The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

Letter to the Editor: Evangelical Silence on Trump is Deafening

Written by

Bruce Gerencser

in

,

Published in the Crescent-News on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

Dear Editor,

I keep hoping to read in the Crescent-News a plethora of letters from Evangelicals condemning Donald Trump’s use of Christianity to advance his unholy, violent agenda. Alas, there are no letters to be found. Even publishing a meme showing Trump as Jesus was not enough to dislodge them from the president’s hip. Both Paula White and Pete Hegseth favorably compared Trump’s self-inflicted troubles to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Why the silence from Evangelicals? They are directly responsible for putting Trump in the White House. Three times in the past ten years, almost 80 percent of voting White Evangelicals voted for Donald Trump. By the the 2024 election, every American knew who and what Donald Trump really was. Everyone knew Trump was a violent narcissist who couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it, yet devout people of faith voted for him anyway.

Spare me the explanations about not voting for a “pastor in chief.” I was an Evangelical for 50 years. I listened to preachers excoriate President Bill Clinton over a stained blue dress. Despicable? You bet. And at the time, I eviscerated Clinton from the pulpit, as I would have Trump today if I were still a pastor. If Evangelical pastors can’t see Trump in the same light they viewed Clinton, they have lost their moral authority. They have sold their souls for a bowl of soup.

Worse, an increasing number of Evangelicals have adopted theocratic beliefs, asserting that the separation of church and state is a myth. Both Russ Vought and Hegseth are card carrying theocrats who believe the Evangelical God has called them to re-establish the United States as a Christian nation. Their nefarious dogma will lead to violence and death on our streets, as is currently happening in Iran and the greater Middle East.

The Pope recently condemned Trump’s offensive war against Iran. More than a few Evangelical talking heads told the Pope to “shut up and mind your own business.” J.D. Vance — allegedly a Catholic — lectured the Pope on “just war theory.” What is going on in Iran is anything but “just.” The United States is waging an immoral war against [the newspaper’s editor removed “the people of” from my letter] the people of Iran. And Cuba is next, if Trump gets his way.

Several letter writers have suggested than I am morally lacking. Maybe, but I’m moral enough to know it’s evil to wage offensive wars and murder innocent people.

Bruce Gerencser

Ney, Ohio

Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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Comments

12 responses to “Letter to the Editor: Evangelical Silence on Trump is Deafening”

  1. Avatar
    Rand Valentine

    Yes, absolutely, evangelicals have sold their birthright for a mess of pottage, as I remember the KJV verse. Trump clearly exposes the difference between social-convenience Christianity and anything authentic.

    Reply
    1. Avatar
      Bruce Gerencser

      Like you, I’m old. Lived life, seen shit. 💩🤣Having lived this long, I can spot trends. The Evangelicals of my younger years are very different from those of today. So much so, that sometimes I wonder if they have morphed into a different sect. There’s a push on to distinguish between Evangelicals and Christian Nationalists. I understand the difference, but then I consider the fact that most Christian Nationalists are theologically Evangelical. If non-Christian Nationalist Evangelicals truly want to distance themselves from Nationalism, maybe they need to have an acrimonious divorce and then become a new sect (or join more liberal/progressive sects).

      Make sense? I’m typing this after taking my late night pain meds. I get wordy and passionately opinionated when under the influence. 🤣🤣That said, I do some of my best writing ✍️ when I am. 🤣🤣❤️❤️

      Always good to see your comments, Rand. ❤️

      Reply
  2. Avatar
    GeoffT

    Evangelicals and their bizarre relationship with morality, in fact just human decency, is an interesting topic and one I am sure will be debated for years to come. Once evangelicalism disappears (no doubt to be replaced by something that may be even worse!) it will be fascinating to see how history deals with its legacy.

    Reply
  3. Ben Berwick

    As ever, the hypocrisy of the religious right is as deafening as it is blinding. If Trump were, by some strange quirk of fate, a Democrat, you can bet that a lot of the usual Trump worshippers would be rabidly condemning him for his actions.

    Reply
  4. Avatar
    JT

    Bruce,

    You wrote, “Trump was a violent narcissist who couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it, yet devout people of faith voted for him anyway.”

