Some Context:
I watched a group of pastors debate Trumpism this week. I think the ones that irked me the worst were the ones pretending to be neutral, and saying, “We’ll see.” about whether democracy will be dismantled.
One called Trump a “kingmaker”. One admitted Trump seeks power but the real mistake was that people keep reacting to him. So they were treating resistance like a problem.
Niebuhr had a warning about this. Democracy falls because good people hesitate. Bonhoeffer too. These pastors sit back all detached and analyzing it like a game... frustrating.
That frustration led me to write this essay and I posted it on the group, and now I'm just sharing it with anyone who might find it interesting.
Curious if others have seen the same cowardice out there.
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Reinhold Niebuhr warned that the greatest moral failures do not come from the wicked but from those who refuse to act against them. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that silence in the face of oppression is itself oppression.
What do we make of those who say “We’ll see” while authoritarianism is in the processing of taking hold, democracy dismantled, and power is bent toward a single man?
Somewhere along the way, it seems resisting evil became secondary to standing back and analyzing its strategy. Some admire how well it’s working, as if morality is measured by effectiveness.
But morality isn’t about whether something succeeds. It’s about whether it should.Yet I hear:-“Trump is just a kingmaker.” As were Caesar, Napoleon, and Hitler. What exactly are we praising?-“We’ll see in 2028.” We saw in 1933. We saw in 1939. We see it now
Proverbs 24:10-12 warns against standing idly by"If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?"
This is active language that demands intervention, not observation or passivity.
Niebuhr warned that democracy doesn’t fall because evil is too strong. It falls when those with the power to resist decide it isn’t their responsibility. They hesitate, analyze, and wait for someone else to step in.
In The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, Niebuhr wrote:"Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary."
Democracies do not sustain themselves. They require vigilance, resistance, and a refusal to assume that the worst will never happen. Niebuhr argued that the “children of light” (those who believe in justice and democracy) struggle because they assume reason and goodwill are enough. Meanwhile, the “children of darkness” (those seeking power for its own sake) understand how to manipulate fear and self-interest to weaken democratic institutions.
In Moral Man and Immoral Society, Niebuhr expands on this. He argues that individuals may act morally, but groups, especially political and economic elites, serve their own interests, mostly at the expense of justice. Power does not restrain itself out of principle. It is only checked when it is met with resistance.
Waiting to see what happens is very real permission. Neutrality and perceived wisdom becomes a costume for what's underneath.
James 4:17 removes any excuse for inaction"So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."
Knowing the right thing and doing nothing is its own moral failure.
Bonhoeffer, who resisted Hitler while German Christians convinced themselves he was just another leader, put it even more bluntly:"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." (Letters and Papers from Prison)
The Christians who stayed silent in Nazi Germany made it easier for power to consolidate. By the time resistance became obvious, it was nearly impossible.
Trump’s grip on the GOP, the purging of civil servants, the restructuring of government to serve one ideology...none of it is a hypothetical. It's certainly justified with "we need to balance our budget" or other Christian ideas.
The FAA union president just confirmed that essential staff were fired with no evaluation. USAID is in shambles, and people are now dying in other countries so we can improve our budget. This suffering is framed as a necessary sacrifice. Ask yourself: for whom and to what end?
It's a strategy and not an accident. When the government no longer works for the people, the people beg for an alternative. Any alternative. It's manufactured crisis and control and how authoritarian power consolidates.
Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, veterans’ benefits, VA staffing, worker protections dismantled. Gas and grocery prices still high. Meanwhile, they’re picking fights with Canada and Mexico instead of solving anything. Canada was not on anyone's radar 6 months ago. Another example of manufactured chaos.
Is Christianity about sabotaging trade, destabilizing allies, and joking about annexing Greenland?
The play is obvious. It's about handing billions to the ultra-wealthy and leaving the rest to fend for themselves.
Overcoming something requires movement. It requires resistance.
The demand for authoritarian power isn’t new. In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites demanded a king so they could be “like the other nations.” They wanted strength, security, and a leader who would fight their battles. God, speaking through Samuel, warned them:
“He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots… He will take your fields and vineyards and give them to his attendants… You will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” (1 Samuel 8:11-18)
They didn’t listen. And when they suffered under that king’s rule, they had only themselves to blame.
Today, the same people who claim to defend faith and freedom are demanding a ruler who wields unchecked power in their name. They want a political savior to crush their enemies, enforce their values, and punish the people they fear. History and scripture warn against this. When faith becomes about securing earthly power rather than pursuing justice, it is no longer faith, it's idolatry.
A question:
Will you reject what scripture warns against and place your trust in a strongman who demands your loyalty at the cost of truth? Or will you recognize that the pursuit of power for its own sake always leads to suffering?
History will remember those who resisted and those who enabled. What will it say about you?
I'll leave with this verse, another clear call to action and not passivity.
Romans 12:21"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."