In the past we have seen some more extreme Evangelical pastors and leaders blame catastrophic events as being god’s retribution for some societal change that most of the members of this community would see as a positive step, e.g. the civil rights movement or women’s liberation. We have even seen some recent attempts to describe the COVID-19 pandemic as being punishment for gay marriage or the overall movement for LGBTQ rights.
It may be time, however, for some of the more moderate Evangelicals to look in the mirror and ask themselves a question. Is COVID-19 God’s retribution against them for supporting a president that many of them know in their hearts is immoral? Among his many immoral acts would be extramarital affairs; fraudulent charities; self-dealing; and putting children into cages. Many of the most extreme Evangelicals forgive all this as part of some sort of paternalistic system in which the father always knows best and can do no wrong. But that system can break down when the father figure is shown to be a sham and not really in control after all.
It has been ages since I have had anything like a real dialog with someone who is Evangelical and/or a Trump supporter. If I were to have that conversation, however, I would wonder if they could see parallels between the biblical plagues in Egypt described in Exodus. Those plagues hit the Egyptian people, but they were directed at pharaoh. The people paid the price for the leader’s stubbornness. Or one might look to the example of King David where the people pay the price of a civil war for David’s sins.
By way of disclosure, I am not a believer, but I do accept that a great many believers, including many moderate Evangelicals, are sincere. If these are people who truly believe that god intercedes in human affairs because “he” (doubt that many of them are fans of the singular “they”) is displeased, then they really need to ask if it is not the fact that they have abandoned their principles to support Trump that is at the core of that displeasure.