The words, cross the line are often used as an idiom, which English speaking folks use to refer to someone who has gone too far, and it’s been used in different contexts, vis-à-vis sports (for boundaries), relationships (for exclusivity), and politics (for abuse of power or privilege). Its use can be traced back to the Greek games, where lines were drawn for racing. If an athlete crossed the line prior to the beginning of the race, he was disqualified. Today, we discover its use in the military as enemy lines, which mustn’t be crossed without permission; there are property lines, which, if crossed, might draw legal action for harassment or privacy considerations; laws are lines, which, if crossed, could render fines, or imprisonment; and of course there are ethical lines, which politicians mustn’t cross, if they don’t wish the backlash from the public or censorship from their colleagues, which may lead to their impeachment.
Where’s the line you would draw in the proverbial sand, whereby you would admit Trump has gone too far? Have you ever considered doing that? For me it was the lies, and the murder on 5th Avenue thing in the 2016 campaign. His arrogance was too much. I didn’t plan to vote for Hilary, but I couldn’t permit myself to vote for Trump, and I’m a Republican. I don’t mean that a candidate must be a Christian, but I look for basic decency that everyone should expect of any leader. Can a liar be trusted? Can someone who imagines himself committing murder on 5th Avenue in New York and getting away with the crime, because of his popularity, be trusted to respect law and order? What’s wrong with us? Where’s the line?
At this point, I wish to examine one single matter about Donald Trump’s behavior, in which he has involved each of us as Americans, and ask the white Evangelical Christian community, if any of them believe Trump has crossed a line, which they might consider to be a step too far.
During the 2024 Presidential campaign, Donald Trump played up what he identified as migrant crime. In fact, he even tells us that he coined the phrase: migrant crime. If the term originates with Trump and isn’t represented in our laws as migrant crime, is illegal immigration anything more than a misdemeanor? After all, if illegal immigrants, heretofore, had been merely deported to their country of origin, without any other form of punishment, how serious could the offense be? Nevertheless, Trump decided this to be a major campaign issue, and most Evangelical Christians, who have been surveyed and asked about illegal immigration, respond favorably that it is, indeed, a problem and a crime.
On April 14, 2025 Trump met with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, and Trump’s policy of deporting illegal immigrants there to be imprisoned for the rest of their lives was discussed. Since he began his second term as President, Trump has been taking harsh action against migrants, knowing he is supported by the Evangelical Christian community. For example, he arrested and deported a group of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, against a court order, and without due process. The legality of such an action isn’t the issue in this post. The courts will decide that later. What I’d like Evangelical Christians to address is, where in the Bible does God ever allow or command anyone to be punished without due process (cp, Deuteronomy 19:15)? Punishing folks without due process is also unamerican, or had been, as well as against the will of God. Moreover, the prisons in El Salvador would be considered cruel and unusual punishment in America, which our Constitution forbids. Donald Trump has crossed this line. Is it also a step too far for white Evangelicals (Deuteronomy 27:19)?
These people have not been sentenced; they’ve not been convicted of a crime, and they are sent to a prison camp in El Salvador with no end date for their imprisonment, and Trump has admitted, he has no control over their fate, once they’ve been deported there. What should one call the sort of person, who would do this kind of thing, labeling an entire group of people—terrorists to be imprisoned without due process, suffering out of sight, out of mind, and without any end in sight. Sociopath is a psychiatric term used for folks who display a psychopathic personality, a person, whose behavior is antisocial and lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience! Doesn’t this describe Donald Trump and his immigration policy? We, as Christians, regardless of our tribal affiliations, are not sociopaths, so can we all agree that Trump’s behavior has crossed a line? Hasn’t he gone a step too far?
On April 6, 2025 CBS News program, “60 Minutes,” released information that the U.S. sent 238 migrants to El Salvador to be imprisoned. Documents indicate most have no apparent criminal records! If this is true, Trump sent innocent people, without due process, to a prison camp in El Salvador. Is this a step too far? Has Trump crossed a line that Evangelical Christians can all agree was wrong to do, and terminate their support of him (cp. Deuteronomy 27:19)?
When he met with the President of El Salvador, Trump suggested that he build more prisons, because our President was looking into how he might send American citizens that have committed certain crimes to El Salvador for internment. Would sending American citizens to concentration camps be a line, we can agree on, that if crossed it is a step too far? I would like to believe there is a line for the Evangelical community, after all, Trump isn’t God![1]
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[1] This post is based upon and my interpretation of Pat Kahnke’s YouTube video One Question Every Christian MUST Answer about Donald Trump.
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