As the scion of a large Irish Catholic clan and the son of a man who converted to Evangelical Christianity, I can truthfully say I’m pretty well versed in both belief systems. As a gay man who agonizes over theological oppression, I stayed immersed in the writings and traditions of Christianity even after I stopped identifying as a Christian.

One thing I know for sure about Jesus’s teachings is that they were radical for expanding the definition of brother and neighbor from one’s intimates to the world at large.

Why did Jesus so enrage Jewish leaders? One reason is that he insisted the Samaritans (religiously and ethnically reviled by the Jews of the day) were as worthy of love and compassion, of being called neighbor, as anyone.

Jesus’s radical teachings about Samaritans are directly analogous to and applicable to the dreaded “immigrants” Trump and his Evangelical supporters are so anxious to harm and other.

Jesus could not have been a racist even if race had been invented while he lived. He could not have countenanced treating people from other places as “less than” or other.

His explicit teachings and commands stand diametrically opposed to such things. It’s hard to understand how Evangelicals, who say they love Jesus the lover of the hated Samaritans, can abide Trump and his anti-immigrant, racist populism.

Not too long ago, I saw the same data you’re referring to about Evangelical ranks increasing with Trump supporter converts, and I shook my head in confusion and more than a little despair.

How are the teachings of a man who stood for radical love and acceptance (who would inarguably have been an anti-racist if he were alive today) being twisted like this?