Because of all the discussion going on regarding whether or not Donald Trump is an evangelical Christian, as he claims, we’ve decided to share what some of our Christian leaders are saying about Mr. Trump. The following Facebook post was penned by executive director of Grace to you, Phil Johnson, who once said that the term “evangelical” is likely the most abused term in the entire religious lexicon.
Please allow me to expand on something I posted [on Facebook] in reply to some questions that came up in an earlier comment-thread. Here is my answer to friends who wonder if there’s a contradiction between my sounding an alarm during an election year regarding Donald Trump’s character vs. my own frequently-expressed opinion that churches and pastors should keep partisan politics at arm’s length, and Christians should not be deluded into thinking that the machinery of the American Electoral College can be commandeered for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom.
This isn’t about politics. My concerns about Donald Trump have nothing to do with his political convictions. Even if I agreed with every position he took on both foreign and domestic policy, it would still be my firm belief that he does not qualify to lead this or any other nation. It’s frightening to think that such an irascible and capricious man, severely lacking in both self-control and moral boundaries—a man whom we have repeatedly seen fight like a 7-year-old schoolgirl—might have the power to invoke war or take other executive actions.
Of course Trump is by no means the only Presidential candidate (including certain current office-holders) who is morally, spiritually, and ethically stunted. He’s surely the *worst,* but he’s neither the first nor the only scoundrel who doesn’t deserve anyone’s votes. American politicians for years have seemed to be trying to outdo each other to see who can be more arrogant, more narcissistic, more ostentatious, more wantonly driven by the flesh, and more cleverly deceitful—while being less accountable, less open to instruction or admonition, and above all, less modest. But Trump has greatly upped the ante, and he is certain to be the hands-down winner by an incredible margin in the contest to see who can be the mouthiest and most unsavory political candidate ever. I can’t imagine how anyone could ever surpass him for sheer carnal chutzpah.
I’m especially annoyed by the ridiculous pretense (put forward and fostered by Trump himself) that he is a faithful Christian who “reads the Bible more than anyone else”—even though he claims he can’t remember ever asking God for forgiveness or even needing to. This man is not a Christian, and as long as he insists he is—and (evidently) manages to get lots of people to believe it,—my conscience is continually telling me I have a duty to warn my friends and members of my flock not to be duped by this swaggering loudmouth falsely masquerading as a messiah.
I’m appalled by the pathetic gullibility of hundreds of thousands who self-identify as “evangelicals” (presumably people who would say they believe the Bible is true) who nevertheless are quite willing to believe that this arrogant adulterer represents hope, or promise, or an improvement of some kind.
Americans already voted an overweening narcissist into office eight years ago. Why would anyone think an even more egomaniacal blowhard is going to make things better for our nation?
Yes, I know God is sovereign, and that the king’s heart is in His hands (Proverbs 21:1), and I DO rest in the knowledge that His truth will ultimately triumph, and He will use all things for our good and His glory.
But I’ve never viewed my Calvinist convictions as an excuse for indifference or inaction. I needed to say something.
