Christian leaders in Europe voice doubt on Trump

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Political analyst and pastor Stefan Swärd from Sweden, this week wrote his perceptions of Trump in a Dagen article. Swärd says it is dangerous to believe that Trump is "God's special instrument."

Swärd says that when you look closely at Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany in the 1930s, Trump can be comparable. He writes: Hitler got elected because many in his day desired articulate leaders who would take action.

"Just like Trump, Hitler had the ability and eloquence to capture the trust and support of the masses and was able to gain the trust of certain important groups at the same time. Many Christians sympathised with Hitler – they believed that he represented moral reinforcement in Germany."

And this "moral reinforcement" has become a problem, he continues. Swärd writes that the belief of Trump becoming "God's instrument" and his campaign events have created an "almost religious cult" as well as an international embarrassment for Christians.

"I do not deny that Trump has implemented certain decisions that many Christians appreciate, but Christian congregations and Christian leaders must not be associated with loyalty to a particular party or a particular political leader," he writes.

Swärd considers himself to be "morally conservative" and a "theologically conservative Christian." Yet, he writes that Trump is far from conservative. Rather, he is a "revolutionary" and "anarchist" who shows "low personal morality." Twenty-five years ago, American Christian conservatives would not even think to vote for such a candidate, he says.

Swärd also has suspicions about Trump's ally, Elon Musk, and his support for the German AfD (Alternative for Germany political party.  The AfD has been criticised for having Neo-Nazi sympathisers in the past.

"That the USA is now allying itself in the UN with fascist, totalitarian and mass-murdering Russia is another confirmation of the comparison," he says.

Trump, he adds, stands out from the many respectable Republican candidates from the past. It is unimaginable to think that such a candidate would talk about taking over Greenland using military force or having Canada become the 51st state. His closing of the commentary:

"Or calling the leader of a war-torn country a dictator and demanding elections in the midst of a raging war? And lying about Zelensky's public support and claiming it is 4 per cent when it is actually 57 per cent? That is not the behaviour of a democrat but of a powerful person with fascist tendencies."   

Päivi Räsänen

The Christian Democratic Member of Parliament in Finland, Päivi Räsänen, defended JD Vance's speech at the security conference in Munich on February 14th. In this speech, the US Vice President stated that the threat to Europe's security came "from within." One of the main threats he mentioned was the limitation on freedom of expression in the name of non-discrimination.

For Räsänen, this seemed a sensitive issue. On that same day, she wrote in Finnish on X: "J. D. Vance is right. "Europe has to turn back to its basics and fundamental values."

JD Vance on oikeassa. Taitaa pakka olla sekaisin täällä. Euroopassa pitäisi palata perusasioihin ja -arvoihin. #turvallisuus #sananvapaus #demokratia

— Päivi Räsänen (@PaiviRasanen) February 14, 2025

The freedom of expression is essential for Räsänen personally. She was prosecuted because of quoting Biblical texts about homosexuality in 2019. She has been acquitted on all charges of hate speech by two courts in Finland, but the state has asked for an appeal at the Supreme Court. She is still waiting for that. 

Therefore, Räsänen did not stop with her tweets on the 14th. The next day, she wrote a thread of nine tweets in Finnish defending the same speech by Vance. In that, she asked why nobody from the "political elite" in Europe protested against the violations of freedom of expression, "even ridiculous," in the name of woke ideology and Christian allergy.

She also referred to the fines for prayers in the neighbourhood of abortion clinics in Britain. Did you hear the "mainstream media" about this? And the European Union puts social media under pressure to censor some "wrong opinions," she wrote.

In both languages, she concluded by saying: "It took a vice president @JDVance from across the ocean to warn of developments. Are eyes finally opening in Europe?" The Finnish version of this post was even re-tweeted 106 times.

It took a vice president @JDVance from across the ocean to warn of developments. Are eyes finally opening in Europe?

— Päivi Räsänen (@PaiviRasanen) February 15, 2025

Evangelical Alliance

In an interview with Evangelical Focus, co-chairman Jan Wessels of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) says that it is "very unfortunate that a path has been chosen by some to exclude Ukraine and Europe from peace talks".

Wessels adds that his organisation is still in touch with Russian evangelicals. There are also contacts in Ukraine but no official Evangelical Alliance. On a European level, the Evangelical Alliance represents 23 million evangelical Christians in Europe.

He observes that the geopolitical developments create insecurity and concern among alliance members. "But there are different opinions within the family of the European Evangelical Alliance. It is not always easy to navigate these positions."

Norway

In Norway, some Christian leaders are sceptical of Trump's leadership. Chief editor Vebjørn Selbekk of the newspaper Dagen went as far as to say that many Christians are "drinking from his poison package."

Selbekk is also surprised that many conservative Christians have taken him "bait, hook, and sinker and encourages Trump supporters to "turn around before it's too late."

Selbekk is also concerned about Trump's Christianity, as he is "unsure" if he reads from his campaign Bible, which he sells on his website. There's also a "story" of him putting down money instead of taking a wafer during a communion service.

"It's a bit comical, but it shows that he's not exactly that well-versed in religion," he says to VG.

Some once believed in Trump, but not anymore. Bjarte Ystebø, who leads the Christian-conservative Oslo Symposium, now classifies himself as a "worried sceptic."

He supported Trump in the past, but the US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021 began to change his perception of the US president. Trump, he says, berates leaders who are seen as weak, such as "Zelensky." Yet, Trump "respects" other authorities, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He added that Christians supported Putin some time ago because he stood for family and Christian values. Now, he is concerned that Christians are putting their faith in other charismatic leaders such as Trump:

"When Christians and others unthinkingly place their trust in a leader like Trump, they risk overlooking the deeper values and nuanced realities needed to make wise choices," he says in a Dagen report.

The other Christian newspaper, Vårt Land, came out with an editorial, praising Selbekk and Ystebø for their stance.

Catholic bishops

The Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of the European Union (COMECE) is worried about the "unpredictability of some members of the international community", a remarkable statement says.

The text also warns against "a disgraceful spectacle" in which Ukraine is seen as the aggressor instead of a victim.  The clergy do not condemn particular leaders specifically. But the context of the statement issued on March 4th is clearly the White House event between Presidents Trump and Zelensky and Vice President Vance.

Last week, the president, bishop Mgr. Mariano Crociata gave an interview to mark the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the interview, the President of COMECE took a strong position against weakening support for Ukraine.

In the statement, the bishops emphasise that Ukraine struggles rightly for its territorial integrity. "Its outcome will also be decisive for the fate of the entire European continent and of a free and democratic world," COMECE says. The Catholic leaders call on the European Union to remain united in supporting Ukraine.

COMECE emphasises that Ukraine is the victim in this war and Russia the aggressor, stressing that any attempts to distort the reality of this aggression must be firmly rejected.

The EU bishops even call on the EU "to advance with the enlargement process" with Ukraine and other countries.

The statement concludes by expressing hope that the European Union "will remain faithful to its vocation to be a promise of peace and an anchor of stability to its neighbourhood and to the world," particularly when the contours of a new global security architecture are being redrawn.