Posted on 01/28/2018 7:05:57 AM PST by Kaslin
I was scheduled to be on CNN this week to debate another commentator about evangelicals and President Trump, but due to breaking news, the debate was cancelled. Had I been on the air, I planned to make this point: With all respect to our president, and with my appreciation for the good things he has done, he did not die for my sins, and I have not staked my soul’s salvation on his reputation. That distinction belongs to Jesus the Messiah, and to Jesus alone.
Why the need to state something that is so totally self-evident?
It’s because evangelicals are being judged on the character and accomplishments of our president rather than on the character and accomplishments of our Lord, hence the need to remind a watching world that there is only one Savior, and His name is not Trump.
Unfortunately, in large part due to the media’s anti-Trump frenzy, if you dared to vote for Trump, let alone speak a positive word of support on his behalf, you are considered complicit in his every failing, be it an adulterous affair in his past or an inappropriate tweet in the present. Wherever Trump is guilty (or perceived to be guilty), you are guilty. And if you dared endorse him, you have committed the unpardonable sin.
One of my ministry school grads was having a conversation with a stranger while they waited in line at an event. The conversation turned spiritual, and my former student began to share his faith. The stranger asked him, “Did you vote for Trump?” When he said yes, the man refused to talk anymore. Jesus was not the issue; Trump was.
A Christian woman told me that a close family member is no longer open to hear about Jesus because she voted for Trump. The conduct and character of this Christian woman no longer matter. The message of redemption through the cross does not matter. All that matters is that this family member perceives Trump to be a dangerous buffoon, and anyone who voted for him cannot be taken seriously.
May I suggest that, at least in part, this is a demonic attempt to turn people away from the Lord? May I suggest that our message has never been tethered to a politician? May I suggest that we fight against this aggressively, not by defending Trump but rather by asking more basic questions, such as: “If you were starving and I offered you free, healthy food, would you ask if I voted for Trump before you accepted it? If you were drowning and I reached out my hand to save you, would you choose to drown if you knew that I had voted for Trump?”
The point is that the gospel message states that people are perishing without Jesus, but through Him we can freely offer salvation. This is good news regardless of who we voted for. It saves the lost whether we who bring the message are Republicans or Democrats. We must proclaim this without fear and shame.
You might say, “But your analogies are not precise. Because you voted for Trump, we question your moral judgment, because of which we question your message.”
I’m quite aware of that objection, and that’s why I used the examples I did.
The issue here is one of eternal life and death, of salvation or damnation, which means it’s even more pressing than the issue of starving or drowning. If you are guilty in God’s sight and worthy of His judgment, and we have a message of eternal forgiveness and pardon, does it really matter who we voted for?
I agree that some evangelicals have so visibly hitched themselves to Trump and/or the Republican Party that we have compromised our integrity, as if political power was of greater importance to us than serving a lost and hurting world. We alone are to blame for this, and we alone can fix this. I do not minimize this for a moment.
At the same time, the very liberals who thrash us daily for our political affiliation as followers of Jesus had no problem with Christian support of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, despite their support of the slaughter of the unborn and despite their largely ignoring the Christians genocide in the Middle East. Why no shrill cries of hypocrisy? Why no protest marches in the streets? Why no one saying, “If you voted for Obama (or Hillary), I won’t listen to your gospel message?”
For me, the solution is simple. When asked how I voted, I’m happy to say, “I voted for Donald Trump, but I did so with hope mixed with reservation. That’s why, on some days I’m tremendously proud of him while on other days, I cringe. But given the choice of Hillary or Trump, I’m glad I voted for him. At the same time, I find no need to defend him when he falls short, nor am I presenting him as a model Christian. That’s also why I pray for him.”
If I’m dealing with an honest, thinking human being, I don’t see how it can be viewed as a hindrance to the gospel. That’s why I’m not going to accept my vote for Trump as a conversation ender. I’ll do my best to turn it into a conversation starter, one that quickly turns from our president to our Savior. He’s the only one I want to proclaim.
