Christianity Today editorial calls for Trump’s removal

In a harshly worded editorial, an editor at Christianity Today, the evangelical magazine founded by Billy Graham, called for President Trump to be removed from office. Posted Thursday afternoon, it viewed the evidence from the House impeachment hearings as having made a clear case that Mr. Trump abused his office for personal gain and violated the Constitution. 

“The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president's political opponents,” editor Mark Galli wrote. “That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.” 

Christianity Today, has been described by The New York Times as a “mainstream” evangelical magazine. But Galli's editorial had a bleak assessment of Mr. Trump. The hearings, more than the Mueller probe, “have illuminated the president's moral deficiencies for all to see,” Galli wrote, adding, “None of the president's positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.”

Galli said that the president has “dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration,” pointing out that several of the people he's hired are “now convicted criminals,” and noting that Mr. Trump remains “proud of” actions he's taken in dealing with business and with women.    

“His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused,” Galli stated.

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Mr. Trump has enjoyed the support of evangelical leaders, many of whom champion the president for his focus on nominating conservative judges and emphasizing religious freedom rather than his behavior. At the beginning of the impeachment inquiry, 99% of Republican white evangelical Protestants opposed Mr. Trump's impeachment and removal. 

But the editorial warned that this should stop, writing that evangelical support for Mr. Trump makes them into hypocrites. Addressing the “the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record,” Galli wrote: 

Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump's immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don't reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation's leader doesn't really matter in the end? 

In this “political poker game,” Galli said, “we are playing with a stacked deck of gross immorality and ethical incompetence. And just when we think it's time to push all our chips to the center of the table, that's when the whole game will come crashing down.”