Do evangelical Christians want to move the needle of government to the point where the cross and the flag are synonymous? The U.S. Constitution promises justice and democracy for all, which on paper looks like the way to go, except when the billionaires have more money and political power than the 99 percenters and the bottom third get the crumbs.

The fear of socialism — an economic system that has gained support due to the financial imbalance in our society — only fuels the falling apart of a balanced democracy. Theoretically, most of us want a balanced democracy, but we undermine it when we let free enterprise and “me first” run rampant and gut justice.

A lot of this problem must be laid at the feet of President Trump. By any measure, Trump doesn’t fit the evangelical mold: his bragging about groping women, his three marriages, his zero tolerance for immigrants, his embrace of voting support from white supremacists and neo-Nazis. He hates the press; they quote him too much. He knows how to manipulate the strings of his evangelical and white-supremacist puppet shows.

The Republican Party is turning its back on the Constitution by losing the concept of justice for all. Evangelicals are losing the biblical mandate to welcome the stranger. Political power is quashing justice, morality, civility and biblical servanthood. Democracy is taking a beating, and the pledge to the flag is drowning out loyalty to the cross.

Evan Oswald
Glendale, Ariz.