A response to the INFEMIT manifesto

As an Evangelical Christian, I am shocked and deeply saddened by this manifesto. Christians, of all people, must be grounded in truth – in today’s world, this implies the ability to discern what is true and real from propaganda, that is, from deception, half-truths and lies.

I am, as much as anyone can be, opposed to Fascism in all its forms, both right and left. And, like the signatories, I hear the “the clarion call of the Gospel to radical biblical faithfulness” – and I ask that everyone that signed the manifesto, and everyone that reads this article, ask themselves these questions. The Gospel requires us to find and understand the truth. 

Are these claims true? 

Fascism is a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry and commerce, and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism. – the Dictionary.

- President Trump is not a dictator. He is an elected President subject to the rule of law like every other President.  Like every President, his Executive Orders can be challenged by the courts. Laws are still enacted by Congress. Trump has not disbanded Congress, as other dictators have done. America is still a country under the rule of law – and his nominee to the Supreme Court shows his dedication to preserving that idea.

- Trump has not forcibly suppressed opposition and criticism – yes, he attacks his opposition on Twitter. But has he shut down the New York Times, the Huffington Post, CNN or MSNBC? The opposition is alive and well – and very loud and angry. 

- Trump has not taken over industry and commerce. His first 50 days in office have resulted in exactly the opposite – removing bureaucratic, nonsensical regulation and stimulating the private sector, the free economy.

- Trump is not racist. There is zero evidence. If you have documented evidence of racism, please show it. 

- Nationalism – as opposed to a new Global World Order – can be a good thing, if what it means is that a government sees its job as working for and protecting its citizens first. Government should work for the people – and that means citizens, not everyone walking the face of the planet.

How dare these signers adopt the self-righteous attitudes of the Left, rather than the righteous that comes from Biblical understanding and humility.They do not know why people like me voted for Trump so their accusation that this was somehow immoral is not only wrong, it is offensive. Certainly not worthy of a Christian.

My daughter teaches fifth grade in Accra, Ghana. From that limited perspective, I understand that news sources for average people around the world (people that don’t scour the Internet) are very limited and actually one-sided (the CNN side, or BBC side). I think that’s tragic, because so much “news” in this post-modern (post-truth some have said) world is biased (to say it kindly) or outright propaganda (not so kindly). 

Therefore it is incumbent on Christian leaders, and people that sign manifestos, to dig deeper and understand the truth in all its dimensions.

Can I also say that this includes, especially, the purveyors of “news” – the people that publish manifestos.

Robert J. Christensen, Engineer, USA.