Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
A Joke or a Parable?
There was once a faithful man who prayed every day and completely trusted in God’s goodness. However, he lived in a flood plain and the forecast was grim — 40 days and 40 nights of rain. When the governor declared a voluntary evacuation, the police drove through the man’s neighborhood encouraging people to leave over their loudspeakers, but the man replied, “God will provide.”
After a few days of steady rain and as the waters began to rise into the streets, the voluntary evacuation became mandatory and National Guard trucks were sent in to help remainers move out. The faithful man politely thanked them and, refusing to leave, said, “God will provide.” When the water reached his front stoop, first responders were sent in skiff boats to help him out. He refused again, saying, “God will provide.”
The flood eventually reached up near the man’s second story where he was trapped for several days until the Coast Guard came by to pick him up. He graciously declined saying, “God will provide.”
Finally, the water was high enough to force him onto his roof. An Air Force helicopter was commissioned to rescue him, but he waved them off, attempting to shout over the engine noise, “God will provide!“
Shortly after, the floodwaters overcame the man and he drowned. When he arrived at the Gates of Heaven, he was confused and asked Saint Peter, “Why didn’t God save me? I’m a faithful man and I prayed daily.”
Peter scanned the record of the man’s last days and said, “Let’s see, we sent the police, the National Guard, first responders, the Coast Guard, and the Air Force. What the heck were you waiting for?“
David French’s answer might be, “I’m sure there were philanderers, fornicators, and insulting tweeters among the lawmen, the first responders, the National Guard, the Coasties, and the Zoomies. I was right not to go with them and no one else should have either.”
Published in General
Dennis Prager, for one. He has repeatedly said that he doesn’t know Trump’s character. Uh huh…
Aaron, don’t forget Ben Carson – Trump said he was a child molester. No apologies there…
I’ve been involved with Republican politics (being a delegate, working on campaigns) for decades. I’ve never heard anyone “demand morally perfect politicians”. Never. Not once.
I asked a similar question here one time, and was told that God’s special treatment of Jewish people is due to how He made a covenant with the Jews, and He has not done so with anyone else.
Of course, Jesus is viewed as the New Covenant by Christians, but since many Jewish people do not acknowledge his existence, then with our shot at a winning argument negated, there is not much reason to continue the debate. (The nun I had in 8th grade stated the New Covenant was expressed with Jesus’ blood and flesh that he sacrificed while on the Cross being the ink and paper of that New Covenant.)
I get the argument coming from Jews. I largely dismiss it because we fundamentally have different beliefs. It’s when Christian’s make the argument that my head starts spinning.
In practice, we did. If someone made a mistake, we turned on them and shut them out.
Largely, it was because the media controlled the narrative and it was damage control. But it never occurred to us to stop letting the Democrats control the narrative. Instead, we capitulated out of political expediency.
It’s why I watched Bobby Jindal and Walker so closely… they tried to break out of that cycle. Rand Paul, too. If they had showed up to the primaries with the same energy they had exhibited during the tea party days, I would have voted for them. But they didn’t. They disappeared and dropped out.
I was already looking for a way out before Trump entered the election.
We only demand it of the politicians we don’t like.
Yes and that is very true of the Democrats. Donald Trump was a Democrat until his lawyers let him know how the Democrat National Committee’s Primary nomination and selection process is so corrupt that he would never have a shot as that party’s Presidential candidate in 2016.
He appeared over the years with such liberals as Stephen Colbert. He made it clear he would be the first President who was supportive of LBGT marriage on the day he was inaugurated.
Yet he became a crazed buffoon continually reviled by Colbert after his election. And the people I know who self identify as members of LBGT crowd told me repeatedly that one reason I should oppose Trump with my body and soul and join them in their Jan and Feb 2017 marches was due to how they knew Trump would have them in camps by the end of that year.
