Why Are Republicans Leaving Conservative Ukrainians?

Anyone who knows Ukraine knows that Ukrainians are a pretty conservative bunch by and large. Home and family are primary as is a Judeo-Christian based society dating back to St. Andrew in the 1st Century, where lore has it he preached the gospel from the banks of the Dnieper River. Almost a millennium later in 988 AD Prince Volodymyr baptized his entire Kievan Rus empire two centuries before Moscow was a speck on a map.

​So why do Christian Nationalists in the Republican Party treat Ukrainians so non-Christianly? Ukraine is largely populated by folks they would likely have a great affinity with if they knew them a little better. We have so much in common as I have tried to document in my two films since the full-scale invasion we are remembering on February 24th.

This includes the innate desire to raise their kids just like we do, with nice homes, schools, soccer fields, freedom - and peace. Moms in both countries also share an incessant fear that their children might not make it home from school in the afternoon. In Ukraine the fear is of missile/drone attacks. In the USA it’s the threat of a school shooting.

Christian Nationalists have adopted Donald Trump as their political standard bearer and have imbued him with a kind of zeal for one that is heaven sent. Like a modern-day King David they simply see an imperfect figure whose crimes are akin to David sending Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to the front lines in a battle with the Ammonites. This conveniently allows them to avoid having to noodle too hard on the well documented sexual deviancy of their candidate. Or explain it to their congregations.

Unfortunately for Ukrainians – and those concerned with the security of the free world - these same Christian Nationalists in the House of Representatives are calling the shots on Ukraine aid.

This group reads like a who’s who of those opposing Ukraine, Israel, and other foreign aid. It includes Lauren Boebert, Mo Brooks, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Louis Gohmert, the list goes on with more than half the House Republican caucus according to a 2023 report by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution. Talk about the tail wagging the proverbial tail. Only 1 in 10 Americans identify themselves with this Theo-political moniker – and yet these self-identified Christian Nationalists are the ones holding things up. Trump controls these votes, including Mike Johnson’s. This is an autocratic theocracy evolving before our eyes. Our country is losing its separation of church and state without much notice or outcry.

Putin is seen by many Christian Nationalists as worthy of their praise because of his cynical support of the Russian Orthodox Church. But then, so did Stalin once the Russian Church had its independent voice squashed and became a tool for Russian communists. It’s voice is still silent, hence the immergence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Trump sees it in his best interests to oppose Ukraine funding though it is not clear why. Ukraine has always been at the heart of his political “black box”. Going back to his first presidential campaign with the hiring of Paul Manafort, the Hunter Biden/Burisma accusations, the Mueller Report findings, his first impeachment, the list goes on.

It seems apparent that these politically motivated Christian Nationalists are veering towards a time when their churches might also lose their independent voice. It’s already happened to a large degree. Trump and the Christian Nationalists in the image of Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church? It boils down to irreligious autocrats blessed by subservient and opportunistic church leaders.

Go figure. David loved God. He wrote Psalms, fought battles, repented, and prayed for forgiveness. Can you imagine our former president doing any of these things?