Franklin Graham: Donald Trump is one of the finest Christians I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

If this quote emanated from the Vatican or from the lips of any respected mainline Protestant minister, it would be shocking and disheartening.

But Graham is a white evangelical leader whose best friends and confidants are other white evangelical ministers, and we have become accustomed to evangelicals uttering outrageous and un-Christian statements.

Evangelicalism is synonymous with racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia and authoritarianism, and it should come as no surprise that Graham proclaims that the racist, corrupt, petty and immoral Trump is a fine Christian.

Graham and his ilk wouldn’t recognize a fine Christian if they traveled back in time and witnessed Jesus healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and speaking words of peace and comfort.

Trump is a steaming pile of dung, but to his credit he’s never claimed to be an evangelical Christian. At best he’s a nominal Christian who attends church only on Easter and Christmas, and who has a penchant for holding the Bible upside down.

But in spite of the fact that Trump doesn’t claim to be an evangelical, white evangelicals worship Trump as a messiah figure because he appointed pro-life judges and he shares their antipathy toward gays and lesbians, immigrants and racial and religious minorities.

God: Franklin Graham is one of the worst Christians I’ve ever had the misfortune of creating and a primary reason why Christian theologians have a devil of a time proving I’m omniscient and omnipotent.