The Gospel of Matthew Trewhella: ProPublica feature

[NachosFlandersStyle]

Wisconsin pastor Matt Trewhella is pals with a bunch of our FJ regulars like the Mortons and Lisa Metzger. Did you know he's also pals with Mike Flynn, the National Sherriffs Association, and a boatload of local government officials? ProPublica has a great new report on how he went from too extreme even for the anti-abortion movement to the man of the moment in influential right-wing circles.

https://www.propublica.org/article/matthew-trewhella-pastor-activist-republican-politics

Trewhella has spent the last few years popularising the "doctrine of the lesser magistrates," a supposedly biblical justification for state and local officials to disregard laws they disagree with.

Spoiler

In recent years, Trewhella’s teachings have popped up in legislatures and local boards as the Christian right has increasingly influenced Republican politics. A Missouri state representative applied the doctrine when he proposed banning abortion in 2020, when Roe vs. Wade was still in effect. Commissioners in western North Carolina invoked it when they declared their county a “gun sanctuary” to protest state laws.

While he's gained broader acceptance, his rhetoric is as extreme as ever:

Spoiler

“When you see sodomy running rampant, when you see women in government, when you see men behaving like effeminate little squirrels, judgment is in the land,” Trewhella said during a 2020 sermon.

Meanwhile, as pastor of a Milwaukee-area church, he's busy making his 11 children and rapidly growing number of grandchildren into his own little militia.

Spoiler

Around the same time, Planned Parenthood recorded Trewhella urging churches to form militias and telling parents to teach their children to assemble weapons blindfolded: “This Christmas, I want you to do the most loving thing. I want you to buy your children an SKS rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition.”

 

[hoipolloi]

What an asshat - and how typical that heʻs now a True Christian™️ after being raised Catholic.

Not surprising that idiots like MO legislator Mike Moon hang with Trewhella:

Quote

A Missouri Republican state senator this week suggested that children as young as 12 should be able to get married as he pushes legislation that would ban gender-affirming care for minors. “Do you know any kids who have been married at age 12? I do. And guess what? They’re still married,” state Sen. Mike Moon, an Ash Grove Republican, said Tuesday evening in response to questioning by state Rep. Peter Merideth, a St. Louis Democrat.

 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

29 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

Not surprising that idiots like MO legislator Mike Moon hang with Trewhella:

 

I first became aware of Moon like 12 years ago when I was working in Jeff City and I thought he was a joke. Joke's on me I guess, now people like him are running the show in half the country.

[Bluebirdbluebell]

On 7/15/2024 at 2:52 PM, hoipolloi said:

What an asshat - and how typical that heʻs now a True Christian™️ after being raised Catholic.

There are a lot of other famous Christians converting to Catholicism and taking extreme views within the Church. The Catholic doesn't need him, although technically he's still Catholic in their eyes until ex-communication.