Wisconsin pastor worries some congregation members worship Trump more than Jesus

President Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by a margin of only .77 percent, and ahead of the November election, Democrats and Republicans are keeping a close eye on the 19 counties that backed former President Barack Obama in 2012 and switched to Trump four years later.
In rural Forest County, Pastor Franz Gerber of the Praise Chapel Community Church said he voted for Trump four years ago, as abortion is his biggest issue. Now, he told The Guardian, if he "had the opportunity again, I may vote differently. I would perhaps vote for someone who's not part of the major two parties. I would feel that my conscience would feel maybe a little bit cleaner had I gone that route."
Most of his congregation members are Republicans, and he is worried that a good portion of them appear to revere Trump more than they worship Jesus. "It seems like there are many evangelical Christians that are willing to die on the hill of supporting the Republican president, supporting Donald J. Trump," Gerber told The Guardian. "And to me, that hill is not worth dying on. No matter who the candidate is, no matter who the individual is. To put all your hope into that individual is a dangerous road. Scripture would warn us against that."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump's dalliances don't bother most "churchgoing people," Terri Burl, chair of the Howard County GOP, told The Guardian. "People always say, look at how he treats people, his affairs, how he cheated on his wife. People like me say, I'm not voting for him to be my pastor, my father, my role model. I'm voting for him to get some things done in Washington, D.C., that have never been done before. We forgive him because of other things."
Gerber said he is using his sermons to remind his congregation the importance of listening to each other and acceptance. "Ultimately, our allegiance is to God, not to a political party, not to a figure within that political party," he added. Read more at The Guardian.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?
Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
‘This isn’t just semantics’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Miami Freedom Tower’s MAGA library squeeze
THE EXPLAINER Plans to place Donald Trump’s presidential library next to an iconic symbol of Florida’s Cuban immigrant community has South Florida divided
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US