Why Evangelicals Don't See Corruption-They See Divine Confirmation.

Taking gifts from foreign governments, is not bribery—it’s proof that God is rewarding his obedience and reclaiming America.

Whiplash is the easiest way of describing the news cycle of the day. As I write this, I know that although it might not dominate the morning headlines, Trump's potential acceptance of a 747 airplane from a foreign government is significant news and merits closer examination. If any other president engaged with dictators and accepted extravagant gifts from foreign governments, we would label it corruption. But it's not considered a scandal when it happens with their preferred candidate, whom they believe to be the Lord’s anointed. It’s viewed as a divine signal.

In the evangelical viewpoint, God blesses individuals and nations through the divinely appointed. So, if a leader is “bringing America back to God," are luxurious items like airplanes and potential real estate deals corruption, or are they merely evidence of divine approval?

This isn’t an outlier perspective. It represents the prevailing narrative in white evangelical communities today, where prosperity gospel theology has intertwined with the New Republican Party, otherwise known as Christian nationalism. This creates a worldview where material wealth is not regarded with skepticism but is seen as an entitlement endowed upon them by the Holy Spirit.

Honestly, I wouldn’t feel this way if I hadn’t spent several years in a mega church. I gained valuable insights from my time with the pastor and his wife. They were often celebrated as “the most generous people," mostly due to their use of the church’s credit card. Numerous impoverished families attended the church, and my former pastor ensured they were tithing consistently. God cannot assist those unwilling to surrender everything to Him. While he may provide the bare minimum, trusting Him completely can lead to greater blessings. The issue was that these financial blessings seemed to flow primarily to the pastor, who used them to provide his children with Louis Vuitton luggage and luxurious golfing trips. Every time they received a new "blessing," they would emphasize that it resulted from their faithfulness in giving.

Observing the greed and corruption tied to God’s money, where the congregation not only accepted this chaos but also praised the Lord for it, I’m sadly not shocked that the evangelical voting base behaves similarly. Evangelical leaders serve as indicators of how lawmakers react to his actions. These leaders understand that evangelicals perceive financial corruption not as a bribe, but rather as God blessing their church’s leader (because let's be honest, that’s how they view Trump).

The Prosperity Gospel Presidency

For decades, evangelicals have been led to believe that wealth is a reward from God. This theology, which once belonged to TV preachers and Ponzi schemes, now forms a foundational aspect of an entire political movement.

Their logic goes like this:

• “If our leader is receiving blessings, it must be because he’s obedient to God.”

• “If other nations are honoring him, it’s because they recognize the anointing.”

• “If he’s getting rich, God must be using him to restore America’s greatness.”
  
  

To question the gifts is to question the calling. And to question the calling is to risk being labeled a tool of Satan.

Touch Not My Anointed

If you've been engaging with my content for a while, you know I am outspoken about the absence of accountability in the church. Pastors and leaders within the evangelical movement are rarely held accountable for their character and actions. In evangelical communities, criticism often bolsters loyalty rather than provoking skepticism. Why does this happen? It's because they have internalized that “persecution" validates their legitimacy.

So when journalists look into foreign connections, it’s seen as spiritual warfare. When watchdog organizations raise concerns about ethical breaches, it’s merely the adversary’s attempt to undermine a man of faith. And when the public questions the overall morality, that’s considered ‘evidence’ that the world opposes righteousness. Too often, when I communicate with individuals who are part of Trump’s voting base, they accuse the media of going on a witch hunt and reporting fake news to tarnish his reputation.

This illustrates how authoritarianism finds spiritual justification. This is how a grift becomes the gospel.

When Dictators Become Divine Allies

You may look at foreign gifts and see bribery.
They look at it and see prophecy fulfilled.

Evangelicals view their president as a divinely chosen leader uniting the nation. They believe they have no cause for concern regarding national security, as God will protect them. God will illuminate the darkness and reveal the corrupt. Unfortunately, the only individuals they consider worthy of addressing these issues are the corrupt leaders in power. Therefore, while Qatar offers a 747 Air Force One as a gift, evangelicals won’t scrutinize the foreign policy implications; instead, they will see this as God softening the hearts of Islamic leaders, creating a pathway or “foot in the door” to engage with the Muslim population and eventually force their salvation.

There is no cognitive dissonance when your entire worldview is built on confirmation bias masquerading as divine discernment.

The Constitution vs. the Bible (or Their Version of It)

The U.S. Constitution forbids public officials from receiving gifts from foreign nations without congressional consent (Article 9, Section 1). However, in the current evangelical-nationalist hierarchy, the Constitution is respected… unless it contradicts "biblical authority."

Anyone who takes the oath of office promises to protect the Constitution of the United States. Can you picture the outrage if a Democratic president did this? Republicans were outraged when Obama wore a tan suit, yet they appear completely unconcerned with his response, “I don’t know,” when questioned about following the Constitution.

Checks and balances? That’s just interference from the deep state.
Ethics investigations? That’s merely the devil's attempt to tarnish God’s prophet's reputation.
Democracy? For them, it will always be a democracy, just like salvation is free. They fail to understand that you either believe in and serve a narcissistic God or face damnation, much like loving and supporting a narcissistic leader, OR face arrest, charges, and silencing.

Corruption Isn’t Corruption If God Gets the Credit

This explains why efforts to reveal misconduct no longer function as they once did. You’re not battling an individual; instead, you’re contending with a religion, a godly-endorsed narrative of renewal, accountability, and American exceptionalism.

In that narrative, every dollar represents a tithe, each bribe serves as a blessing, and every scandal acts as another nail in the martyrdom of God’s chosen.

We’re observing not merely political compromise; it reflects spiritualized authoritarianism. In this system, divine favor legitimizes unethical actions, and material excess is portrayed to the public as a moral endorsement of God's approval.

The president's acceptance of foreign gifts should be a scandal. However, for countless evangelical Americans, it serves as the evidence they’ve long awaited—proof that their leader is divinely appointed, evidence that America is “returning to God, " evidence that, despite appearing corrupt from an outside perspective, it is all part of a greater design—God’s design. And that should terrify us all.