Just when you felt you couldn’t believe in integrity anymore…
In a shocking twist on December 19, editor-in-chief for Christianity Today, Mark Galli, showed an incredible amount of conviction and integrity by coming out in public to the world of conservative Christianity to declare that Trump should be removed from office and behaved in ways that are “profoundly immoral”.
The editor, of course, paid for his sin by getting roasted in the media and losing many subscribers.
But it is worth acknowledging that in spite of a laundry list of grave political differences — he and the magazine steadfastly oppose abortion rights and marriage equality — Galli displayed actions currently unseen in this moment of unwavering devotion to Trump by conservative Christians and ever-looming threats of person and political reprisals for anyone who steps out of line.
We call on the Right to take responsibility for the consequences of their faith: how those theologies land on the bodies of people historically and today.
We call on them to recognize the ways their theology harms LGBTQI people, women, the poor and working classes, immigrants, and on and on.
We call for consistency: applying one’s beliefs to ALL circumstances, not just when it is politically convenient.
That is called integrity, and in another time this was a requirement for righteousness among Christians. Integrity is what we in communities of faith strive for in our lives.
While it is sad that consistency in this political moment is the low bar we measure hope with, Galli showed the world a glimmer of hope that all people of conservative Christian faith cannot be bought or threatened into staunch submission.
His bold decision to tell the truth about the media outlet’s commitment to Christian values that extends to their position on the impeachment of this Republican president — in a way consistent with their position on the impeachment of Democratic presidents in years past — is nothing short of a miracle.
