David French: If Trump Wins, Evangelicals Will See It As Divine Intervention | Amanpour and Company 

I still don’t understand how anyone who has read the Gospels could ever support Trump

This is why, sadly, many of us have left the church. Young people especially and many many others, it is not about Christ but to a church that does not follow his teachings.

Something is seriously wrong with people whom take out their hate and ills on children.

Trump is the beast. Made a golden calf of himself.

As a true leftist I love conservatives who are honest tolerant and anti Trump

Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings. ByeDon 2024

Thinking Divine intervention is true is scary. It relieves one of responsibility for one’s actions.

Evangelical zombie apocalypse

I miss the days when the two parties could compromise. Politics did not utterly define people. There was room for discourse. Sometimes it was angry discourse but it did not devolve into the current insanity.

I have friends (husband & wife) who are devout Christians and true Magabots. When Trump said "bull****" in a church, I privately messaged the husband for his opinion on that. His response was that "bull***" wasn't the worst word he could have used. And then...he deflected it to Biden having a potty mouth too. Trump scares me, but his followers scare me more.

I am on the far left and am often put off by David French's conservative politics, but I felt deep empathy today as I heard him share his heartbreaking story of betrayal. If he knew me and knew my point of view, I would offer him an apology and extend a hand of friendship to him. I am sorry he was treated this way by other Christians, although I am not surprised.

Having grown up amidst a more conservative Christian community I always marvel at the arrogance of many members of that community who were so convinced they knew the mind of God, they were so certain they were correct at interpreting when God intervened and when He didn’t. The piece most puzzling to me are those who attribute every little aspect of their personal lives to God, as though He is a puppeteer. These same folks have no hesitation looking on at world affairs and being so certain they know when God has/had a hand in what’s going on.

On one hand I have to say, "well gee, welcome to the club what took you so long?" conservatives get a dose of reality when they're the ones ostracized for once. Nevertheless I appreciate that he stood up against peer pressure for the right thing. But he doesn't seem to realize that the church is partly what made it possible in the first place. That idolatry of the Reagan era paved the way to the modern maga movement.

This is not surprising. The ESSENCE of Organized Religion is : You're either on the bus, or you're not. It's a group think, a mind-set that does NOT tolerate questioning or dissent. When humanity recognizes that moral values, the Golden Rule, true goodness can exist WITHOUT Religion, humanity will have taken a giant step forward.

Why is this man's church allowed tax exempt status when politics is clearly central to their beliefs??

Why are the press so afraid of calling out the religious influence in politics and how its values and ideas are so out of touch and, frankly, ridiculous in modern society?

This interview was so interesting to listen to. I feel for this man, even though he is strong enough to shoulder this dilemma. I worked with a group of Republicans who completely turned on me. Hateful words, insulting names and racist remarks were hurled at me every day of the work week. It left me disheartened.

It may be that US Evangelicals have a strong faith, but it certainly isn't the Christian Faith.

How very sad. When did Christians decide to ignore the actual words & actions of Jesus & determine that ‘evangelical’ was a political term, rather than religious? About 2015?

This isn't "politics" anymore. We left the arena of politics in 2015/216. If not then, definitely in 2020.

Evangelicals have made themselves irrelevant, their political activity has backfired.

I didn’t underestimate the antipathy of Republicans against Democrats before Trump‘s run for president. I heard and saw it all the time on right wing radio, Fox News, etc. David French seems to have a rosy view of the Reagan years stemming from his youthful enthusiasm for libertarianism. It doesn’t surprise me at all that evangelical Christians follow Trump now. What are these precious conservative values that the GOP used to stand for?

I don't remember who said it, not me. "the pilgrims came to America not only to avoid persecution but so that they we're free to persecute others." A throughway thread that goes back before we even became a country.

Brilliant interview by Michel Martin. I especially appreciated your challenge at the end. Well done!

Oh no! Not the Presbyterians! Tax them!

When christians stated supporting Trump I walked away from the church

Thank goodness for Amanpour and staff. We need more of fact based reports and interviews. I do wish we had a national report every night, regardless of subject. We need to be informed not indoctrinated. Information not opinions! All news is vital for our society regardless of what country, region or organizations. Thank you for staying true to your calling please know I am grateful.

I'm still a Christian but no longer attend church. This explains why.

I too have been asked to leave the Presbyterian church. It was 30 years ago and the issue was homosexuality.

“I never thought face-eating leopards would eat MY face!”

Don't they mean something more like "Profane Intervention"?

