DR. ALVEDA KING: You Don’t Have to Let the Haters Ruin Christmas

COMMENTARY

It really is possible to have a relaxing and joyous Christmas season. You just have to find a way to see through the strife-provoking smoke screens of an immoral impeachment, sacrilegious “comedy” on television, and charlatans misinterpreting scripture to make a political point.

Christianity Today disgracefully parroting Adam Schiff’s talking points about the need to remove President Trump from office is perhaps the most disappointing recent development, even if it’s not surprising.

The concept of a supposedly conservative or Christian institution being co-opted to promote the views of the progressive left is not new. The past century in American politics and religion has been littered with fitting examples. Great industrialists such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and others left “non-partisan” foundations to carry on their legacy. Though hardly liberals themselves, their fortunes now fund almost exclusively left-wing causes. Mainline protestant churches that were once known as “the Republican Party at prayer” have become some of the strongest voices pushing gay marriage and radical gender ideology.

Whenever possible, liberals exploit the leftward shift of those who run these organizations in order to weaponize the reputations those organizations have built up among conservatives. Articles purporting to present “the conservative case” or “the evangelical case” for policies that are almost universally reviled among conservatives appear to carry far more weight when they’re associated with a brand that has credibility on the right.

Christianity Today’s invocation of the great Billy Graham’s name to attack the President is merely the latest example of this well-worn strategy. It’s also one of the most transparently dishonest.

The Rev. Graham didn’t start Christianity Today as an explicitly right-wing institution. In fact, he didn’t start it to be a political rag of any variety, conservative or otherwise. His only objective was to promote the orthodox word of Christ. That was Billy Graham’s way. During the civil rights movement, he and my uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., didn’t necessarily see eye to eye on every political issue of the day, but they were able to preach together because they shared an abiding faith in the power of Christ and the indispensability of spreading the Gospel when it came to addressing the myriad injustices of the time.

Now, 53 years after the publication’s first issue and less than two years after Graham’s death, Christianity Today is being used to shill for political causes that run directly opposite to his own stated beliefs. Graham’s son, Franklin — himself a leading evangelical minister — responded immediately and forcefully to Christianity Today’s attempt to co-opt his father’s legacy on behalf of the Democratic Party’s political ends.

“My father knew Donald Trump, he believed in Donald Trump, and he voted for Donald Trump,” Franklin wrote in a scathing Facebook post. “For Christianity Today to side with the Democrat Party in a totally partisan attack on the President of the United States is unfathomable.”

Worse still, Christianity Today’s slide to the left is not just an affront to its founder, but also an abandonment of some of the key Christian doctrines it was created to uphold. In the First Epistle of Paul to Timothy, St. Paul urges the faithful to pray “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

Whatever one’s politics, the usurpation of civil authority on grounds as flimsy and partisan as the articles of impeachment cooked up by Jerry Nadler and Nancy Pelosi runs counter to all principles of the Christian’s proper role in relation to politics. President Trump, far from being a “morally lost” leader in need of removal as the editorial argues, has returned Christian morality and respect for religious liberty to the very center of American political life.

In the spirit of Christian forgiveness, he has returned thousands of reformed offenders — the overwhelming majority of them African-American — to their families. In the spirit of Christian charity, he has fought to keep struggling Historically Black Colleges and Universities in operation by increasing federal assistance. And in the spirit of Christian faithfulness, he has protected the faithful everywhere from government intrusions that would force them to violate the core tenets of their religion.

There’s never been a more critical time for such a leader, given the rapid decline of civility and respect in our society. It’s a chilling indication of the times we live in that Netflix is marking the Christmas season by airing a disgusting, sacrilegious “comedy” special that depicts Jesus Christ as a homosexual.

As one who has experienced both happiness and sadness during past holiday seasons, though, I can offer my steadfast assurance that God’s love is always real. Every year, come what may, my family and I try to approach the season with love and forgiveness in our hearts. Some years are better than others, but the effort is always worth it.

Whatever your personal situation might be this Christmas, I encourage you to do your best to avoid the grinchy pitfalls and focus on what’s really important. If you can do that, I promise that it’s still possible to have a merry and blessed Christmas!

Alveda King is the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and daughter of King's younger brother, Rev. A. D. King. She is a prominent American author, pro-life and civil rights activist and minister. She is a Fox News channel contributor and once served as a Senior Fellow at the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, a Washington, D.C. think-tank. She is a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives and the founder of Alveda King Ministries.