Evangelical leaders condemn Capitol protest violence: 'Dangerous for our republic'

By Samuel Smith, Deputy Managing Editor Wednesday, January 06, 2021

President Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they push barricades to storm the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. Demonstrators breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. | ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

Conservative evangelical supporters of President Donald Trump have condemned the violence that broke out at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, describing it as “dangerous for our republic” and un-American.

Protesters breached the Capitol building and forced an evacuation on the day in which the electoral voters were to be counted by lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence which would have likely led to the solidification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of thousands of supporters, including some evangelical supporters of the president, rallied at the “Save America March” in which Trump spoke and continued to push claims that targeted voter fraud impacted the election outcome despite all 50 states having certified their results.

In the afternoon as Trump was speaking at the Ellipse, hundreds of fringe Trump supporters broke past barricades lining the U.S. Capitol, with some protesters clashing with police. Inside the Capitol, police reportedly engaged in standoffs with protesters as both the House and Senate doors were locked. One person was reportedly shot while some officers were reportedly injured.

The violence led Mayor Muriel Bowser to issue a 12-hour curfew beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Thursday.

While one of Trump’s largest blocks of support comes from his conservative evangelical base, many notable evangelical leaders who have engaged informally over the years with the Trump White House took to social media to voice their displeasure with the violence that occurred in the nation’s capital.

In the following pages are seven evangelical leaders who have condemned Wednesday’s violence in Washington, D.C.