A meaningful interview. I’m turning 80 and have been politically aware since my early 20’s. I never thought that the pendulum would swing so far right! I thought we could temper it until our left leaning people who wanted more for ALL of us would prevail. We may again, but it will be after my lifetime I’m afraid. It makes me so very sad. I’ll be looking up Steven Petro.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Thank you for this excellent video. It's very important and necessary to continue showing the ugly truth of Trump. I hope that more people, religious or not starts seeing the reality of what we're facing today in our country. I hope that all decent Americans get more involved in the elections. There is too much at stake in the next elections. Thank you again.

Are you old enough to remember that movie "Deliverance" ? Trumpers are those people...just sayin...🥴

Capitulation. Appeasement. Surrender. Avoid difficult discussions and be governed by fear? Allow intimidation to suppress dissent, or even debate? Not a path to a bright future. Churches that do this for the sake of "peace and unity" will ultimately collapse.

The Presbyterian Church in America is a splinter group from the larger Presbyterian Church USA which is progressive denomination. Interesting that they should cancel Mr. French out of concern for the "peace and unity of the church."

This shows that as humans we are deeply flawed….

Proverbs28 :6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Although I cannot speak for all churches, I can say that in the Evangelical realm for decades some of our pastors (perhaps because they too had been turning their cheek to the oppression that seems to permeate from the Far Right Extremist) but either way these leaders have been instilling doubt,in its congregation’s minds, , doubt in institutions, especially government institutions, public institutions, universities, etc.- Much of our public institutions were put in place for the least of thee 🕊️ Research shows the Republican party’s agenda is never to help support or help the least of thee, in fact, it’s quite the opposite ❤️‍🔥the pastors are learning they’re losing their flock and their flock’s tithes 😢 My daily prayer is for the Holy Spirit to work miracles in the hearts’ of the lost, and those who have lost their way 🕊️

French still wasn't asked whom he's voting for. Even with Republicans highly critical of Trump, and disgusted with MAGA, like this guy, it's still up in the air.

I sympathize with French, but I am amazed how he could not realize or identify intolerance in a group, even a church group better. There's this strange, weird kind of innocence about these conservatives. It's like until they suddenly get flak themselves, they are perfectly happy to just ignore anything they don't want to notice. I think this is partly due to the fact that once you identify strongly with a group, no matter what kind, you are so loath to let it go, or risk being ostracized by this group. I think losing my father at the tender age of 9, and experiencing suffering at such a young age, and also after that, feeling and thinking I am now different from most of my friends who have a mommy and a daddy, it led me to always be leery about groups or "fitting in". But I think that allows me to see and recognize suffering in others, and also to resist that kind of mindless giving over to a group you think you feel comfortable with. I'm always silently critiquing, not in a cruel way, anytime I'm in a group situation. Does that mean I always speak up? No. We're all cowards sometimes when it comes to addressing uncomfortable truths or having to confront someone about them. But it allows me to stand apart, just enough, to maybe notice things a little better. But I think it's good to be your own individual, to guard your own values and honor. You can still be in true community with others without giving up your own sense of morality and what is right and wrong.

Indeed they will. They will never realize their total and complete ignorance.

What has happened to the principal of separation of Church and State? The Founding Fathers must be turning in their graves seeing what has happened to their ideal.

God: "I used to only work with the best, but I had to lower my standards".

I am so sorry you've experienced those sadistic threats, and sorrier for your young daughter. True Christians would have compassion for you and would support you, as Jesus would have done. The disconnect from "Christun" militants between their beliefs and Jesus' words and actions is so baffling. Did they ever read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount? The Beatitudes? Our country is in deep trouble and was pre-Trump who somehow managed to lure so many Americans into his sick, sadistic, fascist cult. That being said, have you yet discovered the immense damage Reagan did to We, The People, the 99%? (I am not proud of allowing my corporate lawyer husband to convince me to vote Repug.) Reagan mocked poor people, calling them Welfare Queens, cutting aid to millions of vulnerable persons. Clinton, who moved the Dems to the right, "the New Kind of Democrat," took up Reagan's theme and cut more aid to the vulnerable. He lowered taxes for the rich, causing harm to the poor and middle classes. His "Reaganomics" essentially wiped out the Middle Class. His was a scandal-ridden 8 years, Iran-Contra, Savings & Loan debacle... When will We citizens hold our politicians accountable? I'm sick of this Corrupt duopoly that functions for the corporations and the 1%. That would be the justice Beatitude. Most of we, the 99% have hungered for justice that never seems to come.