    How true that statement is, but the bigger problem here is the DNC. As a platform, they have chosen to alienate any Christian voters that do not lean heavily to the left. They did not do that back in the 1990s when I was voting for Clinton. Since then, the DNC as an organization has lurched so far left morally and socially that most Christians feel they aren’t left with a real choice. The DNC tells Christians that their voice doesn’t matter, but then lose elections because of that stance. Democrats should thank Trump this next election cycle because he has been their greatest asset. The DNC will take credit for a winning strategy, but I foresee the truth being that Christians will stay home and not go vote. They have been used by Trump and the DNC doesn’t want them… And yet, if the democrats run another far left candidate in 2028, they (Christians) will be out to vote for the republican, no matter who it is. A centrist democrat could win in a landslide, but the DNC won’t allow that to happen.

    Reply
    1. BJW

      Far left? Harris campaigned with Liz Cheney! The DNC is actually broken, I think, and incompetent. But calling them far left is a fantasy. And Christians that have a conscience can vote for the lesser of 2 evils. I always did when I was a Christian.

      Reply
      1. Avatar
        JT

        Exactly how I have voted for three elections in a row… Looking back, I’m inclined to say that I should have not voted in 2020 and 2024… 2016 was always going to be a vote against Hillary… In fact, I would vote for Kamala over Hillary… Anyways, I would challenge anyone to offer facts showing Kamala is not far left now… The only reason Liz Cheney was involved was because of just being anti-Trump and having a big name. I’m sure it may have gained Kamala a few votes, which was the purpose. Realistically, I’m not even convinced that voting D or R even matters… Nothing really changes on a national scale for the common people like myself.

        Reply
    2. Avatar
      Sage

      The bigger problem here is the DNC? Really?? Do you really believe the DNS is the bigger problem?

      well, lets clear some thing up. If you want to talk about ‘lurching’, I think clearly the republicans, lead by the every Evangelicals Bruce mentions, have used hate and fear mongering to drag the republicans to an extreme right position.

      Here are just a few things we have seen from the right. Fear of violent immigrants leads to mass sweeps to deport nearly any person who is in the country, legally or not. Flaunting the Constitution and ignoring court orders. Extra judicial killing of foreign citizens in national waters. Shooting (and killing) American citizens and covering up the reason. Rolling back voting rights that give minorities a voice. Reproductive rights reduced. Banning books that don’t fit their narrative. And of course, lets not forget the near constant effort to eradicate any and all trans and non-binary people through legislation and hate campaigns.

      I am curious, exactly what do you mean when you say the DNC “lurched so far left morally and socially that most Christians feel they aren’t left with a real choice.” I know what that sounds like to me. What, exactly, do you object to that leave you no choice?

      Reply
      1. Avatar
        Bruce Gerencser

        I’m no fan of the DNC, but the criticism from those of us are progressives, liberals, and socialists is that the DNC ignores us; playing to the center. I’m all for a party leadership overhaul.

        I can’t think of anything the DNC has done that doesn’t pale in comparison to the treasonous Trump. He is an existential threat to our nation, and the Joels of the world either ignorantly or deliberately ignore this. All that matters is ending abortion, forcing LGBTQ people back in the closet, and, with lying, dissembling lips saying “the United States is a Christian nation.”

        Reply
        1. Avatar
          Sage

          I agree. The DNC has been useless in many ways. It’s rather hard to even tell what the DNC stands for today, other than some general concepts. It would be helpful if they took some stands, and actively tried to oppose the other side, instead of trying to appeal to the middle to regain power.

          Reply
  5. Troy

    I like that, “J.D. Vance — allegedly a Catholic” comment. His boyfriend and benefactor Peter Thiel is a Catholic. Thiel is gay, J.D. might be as well. So why are they STILL Catholic?
    Interestingly when Trump was running in 2024 he poo pooed the notion that Project 2025 and Heritage foundation would have a role in his administration. Why project 2025… Trump didn’t even know what that was! Now they are running the show animating the empty suit that is Trump.

    Reply
  6. Avatar
    ObstacleChick

    JD Vance has changed his name and religion so many times, but he hasn’t changed the fact that he’s an arrogant, swaggering little shit. Imagine being a Catholic for all of 5 minutes and deigning to lecture Pope Leo (who was head of the Augustinian Order) on St Augustine’s just war concept.

    Christian Nationalists are their own religion in my opinion. They use the Bible, Jesus,God, the Cross as background symbols but their real deity is unfettered political POWER. Many evangelicals are Christian Nationalists. Some traditional Catholics are CN’s as well.

    Reply

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