Although some evangelicals sided with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump when he suggested that all Muslims should be banned entry to the United States, others were appalled by his proposal.
Christian singer and songwriter Kirk Franklin belongs to the latter group. Franklin said the business magnate and his supporters in the evangelical community are causing the rest of the world to doubt the goodness of Christians.
"To every pastor that stood next to Donald Trump last week, I hope you now see why we're losing respect as Christians in the world...While you were so busy wanting 'camera time,' you didn't 'take time' to examine his character," Franklin tweeted on his personal account (@kirkfranklin). "Banning Muslims does not reflect our country, or our Christ."
Many of Franklin's fans agreed with him. One Twitter user named Carla Napolitano shared the Bible verse Romans 15:7. It says, "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God."
She added, "They are not true Christians. If they were, they would not lead with hate, but with love."
Another commenter named Desi Derata said, "The people who call themselves 'Christian' on Twitter are some of the meanest, most hateful people around. SAD."
Of course, there were also some who criticised Franklin for his remarks and defended Trump. "He [Trump] didn't ask anyone to go out there and kill but banning until vetted. (It) isn't a bad idea to me," one commenter said.
"This is bad, but it's not the reason Christianity is losing respect. Stop making excuses," another added.
