We've turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference--I understand the mentality--but it's gotten us nothing. OK? It's gotten us nothing while we've ceded ground in every major institution in our country."--Donald Trump, Jr.
And there, wrapped up in one single quote, in context, is the theology of Trumpism. Following Jesus will get you nothing.
I'm not really sure exactly where to start on that. First of all, I would say that the statement makes it very clear that Don Jr. does not "understand the mentality." Nor does he have even the beginning of an understanding of the gospel message of Jesus Christ which is the core of the Christian faith. He's pushing an agenda that offers a few benefits for Christians, mainly a modified pro-life position and a white supremacist worldview, in exchange for Evangelical support. But to get on board, Evangelicals have to abandon the "weak" points of their doctrine, like turning the other cheek, a principle Jesus laid out in his theological discourse known as the "Sermon on the Mount." That, along with the principle of "loving your enemies" are testimonies to the sincerity of following Christ. But in the Trumpian mentality being expressed by Don Junior here, they are hindrances to the political right "getting somewhere in the world." The mentality that he understands is an "us vs. them", divisiveness which is non-Christian in the essence of its content. He's asking, in exchange for a place at the Trumpism table, Christians to give up some of the core doctrines of the faith. That's heresy at best, anti-Christian at its worst.
And many Christians are following Trumpism and changing their interpretation and understanding of the gospel message.
According to Trump himself, people who exhibit grace and mercy, meekness and who seek the good of others ahead of their own ambitions are "suckers." He says that frequently at rallies, it's in his book, and he's either completely unaware that those character traits and actions are Christian, which is understandable given that he is not Christian and has no working knowledge of what it means to be Christian, or he has advisors who are afraid to tell him. When he's been asked about God and faith, he clams up, says he has his own view of God and claims that he's done nothing requiring him to ask for forgiveness and that has nothing to do with what he believes about God. When Christians look past that, to still find some way to support him, they are deceiving themselves and believing a lie.
As this particular piece points out, Junior put forth a divisive, anti-Christian worldview and sets up a vision of a divided America, claiming that the left is taking everything that the right feels entitled to have away from them and that the only way to get it back is a Machiavellian approach of "whatever it takes, whether it goes by the rules or not," while biblically grounded Christian theology and doctrine, get in the way of achieving the goal. That is exactly what he said, in so many words. He is suggesting, without understanding the "mentality" at all, that Christians abandon the teachings of Christ in order to win a place in "every major institution" in our country.
I won't beat around the bush. That's antichrist, by the biblical definition found in I John 4:1-3. It's heresy. Not only does it deny "turning the other cheek," the whole perspective expressed by Junior's speech also goes against Christ's teaching to "love your enemies." And given the source, it is not surprising.
Christian church leaders are aware of this. Their response has largely been to ignore it and not ever talk about it, deny it and blame it on the "liberal media," or flat out lie about it. Not all of them, of course, have been duped or deceived but getting 82% of the votes of self-identified white Evangelical voters is a significant deception. I believe it is the Apostle Paul who states that even Satan can masquerade as an angel of light. He also warned Christians in the church at Colossae about the philosophy and empty deceit of the elemental spirits of this world. And he warned against the infiltration of the church by worldly philosophy and influence, which would cause apostasy. And here, in twenty-first century America, that's exactly what we are seeing.
The Book of Jude
One of the shortest "books" in the Bible is an obscure epistle, or letter, written by Jude, who identifies himself as the brother of James, but who is believed to be the half-brother of Jesus, and who was one of the Apostles of the early Christian church. He wrote this short epistle to Christians, warning about infiltrators who had slipped into the church, perverting the message of the gospel for their own benefit, and denying the gospel of Jesus and the message of salvation by grace through faith in him.
This short, obscure book, just prior to Revelation, addresses exactly what has happened to some Christian churches and denominations in the United States today, characterized by the very words of Don Junior to a gathering of youth and young adults. He has attacked, and denied, one of the specific principles taught by Jesus by which Christians practice their faith and claims that following Christ will "get you nothing." He couldn't have made himself any clearer than that.