When I became Christian, I thought my fellow believers would embrace me wholly and unequivocally.

Great question at 12:54. Glad she made him address the fact that these fundamentalist and discriminatory tendencies have always been there - he had just never experienced them firsthand.

I love her skepticism but honor his truth.

Evangelicals and Trump make a perfect couple.

I like how she's interviewing him - like she finds his shock/concern a little quaint given their racial difference

Evangelicals will see it as divine intervention???? Ohhhh, Gaaaaaawd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😫

Raegan ruined everything. Leeja Miller has a detailed yet succinct video on it. Yet nostalgia is strong and deeply tangled with our psyches, so I do not always nor entirely blame people who hold to disconnected world views.

People who live in metro New York, Boston, Seattle, LA, and the Bay Area take note.

But not see the weather thats hitting them.

Dogma is the worlds number one killer

David French is such a wonderfully decent human being.

Funny David you’re finally seeing your church people as they really are… No, I am not joking

Makes one wonder if the people in these churches are actual disciples of Jesus Christ or not. John 13:34-35 - A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Belief, in anything, is abandonment of reason and once one decides to believe rather than know or not know..., anything goes. Flamboyant ignorance remains ignorant

The angriest faction does not belong in Church period in no denomination

While it is true that a significant percentage of evangelicals support Trump, it is misleading and inaccurate to imply by the headline that "all" Evangelicals fall into this camp. Example: Jimmy Carter is a Baptist and strongly opposed to Trump. Not to mention Rafael Warnock! The more accurate headline would be to use the term Christian Nationalists - or even Christian Nationalist Evangelicals.

Politics is an extension of their faith? Or their faith is an appendage of their politics?

To be clear, the church about which Mr. French speaks is the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), NOT the Presbyerian Church USA (PCUSA).

Important topic and good interview. To David French: Nice job explaining. However, at 10:40 you said, "Not to the majority of the denomination. _Certainly_ not to the majority of the denomination ..." and later, "Yeah, I do believe strongly that it's a minority of churchgoers." The flabbergasting, nearly incomprehensible, but persistent support for Trump seems to indicate otherwise. Have you considered the possibility that you're getting blindsided again, on this?

I wish the Church would stop trying to stuff Trump into a Jesus costume. Sigh ...

My best friend believes that Trump is an altruistic, compassionate, faithful, honest business Tycoon genius. 🙄 Also, she believes that the media edits or uses AI to make what he says look bad & negative. She even believes he is joking about being a dictator...

If Trump is elected Americans will find out what it's like to live in a 3rd world country.

This guy is deeply naive. American tragedy?😢

This guy lives in a bubble, because all politicians tells lies.

EXCELLENT, THE MOST WONDERFUL SUBJECT! i have been so upset about How Christian Churches accept the Moral landscapes of the crooked and immoral Donald John Trump. DON TRUMP

I am very shocked that French’s story does not actually involve evangelicals, as I was not aware that white nationalism/political zeal had reached into the PCOA or other non-evangelical denominations. I was associated with Presbyterian churches throughout my childhood, and I am a person of color. I also remember joining a Bible study group as a very stupid kid and I said a prayer out loud against bush and and I was chastised for bringing in politics into my religious communication (the group was non-denominational, but not evangelical). I understand that criticism now, so much so that I can’t understand the opposite.

The more religious, the more gullible.

Griswold's article on French didn't actually misquote him, nor quote out of context.

Absolutely mind boggling to me. This behavior is NOT Christianity. I will never understand how the reconcile what they can see and hear.

It will be divine intervention. That's a fact.

This is also going on in the Catholic church, resulting in a lot of departures.

Church goers should not confuse the leaders God allows us to have compared to those He chooses.

He turns to his Christian brethren for succor and has the “find out” moment.🤫

Some real Leopards Ate My Face right here. He created Trump.

Donald Trump was sent as a test. The Evangelical church failed the test miserably.

Hey French. Who cares? You who switch churches, publications, law groups, and political parties every five minutes when you don’t succeed in changing their mission and message are not a victim. Journalists don’t make it about themselves.

“… and then following, *the judgement of the country due to its long-entrenched evil.*

You could correlate absolutely anything to divine intervention. 🙄

Disappointed in PCA.

People are sheep. Always looking for others to lead them.

it just goes to show how far evangelicals are from the Truth!! smh

A country for the American PEOPLE, of the American PEOPLE, and by the American PEOPLE=vote for Joe Biden.