With the exception of his stance on trade agreements, Trump’s overall platform as President does not differ that much from Pres Clinton’s. Except for these items: he would not order a coup against the people of Haiti and hopefully should they have another heavy duty earthquake there, he will not have a “charity foundation” set up to swindle the people of Haiti out of the millions of dollars donated by everyone from philanthropists to school children. The monies donated to the Clinton Foundation somehow never made their way to the actual victims of that earthquake.
BTW, if memory serves, Comey had a spot inside the Clinton Foundation or a related venture, and he also gave that foundation a pass when legal situations arose. Which is one reason why he became the head of the FBI.
This. 100%
I’ve been lurking and mulling over how/if I want to respond on this due to the nuance required…
What I struggle with (and bear with me all, as it is a struggle) is that God never promised to sustain the United States of America. He promised to sustain his church throughout all eternity (Mat 6:18). What these evaluations regarding Trump’s “doing good” even though he’s a man of bad character lack is an eternal perspective. Christians are called to be salt and light to the world (Mat 5:16-18 Salt is used here in scripture to reference a preservative against the rot of sin as it was used to prevent the rotting of meat), and if we destroy our witness to the world by openly supporting (and not only supporting but enabling and championing) a man who directly undermines that witness, we are then unable to preach a credible message to the lost. In other words we would have given away our commitment to the gospel and shunned our trust in God’s promise that he will sustain us throughout all time. We would have forgotten that the Kingdom of God is not of this world, and we cannot hope for any political solution in this world to advance the Kingdom. This was the folly of the social gospel. The body of Christ (the church universal) is there to advance the kingdom as members of the body, not there to hire a strongman to do so for them….or as in a recent article David wrote “someone hired to hate (or fight) one’s enemies”
I fully accept that an evil man can do good thing – so Trump’s support of the Pro-Life movement can be lauded, and rightly so. But as Christians we have a higher calling to faithfulness and trust in God’s promises. And knowing that God has promised to one day make all things new (Rev 21:5) and will ultimately bring Justice to the oppressed I have a hard time thinking that Trump’s 4 (or 8) year support of a pro-life march will have that much effect on the eternal struggle while at the same time potentially harming the Christian witness of the movement. Abortion rates are now at their lowest ever, and have dropped year over year regardless of the president or party in power – that’s a win for the Christian witness and how it has made it’s mark in the world and had nothing to do with a president. It had to do with a message of grace, and of life created in the image of God.
As Christians this can be our legacy, but I fear when we shackle ourselves to Trump we lose our credibility. Our salt looses its taste, and our light is now hidden under a bushel.
I do not question the faith or sincerity of anyone in this thread, but these are my fears nonetheless.
It is true of all of us.
A very thoughtful response, Ben.
We are not shackling ourselves to Trump. We’re hiring him for a temporary job. A lot of those who did so four years ago did so reluctantly, but rather than the disappointment we feared, the same disappointment we felt with W. and his father and Nixon, we are happy to see some things are getting done, that some things are moving our way, and that it is closer to the successes when we had Reagan as President. Most of those who voted to hire him four years ago, despite misgivings, are happy to hire him for the next four years. Many who didn’t vote or voted for someone else are also prepared to give him another four-year contract. He’s been doing a good job. Not perfect. He annoys a lot of people. But he’s moving things overall back in the right direction.
What then we object to is the voices who proclaim our doom, despite that their predictions have been wrong for years. Let me repeat that. Their predictions have been wrong for years. What do they do about their track record? Double down. That’s annoying, too. More annoying than every tweet Trump has ever tweeted combined. All I can say is, don’t be that guy.
Instead of proclaiming the coming darkness, they should be working in the positive realm, as you suggest, the salt and the light.
Worked for me.
Ditto.
I haven’t read him until that most recent article scolding Christians for their double standards regarding Bill Clinton (rapist, pedophile, predator) vs Donald Trump (obnoxious playboy). Think I’ll wait another four years for the next sampling.
My exposure to both has been second-hand for the last few years, but is sounds like they are just broken records recycling the same tired criticisms that almost no one cared about when they were new. A shame in Jonah’s case because he wrote some great articles for NR years ago.