the President of the United States is unfathomable. The President has been a staunch defender of religious freedom at home and around the world—and Christianity Today wants us to ignore that? Also the President has appointed conservative judges in record number—and Christianity today wants us to ignore that? … Christianity Today said it’s time to call a spade a spade. The spade is this—Christianity Today has been used by the left for their political agenda. It’s obvious that Christianity Today has moved to the left and is representing the elitist liberal wing of evangelicalism.”
Graham was joined by toughly 200 evangelical leaders who denounced the editorial, writing a letter which stated, “Your editorial offensively questioned the spiritual integrity and Christian witness of tens-of-millions of believers who take seriously their civic and moral obligations.”
Dalrymple wrote, “Of course, we appreciate the support and listen humbly to the criticisms. But at the end of the day, we write for a readership of One. God is our Tower. Let the whirlwind come.”
Dalrymple protested that Trump’s characterization of the magazine as “far left” and others’ belief that the magazine’s staff were not Bible-believing Christians were inaccurate, adding, “Neither is true. Christianity Today is theologically conservative. We are pro-life and pro-family. We are firm supporters of religious liberties and economic opportunity for men and women to exercise their gifts and create value in the world. We believe in the authority of Scripture.”
He opined, “We at Christianity Today believe we need to relearn the art of balancing two things: having a firm opinion and inviting free discussion. We need, in other words, both a flag and a table.”
Dalrymple defended editor-in-chief Mark Galli, then continued, “Christianity Today has no interest in partisan politics. It does not endorse candidates. We aim to bring biblical wisdom and beautiful storytelling both to the church and from the church to the world.”
Then he segued to Trump, writing, “Out of love for Jesus and his church, not for political partisanship or intellectual elitism, this is why we feel compelled to say that the alliance of American evangelicalism with this presidency has wrought enormous damage to Christian witness. It has alienated many of our children and grandchildren. It has harmed African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American brothers and sisters.”
Dalrymple posited that the issue at hand was that “we as evangelicals are also associated with President Trump’s rampant immorality, greed, and corruption; his divisiveness and race-baiting; his cruelty and hostility to immigrants and refugees; and more.”
Dalrymple championed the idea of dialogue, noting, “Deeply aware of our own sinfulness and limitations, we are going to invite supporters and critics alike to produce essays agreeing or disagreeing with our stated views. It is time for evangelicals to have a serious discussion about how our identity as Christians shapes our activity as citizens. We will invite authors who represent a variety of viewpoints in a thoughtful and charitable manner. We will publish those essays in mid-January. We hope we can come together in convicted humility and learn from one another.”
He concluded, “The flag is planted. The table is set. We invite you to join us at either one.”