I want Sarah Isgur to come out and strongly support David and oppose MAGA Christian Nationalists.

And the rest of us will experience hell on earth

Nothing in the Bible would suggest it's divine intervention. Ask your self what would Jesus do? In John 17:14 we can read that Jesus sad he was not a part of this world. Meaning this political world. When Satan tempted Jesus he also sad no to rule all the Kingdoms in the world (Matthew 4:8). Also when the Jews tried to make him King he run away (John 6:15).

I'm so sorry for all you and your family have goune through. It broke my heart to hear the things your family have had to endure. It is my belief we grow as people by listening to other opinions. We can agree to respectfully disagree, but learning another's reasoning for their opinions makes us stronger as a nation. It is our differences that makes us multifaceted. So scary that those that hate are the loudest voices so many follow. You show true courage in speaking out and I look forward to hearing more.

So what does it mean if he loses? Again.

12:06 David French: "the passivity of the majority is really enabling the minority.". "They just wanted the pain to stop" I'll add they wanted the chaos, that often arises wen there r disagreements, to stop. They wanted the disruption,-which they attributed to David French instead of Donald Trump, to stop In the name of peace & unity the church yielded to the zealots & excluded the moderate voice(s)?? As David said, the church capitulated to the angriest, loudest people. Doesn't it say in the Bible that the meek shall inherit the earth? DF: "The good people (of the church) did nothing(no additional work) to determine the voracity of the misleading & cruel commentary in the public square.." "All it takes for evil to exist is for good people to do nothing." quoted from a Holocaust survivor

Is separation of church and state realistic at this point in our country?

All I know is, I'm not looking for a "perfect" president who I agree with on every issue. And I certainly will NOT be voting for an individual president. Instead, I will be voting for an entire administration, 1000 people or more, who love our country, uphold democracy and the rule of law, exhibit decency and respect, oppose facism, work hard and get things done, and aren't just in it for attention, drama, and social media clicks. When I vote, I will be keeping in mind, not simply the blunders of ONE debate, but the facts of how our government actually works, the beauty of the checks and balances of our 3 branches of government, the fact that an elected president CANNOT be an all-powerful dictator (not yet anyway). I'll be keeping in mind which administration's policies promote civil rights and liberties for ALL citizens versus trying desperately to strip rights away from anyone who doesn't fit a certain mold or hold a certain religious belief. I'll be considering which administration or which party understands the importance of SEPARATION of church and state. I couldn't care less who "won" or "lost" one debate. One 90-minute snapshot in time does not negate everything that has happened over the past 8 years. I watch people's actions, their behavior, the way they treat one another. Talk is cheap. And LIES are despicable!!! Winning a war of words doesn't make someone right for the job. Why are we so shallow, superficial, and uneducated? The world is watching. I've been traveling throughout Europe for the past 2 months, and everyone with whom I've had any significant conversation that has turned to politics is just flabbergasted by our collective ignorance, arrogance, and blind party loyalty. And they're not wrong. We value drama over substance. Entertainment and sensationalism over rational thought. Social media clickbait over facts. Tribal loyalty over morality. We live in our insulated little echo chambers and value party over principle. That's what's truly embarrassing about us. The Europeans with whom I've had these conversations are encouraged to learn that there are actually millions of people like me in the U.S., we just don't get any media attention because the media likes to focus on what brings the most drama. I hope my comment encourages some of you are who are feeling hopeless. There are SO many good people who are going to do the right thing in November. People who love country over party affiliation. People who still love democracy and want to preserve it for future generations.

To an outsider, this looks like a society gripped by fear, looking for salvation through myth and magic rather than facing reality. This does not bode well for the future and the many and complex challenges that you, as a society, and we as a species, will surely face.

“I underestimated how palpable the hatred of Democrats was”….and again, it is mostly irrational, reflexive hatred rooted in emotions, not actions against them. And it also not a two-way street. Democrats and the left do not hate them equally however frustrated, annoyed, etc. we get of them. This hatred of their fellow Americans by the evangelical right really has to be analyzed in deeper way. It’s incredibly un-Christian for folks who claim that is a the center of who they are, and we’re just rooting our judgment of that in the very same gospel that again, they proclaim is at the center of their lives. 🤷‍♂️

Please read Hosea 8:4 from our Holy Bible.

Being freaky to the right or freaky to the left is just a different kinds of freaky they shouldn't even call themselves conservatives or Liberals anymore