“Many of the great men of the bible were flawed men”—
That is certainly true. This week the Catholic Church celebrated the feast of the Conversion of St Paul. Now, if ever there was a flawed man, it was St Paul. Brilliant in all the laws of the Torah, willing to condemn anyone who preached the Christian gospel, never-the-less God chose him in a dramatic way. Literally by falling off his horse on the road to Damascus, Saul heard the voice asking “why are you persecuting me”. It took a traumatic event to get Saul’s attention.
If God can choose men like Paul and David to rise up and lead his people, why is too farfetched to think that maybe he is doing it again?
As an evangelical Christian myself, I didn’t give Donald Trump’s morality one second of consideration when I voted for him.
He believes in the things that I believe in, with regard to running a country, not preaching from a pulpit.
And more importantly, he wasn’t Hillary Clinton.
In fact, I firmly believe that God will hold Christians accountable, who sit back, refuse to vote, and allow evil to spread even further. And that’s exactly what would have happened, had Hillary Clinton been elected president. Evil, including the suppressing of religious liberty, would have been rampant.
Donald Trump, believes in preserving our religious liberties and has claimed himself to be a Christian.
And who am I or anyone else to judge whether or not he has received Christ as his Savior?
We can’t. Only God can judge a heart.
But I guarantee you one thing, Donald Trump hasn’t been any more immoral in his past life as many of those that we have already had in authority over us, even those who had done some good things for our country.
And I guarantee you another thing, Donald Trump hasn’t been any more sinful than those of us who call ourselves evangelical Christians, because Christians are simply forgiven sinners by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ.
So who are we to judge?
The author, Brown, is out of line. The title itself is garbage, in that it implies that Trump thinks he replaces Christ. If that was the author’s subtle intent, shame on him. And if he didn’t intend that, shame on him for choosing such a poor title.
Are you also judge a book by it's cover?
What's his next title for an article?
"My Wife Is Not a Buxom Blonde - but......."
“We elected a street fighter to help us take our country back.”
Yes, we did and I am proud to say I voted for him even though at one time I did not think there was any way I ever would. I used to think that the idea of Donald J. Trump running for president was a great example of absurdity, I am truly humbled and glad to be humbled. Trump is, as he said to us that he is, the last hope for this country to return to the values that made us great and he has proven to me that I can still learn, even at my age.
A stupid title for an inane article.
Like I said, I think the author is inSane.
Sorry. I was not clear in my response. You said:
“A Christian woman told me that a close family member is no longer open to hear about Jesus because she voted for Trump. The conduct and character of this Christian woman no longer matter. The message of redemption through the cross does not matter. All that matters is that this family member perceives Trump to be a dangerous buffoon, and anyone who voted for him cannot be taken seriously.”
The family member feels that Trump is so bad (and the corollary Hillery is good) that it transcends everything else. No matter what else, a person is bad because they voted for Trump. The convoluted thinking behind this is interesting, and a bit frighting. It reminds me of stories about Kristallnacht, (German: “Crystal Night”), the night of November 9–10, 1938, when Germans attacked Jewish persons and property, because of media propaganda portraying Jews as evil.
Christ is my Savior also, not Trump. I disagree with some of his actions and words, but I know many people that call themselves Christians that look down on me because of my support of Trump.
Also, I replied to you by mistake. I intended to reply to Kaslin. Sorry for the confusion.
I’m tired of hearing “I voted for Trump, but...”
Liberals don’t say, “I voted for Hillary/Obama/etc, but they really have some flaws.”
As usual you have invented a problem and come up with a fake solution.
He was the right man at the right time in our history, for sure.
I do not recall seeing this so ping........
Thanks for posting it.
LOL!
“I have to worry about the mental health of anyone who thinks he has to make an argument that DJT is not our spiritual salvation.”
Stuff like this comes from the Media Party and the Democrat Party talking points.
The author has bought into those talking points to the degree that he just has to use the same comparison the leftists do.
It’s totally unnecessary to do this kowtowing to the talking points of the Trump hating minority.
This kind of rant is designed to cement the leftist proclamations that people that like Trump see him as a god.
Heck, Obama acted like he was the messiah and the left had no problem with that.
Jimmy Carter is a Sunday School teacher and Baptist deacon. He's still one of the worst presidents.
Recognizing his excellence as a political leader invites comparisons to other political leaders. It does not require a comparison to Jesus. The writer has a very obvious ,otive, which is very far from logical or virtuous.
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