Yesterday Donald Trump addressed Liberty University, a Christian institution founded by Jerry Falwell. The gaff everyone is discussing comes around 4:55 into the 50 minute speech. You can see the entire speech here. Trump refers to II Corinthians as two instead of second. It basically shows that he doesn't discuss the Bible much. It's like someone claiming to be a proud Gamecock fan mispronouncing Jadeveon.
Trump goes on to say he's "very very proud" to be a protestant specifically a Presbyterian and that we have to defend Christianity because bad things are happening to Christians all around the world. He's correct of course. Though this is nothing new. Christians have been hated as promised by our founder. Jesus said in John 15:18 "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first". In Matthew 10:22 Jesus says "You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who endures till the end will be saved".
The idea of breaking down a Trump speech or even his life's work to demonstrate that he isn't someone who has devoted his life to following Jesus seems mean spirited. So I won't go there. But if you're a Christian you need to decide for yourself if Donald Trump is or isn't a Christian if you're considering voting for him. There are a lot of people claiming to be Christians who like to quote Matthew 7:1 "Don't judge so you will not be judged". But if you think it means Christians aren't to judge people, well you need to keep on reading! If we were commanded to not judge anyone, Matthew 7:17 would not make any sense. "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit". We need to judge if the fruit is good or bad! Jesus is telling the parable of the tree and it's fruit and commanding us to judge their fruit so we know who to trust. The gist is don't pay attention to peoples words but their actions. Your work is your fruit. What or whom do you glorify? You can be a politician or entertainer where part of your job requires you to become famous, but if you're using it to glorify God then your fruits are good. But even if you spend your entire life devoted to charity work and your motivation is people pleasing rather than glorifying God, your fruits are bad.
So should Christians only vote for Christians? That's a complex question. There are plenty of wonderful Christians who don't have the correct temperament or intellect or whatever to be a great political leader. There are also people from other religions and even atheists who God uses for His purposes. In Romans 13:1 God declares that anyone in a position of authority was placed there by Him. That includes what we would call bad leaders. Saddam, Osama, and any person in authority was put there by the Lord to bring glory to Himself. Daniel 2:21 says He removes Kings and raises up Kings. Not only does God put them in their positions He works with those leaders, even the bad ones. Exodus 9:12 finds Egypt's leader, the Pharaoh, dealing with a crisis. Egypt has suffered 6 plagues and Moses has told Pharaoh the plagues will end if he releases the Jews. The people around Pharaoh are begging him to let the Jews go. "And the Lord hardened Pharaohs heart and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses". Rest assured Gods' plans always come to fruition and God's plans always work for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28) and bring Him glory (Isaiah 48:11).
Well then does it even matter who we vote for or that we even vote? Yes. First Jesus wants His followers to perform their civic duties. Render to Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's. Matthew 22:21 Christians are to be a blessing to those around us and to participate in our culture which includes going to jury duty and taking out the trash on trash day and of course voting. Christians are reminded that earth isn't your permanent home but we have dual citizenship's. The apostle Paul showed that in Acts when he declared that he is a citizen of Rome and that as a citizen he had the right to appeal to Caesar.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:14 we are to be light to the world. Light doesn't change it's surroundings, it enhances them. Light clarifies. When you shine a light on something, it doesn't make it good or bad, it only allows other people to see it for it is.
Donald Trump says he is a Christian who loves the Bible. Why is he saying that? We can find no mentions of Trumps love for the Bible or his pride in Presbyterianism before this campaign. When asked if he had ever asked God for forgiveness Trump has no idea how to answer.
If he is a new Christian then he should say so. But he is implying that he has a life time of Christian teachings under his belt. He says "the great Norman Vincent Peele was my pastor". He's name dropping preachers! And this one has been dead since 1993! The only logical conclusion as to why he would be doing that is to influence your vote.
The frightening fact, according to the Washington Post, is that Christians know he's lying, and don't care. The consensus of the interviews is Donald Trump isn't a Christian but he'll look out for us. You would trade the protection of God for Donald Trump's protection? This reminds me of when the Jews asked God to send them a King. He said He was their King but they demanded an earthly King. God tried to warn them. And finally He granted their wish for a rich businessman with a huge ego who would make sure Israel was protected from the countries around them. Saul may of even said I'll build a wall and have Egypt pay for it.
If you're a Christian then stop looking to politicians to fix your problems. Vote for politicians who reflect Gods glory to the world. God is your sanctuary, not your President. Remember that God will put as our President whomever He wants. So instead of trying to convince yourself that the guy trying to deceive you will be great for Christian values, get on your knees and humble yourself before your creator, and pray that He sends us someone who brings peace and prosperity. Someone who honors God. And then ask what you can do in that process. God ultimately wants you to obey Him in all things. So ask Him who you should vote for and then obey.
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