Montana pastor blasts Trump, conservative evangelicals; calls Hegseth white nationalist war criminal

Pastor Baldwin asserts that the Republican party, and specifically Donald Trump, have 'co-opted' predominantly white evangelical churches. This alliance alienates a vast number of people globally from Christianity due to its rhetoric, which is often pro-war, pro-genocide, and aligned with Christian nationalism, driving people away from the gospel.

The Republican party in particular and Donald Trump specifically have co-opted the mostly white evangelical churches of our country... They are alienating a huge number of people not only in America but around the world against Christianity. They're not drawing people to Christ with this rhetoric pro-war, pro-genocide, pro Christian nationalism and all that nonsense.

The guest argues that conservative evangelicals have politicized their faith, making their belief system dependent on their politics and using it to judge others. He contends that this leads to a misunderstanding of the New Covenant, causing Christians to live under an Old Testament framework of division rather than the New Testament's message of unity in Christ, regardless of race, nationality, or politics.

The politicization of religion... their faith system is dependent upon their politics and therefore they judge everyone else's faith by their politics... They are literally living in the Old Testament where there was this division between God's people... they are interpreting the New Testament by the Old Testament. That's wrong. We need to be interpreting the Old Testament by the New Testament. The New Covenant fulfilled and abolished the Old Covenant.

Baldwin identifies Christian Zionism, rooted in 'Scofieldism' (premillennial dispensationalism), as a core reason for evangelical support for Israel. He states that 80% of evangelical Christians believe their understanding of end-times prophecy (eschatology) depends on the modern state of Israel, equating its leaders to biblical figures and seeing Israel as the 'lynchpin' of Christ's second coming. This, he argues, has warped their entire prophetic worldview.

Their perverted doctrine of eschatology has allowed Zionist Israel to control the theology, especially eschatology in white evangelical churches... Their understanding of prophecy, eschatology, depends on the modern state of Israel. They believe that Zionist Israel, founded in 1948, is a resurrected Old Testament Israel. They equate Benjamin Netanyahu to a resurrected King David.

The host and guest highlight the hypocrisy of conservative evangelicals who, despite invoking Jesus' teachings on the poor, oppose policies that would tax the wealthy more fairly. They are 'fine' with billionaires using legal loopholes to avoid taxes while condemning social programs, demonstrating a preference for 'personal pocketbook over their Bible' and aligning with the 'Epstein class' of super-wealthy individuals.

They chose their personal pocketbook over their Bible... They have no problem whatsoever with giving the Epstein class billionaires a total exemption from taxes... And whenever you make that observation known to these same white evangelicals, they're fine with that.

Pastor Baldwin recounts his personal 'wakeup calls' that led him to critically re-evaluate his political alignments. The first was in 1996 when he reluctantly endorsed Bob Dole for the Republican nomination, feeling physically ill afterward. The second, and more significant, was in 2003 when he opposed George W. Bush's decision to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, deeming it 'unconstitutional, unjustly, illegally, immorally.' These events solidified his commitment to objective moral and constitutional views over party loyalty.

The mini wakeup call was when the Republican party was nominating Bob Dole... I relented and I endorsed him... and then I went out to my car in the parking lot of the airport and threw up. And I was I felt so sick and I I vowed I'd never do that again... The thing that put me over the edge was in the George W. Bush administration in 2003 when he decided to take America to war and send American troops unconstitutionally, unjustly, illegally, immorally to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Baldwin strongly condemns Pete Hegseth, labeling him a 'war criminal' and 'heretic.' He argues that Hegseth distorts Christianity into a doctrine of hate, war, and division, which is fundamentally opposed to Jesus' teachings and the New Testament's message of unity in the body of Christ. This ideology, Baldwin states, leads to the justification of violence against fellow Christians and dehumanization of other peoples.

Peter Hexth is not only a war criminal. And I mean that literally, not figuratively... he's a heretic. He has taken Christianity and turned it into a doctrine of hate and a doctrine of war and a doctrine of division. He is a white nationalist... Hate, war, and division. And that's all those three are the total polar opposite of Christianity.

Reflecting on his time in the Moral Majority, Baldwin reveals that for many leaders, the ultimate goal was not national good but 'a seat at the table' of power. This pursuit of influence and the associated 'perks beyond belief' often supersedes genuine dialogue or adherence to spiritual principles, leading to a lack of interest in honest discussion and a focus on self-enrichment.

I remember one of the questions that was asked... 'can you tell me succinctly in just one statement what it is that you really want?'... All we want is a seat at the table... it wasn't about what was good for the country. It was they wanted a seat at the power table. And when you're sitting at the king's table, Roland, believe me, I saw it. There are perks beyond belief.