"Huh," I thought, "Let's see the backstory on this..."
So I click through to the actual story, which is someone at HuffPo breathless about a preacher Trump invited to the Hanukkah party where he signed that EO aimed at combating anti-Semitism on campus. "Did Trump really bring some Nazi Jew-hater to an anti-Semitism event/Hanukkah party?" I wondered.
Turns out no. He brought some dude whose theology is pretty hard-core Protestant, but nothing unusual. Among this guy's big sins according to HuffPo was this quote from a sermon ten years ago:
“Not only do religions like Mormonism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, not only do they lead people away from the true God, they lead people to an eternity of separation from God in hell. You know, Jesus was very clear. Hell is not only going to be populated by murderers and drug dealers and child abusers. Hell is going to be filled with good religious people who have rejected the truth of Christ.”Folks, that's pretty standard Protestant theology. I grew up Southern Baptist and the whole cornerstone of that (and most Protestant denominations) is that the only thing that gets you into heaven is an actual "born again" conversion experience; that whole repenting of your sins and accepting Jesus as your savior thing.
This is the theology that thinks pretty much all Catholics are going to hell, too. See, getting baptized as a baby and taking communion doesn't count as getting born again as a person above the age of reason.
So, if you're trying to have a feel-good interfaith ecumenical jamboree, no, a rock-ribbed evangelical Protestant preacher is not the dude you want to invite if you're interested in keeping metaphorical turds out of the punch bowl. It spoils the collegial atmosphere where everyone's pretending the other guy's theology is a-ok. Invite some nice Methodist pastor, or maybe a high church 'Piscop instead.
So, tacky and maybe a bad call for the occasion? Sure. Literally Hitler? Sorry, you're overreacting again.
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