The Write Place

Recently there was a hullabaloo about the Trump administration using explicitly Christian language in their Christmas announcements. The pushback really innovated a secularist history, one that also is not performed for other religions. Needless to say it was very revealing of our culture’s hatred of Christianity.

Some may claim this is no win at all considering his less than stellar religious record. He celebrated Diwali (a Hindu festival, indicating pluralist/ low religious understanding), he made Paula White (adulteress and heretic) his religious advisor. More than decrying the murder of the Mormon’s in the Michigan shooting, he said it was a hatred of Christ. It did turn out to be a spurned lover who did not want to convert to Mormonism. Still, they have the wrong Christ and Trump made no distinction.

Life of course, is not simply a choice between perfection and clear disaster. Trump serves an odd purpose in our odd moment. We need to consider these things.

Whether you want this administration doing so or not, those attacking his administration’s pointing to Christianity are doing so because they hate Christianity too. This is exposing what Christian’s have been saying for decades and showing a lot of who the church’s enemies are. There is a war on Christmas with the goal of hollowing it off it’s real meaning and wearing the corpse.

Trump doesn’t know what Christianity is, but he likes it. He is a co-belligerent, we can’t pretend he isn’t more than that. That does not mean he isn’t a flagellum dei exposing hatred for Christ, breaking down the system that opposes Christendom. He is a cultural Christian who has no clue really what it means, but he likes Christianity.

Christians yes need to call him out when we need to (take the Rob Reiner response, I’ll bet you even forgot he gave condolences in his viral diatribe) , and to share the Gospel with him. We are often quick to leave this out.

We are in an imperfect world. God uses sinners or heretics like Trump (who does not understand the Gospel and the way to heaven). We are in a situation that is exactly that. I get the impression that he likes what he grew up in, but he never really knew or thought much about what the Gospel is. Maybe if real Christians were realistic about these things and shared the Gospel with him, he would keep better company than Paula White.

It doesn’t need to be the best thing to be a good thing. We actually have biblical examples of God favoring this bizarre archtype (in this case a man who shows no verbal discipline, but does civically righteous things). Of an unbeliever who gets praise for doing God’s work. I can think of one. Maybe you’ve heard of Cyrus the Great.

²⁷ who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
    I will dry up your rivers’;
²⁸ who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
    and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
Isaiah 44:27-28

Cyrus was not involved out of love of the LORD. He was not a believer, in fact it was political expedience. Donald does not understand Christianity, but he is drawing attention to the core of what it teaches and gave us, making it a discussion once again. But God used Cyrus, and God’s people were thankful for it.

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Ezra 1:2

Cyrus’ understanding is likely just using Christian sounding words, counting YHWH as one of many gods. His understanding is wrong, but God still uses him. God even as we saw, praises him as a civil magistrate performing righteously.

Donald is a man who grew up in church. He is a cultural Christian which brings to mind another example from scripture.

King Jehu was involved a bloody revolt that involved killing innocent sons of David visiting the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 9) and the just killing of the house of Ahab and the prophets of Baal (2 Kings 10). Even so he continued the improper idolatrous form of worship with the golden calves Jeroboam established.

And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin

2 Kings 10:31-32

Jehu’s kingdom would have continued further than four generations had he not overindulged his bloodlust orpermitted idolatry. Still, God saw him as a king who did good. God is both gracious and powerful enough to use imperfect people, even unbelievers to do the work of his kingdom whether they understand the Gospel or not.

If the Evangelical elite were less obsessed with thinking their audience is the crowd of pagans trying to paganize Christmas and destroy the Gospel, or that they need to follow the first rule of show business with them, maybe Donald would have real Christians preaching the Gospel to him. Whether we like it or not, he is the Christendom candidate God is currently using to push back on the Hegelian Globalism we were too polite to defend our freedoms from.

May I suggest this two pronged approach. Praise him when he does good, not missing the opportunity to preach to him the Gospel when it comes. Being honest with his sins and shortcomings, not making him a hero he isn’t.

We do not define ourselves by any prince but the prince of peace. We have no king but Christ. And we are to faithfully make the most of the moment he has given us, however rotten we have let it become. Who knows, if we do so maybe we will get a mature Christian leader again. God may even make Donald one someday.

1 Timothy 2:1-3
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, ² for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,