Many Americans are baffled by MAGA evangelicals’ affiliation and spirited defense of the fascist Trump Administration. They have a tough time understanding how a movement that claims to follow the teachings of the peaceful, empathetic, and loving Jesus Christ can submit to a sociopath who is the antithesis of the founder of their faith.

I am not.

 Trump’s authoritarian and autocratic regime is tailor-made to appeal to the evangelical mindset. Evangelicals gravitate to megachurches ruled by authoritarian leaders who answer to nobody and have a penchant for making bombastic statements. Donald Trump is the epitome of a dictatorial leader who makes outlandish statements and answers to nobody not even the Constitution, naturally evangelicals worship him as their messiah.

Evangelicals are complicit with Trump is the dismantling of our democracy, they praise God for every anti-democracy statement or action by Trump and his cabal of sycophants. They are on a crusade to destroy democracy, while claiming that they are patriotic and freedom loving.

MAGA evangelicals fail to understand that democracy is an ongoing effort to build a more perfect union, not a finished product. In a healthy democracy, compromise and debate are essential values. Evangelical culture often emphasizes conformity, groupthink, and unquestioning loyalty to leaders, especially those who claim to speak for God.

Trump opposes democracy, and so do his evangelical supporters; we are in an existential struggle against them.