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Reluctant Trump Christians, Where Is Your Confounding Love?
Consider this an exhortation. I hear things from Trump-ump David French (“calling balls and strikes,” but never tallying RBIs) and read articles from Christians anguished over the President’s ugly, New York Americanism, and I have trouble finding the Spirit in it. Rather than digging a channel to God’s ocean of mercy, it seems some Christians are trying to dispense it with a teaspoon. It’s all so pinched and joyless and, well, unfamiliar to me as “Christian.”
Donald Trump is a sinner. Christians should not be surprised by this. What is astonishing is the good he’s done and is continuing to do, which must, by necessity, originate with God, who is the source of all goodness. “Oh, but he’s not really Christian, he just mouths the right words about the preciousness of all human life as made in the image and likeness of God,” some say. The subtext of this criticism is he’s hopelessly irredeemable no matter what he says or does! Is that Christian love? Is it even recognizable as faith in God’s ability to work in and through Donald Trump’s life?
A reading from morning prayers from the book of James:
Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?
And from Romans:
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
“Yes, but affiliating with Donald Trump gives Christians and Christianity a bad reputation.” With whom? Are you really concerned about ingratiating yourself with the worshipers of Moloch?
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
In case you haven’t noticed, apologizing and making excuses to the Left is just chumming the water. Donald Trump gets this. Never apologize. You should not attempt to reconcile with evil or evil ideologies.
“But his tweets are embarrassingly juvenile and crass.” Maybe my response isn’t so much about my Christian faith and is more about my family genetics. My family of origin has ornery in its DNA. We like sassy and get a lot of laughs out of each other’s antics. I like to think of us as little lambs frolicking in the Lord’s pasture, and get the feeling He gets a good laugh, too.
It’s not that I don’t believe we’re all called to holiness, it’s just that these are minor infractions against the calling and I do believe we’ll all get there by the grace of God — eventually. And “holiness” doesn’t mean boring. Even Saint Augustine prayed, “Lord, make me holy, but not yet.” Father Michael Gaitley likes to say, “Make me a saint, but be gentle.” Our Good Shepherd is gentleness personified. Mercy Himself. We should strive to be imitators of Him.
And finally, “But Donald Trump once said he doesn’t need God’s forgiveness, even though he’s been an adulterer, a fornicator, a liar . . .” Were you born knowing you need a Savior? When did you figure it out? Have you never failed to ask for forgiveness when you should have? Have you come to know God better than you did 20 years ago? Why would all these things not also be true of Donald Trump? Whose timetable is he on anyway? Yours or God’s?
Frankly, I see a lot of ego and pride sneaking into the Christian angst over Donald Trump. And we all know where that leads. Will you be a joyful, loving, merciful disciple of Christ? Or a joyless scold, attracting no one to the faith? God gives us free will to choose.
Published in General
Hey, I am, too!
Perhaps Jean is from a solid red state or a solid blue state. If so, she will only count when the Dems get rid of the electoral college.
I am from a solid red state and will cast my vote against the slavers.
Let’s not get carried away here.
(Oh, stop it. You had to know that was coming.)
Me, not so much. But I do vote for Trump.
No, I’m sorry Drew. But you and I are obviously horrible people. And un-American, too.
https://thefederalist.com/2020/02/18/i-didnt-vote-for-trump-in-2016-heres-why-i-hope-he-gets-four-more-years/
Well said. I agree with you entirely. That’s why I think it’s counterproductive to label as “traitors” people who don’t think exactly as you do, though they are otherwise on your side. Not to mention that it’s what the Left does…adopting the tactics of the Left is not going to persuade many people.
Maybe David French should hire Drew and me as ghost writers. We’re better at convincing people not to vote for Trump than he is!
Mr. French is actively using his platform against Team Red. The result if successful would be to put the slaver party in power
Don’t think exactly as I do ? Wow. That is charitable.
There is lots of evidence to support those that think his scheme is Traitorous.
Let’s replace Trump with Bush Jr. and the year is Feb 2000. Mr. French is behaving in the same way against Bush only the details are different.
Would you be as charitable to Mr French ?
If he did, then his next column would read “I am retiring from punditry effective immediately.”
Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t, but either way, who you are is no reason to vote for a socialist.
This being a key point, emphasis mine:
Irony: the principled party never changes it when they get in power, instead they find a way to conserve it.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. :-/
Jean’s not going to vote for a socialist. She’s just not going to vote for Trump because she finds his supporters deplorable. Where have we heard that before?
To speak the truth? To hold true to your own standards by which you criticized the Democrats? To clarify for mostly well-meaning but confused people who think you can’t defend someone of a ridiculous charge of Nazism without thinking he’s Jesus?
Don’t misunderstand me: I’m choosing not to engage in the drama. I’m simply saying that choosing to vote for a socialist because you don’t like someone who is a Trump supporter, well that’s just silly.
“Yes Mr. SS officer, I’m hiding Jews in the attic.”
Not all truths need be spoken, especially if the hearers (the Left) have nefarious aims in mind. Clever as a serpent, gentle as a dove.
Shall we value publicly “holding to principles” over dying to self? If people’s lives are made better by having Donald Trump as president (and they are — read Selena Zito), who are we to hold our publicly pronounced principles above that? This appears prideful to me. Just sayin’.
I get you. I was just yankin’ your chain a little. I, too, would like to opt out of the drama, but it’s my post. :-(
Well I know it.
I don’t understand why some character flaws on the part of the President call for an exception to the general rule that truths are worth speaking. (It’s not like I don’t believe in calling out the Democrats for being anti-Muslim, banning health insurance, and pro-poverty economics.)
Certainly not!
Why even ask that?
Oh, you think critiquing Trump helps him lose an election?
Yeah, ok. That makes some sense.
I’m not convinced. But it makes some sense!
If it’s a question of balance or time spent on different kinds of criticism, I can agree. I think it’s safe to say that French et al are making a mistake if they spend a lot more time critiquing Trump and his supporters than critiquing the Left.
I like Shapiro’s approach. He’ll beat up Trump a little, and beat up the Left soooo much, as they richly deserve.
You don’t think President Trump’s character flaws are being called out? Repeatedly? Relentlessly? Why do people ostensibly on our side feel the need to add their voices to the cacophony? What do they hope to achieve, if not the overturning of the last election or the sabotaging of the next one? Because it’s so important that everyone knows of their disdain for the man?
That’s what David French is advocating!! Not electing Donald Trump because his character is causing damage to Christians’ witness. It’s the burn down the village to save it strategy. Coming from people who’ve been utterly wrong about the catastrophic Trump presidency, pardon me if I demur.
I don’t understand your objection here. I don’t know what they’re thinking.
But hey–Trump’s a bit of a jerk. There, I said that. I said it because it was true, whether or not it adds to a cacophany.
In interests of speaking more truths and also giving a more complete descriptions of politics, I add: The Democrats tend to be jerks with bad policies, and Trump’s judges are great.
Ok, so the mistake is advocating the wrong result in an election? Yes, that is deeply mistaken.
But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t criticize a jerk president for being a jerk.
Jesus didn’t say “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, but only if he’s without blame.” Which is a good thing, because Tiberius was no Boy Scout. I would like to hear Mr. French’s reasoning that I shouldn’t do all I legally can to deny power to baby-murdering gun-grabbers.
But what’s the point? We all know that Trump is often a jerk.
French et al are of the view that we do not all know that Trump is often a jerk–that many think Trump can do no wrong.
But why criticize any sin?
I guess to speak the truth, to urge the sinner to repentance, to warn others, and maybe some other reasons.
Good luck, Saint. Me, I have a husband who is in the end stages of congestive heart failure, and I found out today that I have breast cancer. I have more important things to worry about than the new Messiah on the Right. Bye folks.
Well, I guess to help an election swing in the best possible direction–that’s another reason.
And that reason does not apply here!
Oh dear. You mind if I report this on Divine Help and the PIT?
Report it yourself if you like!
You know, it’s funny you say that. It had just occurred to me that even though my gripe with French – such as it since I’m relatively neutral on the guy – is that he’s become annoying in this regard, the real issue is that, if he believes so sincerely in this cause, why hasn’t he recognized that he isn’t actually advancing it?