For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude v. 4
The Apostle likens these "intruders" to the unbelievers among the Hebrews who rebelled against being led out of Egyptian captivity, and to Sodom and Gomorrah, indulging in immorality and pursuing their own lusts up to the point of judgment. And there are some parallels to Trumpism in those words as well.
Yet in the same way, these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones...But these people slander whatever they do not understand and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct. Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain and perish in Korah's rebellion. Jude v. 8, I0, II
There are two Old Testament examples included as references for Jude's readers, who were most likely Jewish Christians. Balaam's error was the use of sexual immorality and food sacrificed to idols in order to subvert the will of God for the people of Israel. Korah's rebellion was a group of Israelites who, once out in the desert as they were escaping Egyptian slavery, decided that going back to slavery was better than dying in the desert and rebelled against Moses' leadership. They are examples of people who infiltrated the nation of Israel with the intention of getting people to commit to and support a cause that went against leaders who were under God's authority. And those ancient examples are excellent illustrations of what is happening to many Christian churches and groups being influenced by Trumpism and the MAGA movement.
These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage. Jude v. 16
(The boldfaced emphasis in these scripture quotations are mine.)
Wake Up and Strengthen What Remains
Wake up and strengthen what remains and is at the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember then what you received and heard: obey it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come to you. Revelation 3:2-3
This is not a prophecy, but it is a prophetic warning. It is very clear that a segment of the Evangelical church has been infiltrated by evil people who are attempting to subvert its gospel message and its mission and purpose for their own political gain. They are characterized by everything I have cited in these scripture verses here. They are divisive, and are using temptations of money and the desire for worldly power as the means of enticing people and infiltrating the church. This alone is antithetical to the gospel of Christ.
They flaunt their immorality. Who, among those who consistently push Trumpism, including Trump himself, his older sons, and his sycophants are not deeply involved in deception and lying, and engaged in an openly corrupt and immoral lifestyle, including adultery and sexual immorality? There is no expressed belief in God, no knowledge of Christian theology or doctrine and no connection to any Christian church. How is it that these people have gained standing and are now deceiving and perverting churches and denominations for their own political purposes?
And how is it that leaders among Evangelical Christians have failed to acknowledge these obvious intruders, called them out, protected their churches from their philosophical, intellectual and spiritual harm and have given them a platform to preach their divisive, destructive politics and to use the church's influence to support them? Could it be that many of them, in this age of mega-churches, big money and powerful influence, have been deceived themselves, or worse, are themselves focused on protecting the power and wealth they have acquired from the church? I think that has much more to do with allowing the anti-Christian message of Trumpism to sneak in than the debate over abortion rights. Trump only cares about that because it gets him votes. And they are using that as an excuse to get past his immorality and his denial of Christ and his teaching.
And could it be that what we are now seeing transpire among American Evangelicals is the beginning of the "angel coming like a thief"? Sex abuse scandals are running rampant in Evangelical churches, among pastors and church leaders. Look at the list of megachurches and denominations where pastors and leaders have had to step down because of an immoral, marriage-violating relationship. It is an epidemic, as bad as anything that happened in the Catholic church, and it provides evidence of the deception that is occurring in the churches. Evangelistic activity is at an all-time low, membership is rapidly declining, downsizing is a common activity in megachurches, and in denominations and there are high profile lawsuits and legal battles over leadership positions.
This is not prophecy, in that it is not specific to the present infiltration and subversion of some segments of the Christian church by Trumpism. But these words are prophetic in that they are an accurate description of what is happening and they are an example which explains and characterizes what has been happening in some segments of American Christianity. Christ did not establish the church to be used by the state as a means of holding power, or by politicians as an arm or branch of a political party. Don Jr.'s words claiming that a core teaching of Jesus "gets us nothing" are antichristian. There are many who have been deceived by this antichrist and who are blinded by their own prejudices and biases, and by their own ambitions.
Wake up and repent. You've been warned.
No comments:
Post a Comment