Friday, August 18, 2023

SojoMail - Christians can’t tune out the indictments

SojoMail

In this week's SojoMail, Adam Russell Taylor writes that Trump's indictments aren't just a test of our democracy — for Christians, it’s also a test of our faith:

Former president Donald Trump has now been indicted four times — the only indictments of a former president in our nation’s history. Most recently, a Georgia grand jury indicted Trump and 18 “co-conspirators” for engaging in a “criminal enterprise” that sought to overturn Trump’s electoral loss in the state in the 2020 presidential election.

There’s plenty that concerns me about this latest indictment, including 161 specific acts prosecutors say were intended to obstruct the election, ranging from harassment of election officials to the infamous recorded phone call where Trump tells Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” missing votes. But what’s most bothering me aren’t the details of the indictment; I’m worried that most folks in the U.S., including Christians, are barely paying attention. Meanwhile, Trump remains the front-runner in the the Republican primary, despite the indictments.

I understand the impulse to tune out; according to recent polling, nearly half of the country sees these charges as partisan in nature. Many of these folks likely made up their minds about the election long ago. Trump has been all too effective in playing the victim card, convincing many of his supporters that any attack on him represents an attack on them as well. But even among those of us who do care deeply about the integrity of our democracy, it’s hard to stay engaged. Who really wants constant reminders of the trauma of the insurrection and the continued dangers of election subversion, especially during summer, when many of us take much-needed vacation?

But what I keep coming back to is this: These indictments pose a moral test of our legal system and our democracy. Will we ignore allegations against people with great wealth and great power, including a former president who has become an expert at evading accountability? Or will we hold everyone accountable, ensuring both the defendants and the plaintiffs get a fair trial?

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