This moment has been a long time coming.

On Saturday, October 8, 2016, Evangelicals arrived at a crossroads. How did Evangelicals arrive here?

• They put their hope in the political process.
• They believed the Supreme Court controlled the culture.
• They wedded themselves to a political party that took them for granted.
• They developed a psychological connection to the Republicans.
• Once that connection was formed, the GOP delivered as little as possible and rode Evangelical support to power for a generation.
• In the process, Evangelicals confused the Kingdom of God with the Kingdom of Man. In doing so, they baptized their own founding and fused Americanism into their religious beliefs.
• They lost perspective on the role of government and assigned it powers only God can wield. Every election became a turning point, a showdown, an apocalyptic event.
• They divided themselves and their churches based on politics as much as doctrine.
• They began to view political opponents as enemies and forgot to love them in the process.
• They presented themselves to the world as a political movement as much or more as the Body of Christ. The world noticed.

All of these things, and more, culminated in, for many evangelicals, a full-throated defense of Donald Trump. Some notable evangelicals not only said they would vote for Trump, but tirelessly encouraged others to do the same. As of this moment, too many Evangelical leaders, even when confronted with his most recent crudity, have maintained their support.

What evangelicals have too often failed to grasp is that the world has its eyes on them. The world measures our words, our beliefs, and our political actions. When they don’t add up, we undermine our witness and stain Christ as the world sees him through us.

Donald Trump provides us, as evangelicals, with a choice. We can continue down this path and inextricably tie ourselves to a failed political candidate and a party in shambles, or we can begin to make amends. We can seek to live the lives we are called to live. As of this moment, our callings and our politics are in conflict. The world is watching.