For nearly 40 years, Evangelicals preached dire sermons against a godless, sin-soaked culture focused on wealth, immorality, celebrity, sexual promiscuity and worldly power. On Aug. 27, they celebrated it.

The White House guest list was a who’s who of Conservative Christians: Paula White, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., Robert Jeffress, Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, Lester Warner, Eric Metaxas, James Dobson and others.

It’s easy to see how former Evangelicals become disenchanted with the church of their childhood.

Trump is literally the living personification of everything Evangelicals have opposed for 40 years. But he has given them everything they want politically.

In exchange, they gave him their fealty and a Bible he has never read, with the signatures of more than 100 Evangelicals and the inscription:

“First Lady and President, you are in our prayers always. Thank you for your courageous and bold stand for religious liberty, and for your timeless service to all Americans. We appreciate the price that you have paid to walk in the high calling. History will record the greatness that you have brought for generations.”

I don’t think greatness is what history will record.

These Christian leaders long ago sold their souls for celebrity and ignored the teaching of Christ, so it’s no surprise they support an immoral hedonist who treats the 10 Commands as a “to do” list.

All of these Evangelical leaders are on the wrong side of history because they are on the wrong side of Jesus. Unfortunately, this isn’t anything new. Throughout history, Christian leaders have supported evil to the detriment of the weakest in society. They distort scripture and simply ignore the parts that contradict their misguided political views, rather than align their political views with the message of Jesus. Listen to many Evangelicals preach, and they mention Jesus briefly before they quote other sections of the Bible extensively to justify anything they choose. They are literally the people Jesus warns us about in scripture.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” ~ Jesus

Trump polices destroy lives, his racist rhetoric emboldens hate groups and his constant stream of lies undercut the moral fabric of society. His policies target widows, orphans and aliens, literally the same people scripture repeatedly says we as Christians are supposed to help. From Exodus to the words of Jesus, we are to help the homeless, the poor, the helpless. Christians can only miss this point of God’s message intentionally, perhaps because their politics mean more to them than the actual message of God.

Nothing Trump says reflects the words of Jesus: “Love God, love others.” “Forgive others.” “Give to the poor.” “Help everyone.” “Turn the other cheek.” The core messages of Jesus are the exact opposite of the words and actions of Trump. If Evangelical leaders can’t see that, they are as morally corrupt as he is.

For part two of this post, visit … The Pharisees in the White House aren’t Christians