The more fearful and liberal pastors and Evangelicals in America don’t know quite what to do with President Donald Trump — aside from condemn him. Nothing in Scripture has prepared them to deal with the likes of Donald Trump, insofar as they have either not read the Scriptures or are simply unable to connect the dots. They wring their hands and proclaim, “Well, I never!” whenever President Trump has a harsh word for someone. These Neo-Victorians who are quick to condemn the president for his speech have forgotten the Jesus of the Bible.
Many Americans, who are rarely faced with anything approximating persecution or hardship, have a tendency to compartmentalize Jesus. They like to picture Him as a baby in a manger, because a helpless baby could never convict them of their sin. Or, they picture him as the soft, gentle, cow-eyed surfer with a halo around his head. Every single one of us probably has an aunt who has that painting on her wall.
Have they forgotten that Jesus whipped the money-changers out of the temple? Imagine their shock if they should ever learn that the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament — who carried out terrible acts of vengeance and justice against the enemies of God — was, in fact, the pre-incarnate Christ!
Before condemning Donald Trump for his rough speech, perhaps we should take a closer look at how Jesus spoke to others in the Scriptures.
In Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus praises a woman for her faith and heals her daughter, who is possessed by a demon. Neo-Victorian pastors like to focus on this miracle, while glossing over the fact that Jesus called the Canaanite woman a dog before he healed her daughter. “It is not good to take the children’s bread, and cast it to the dogs.” (v. 26)
This could, by the way, just as easily be interpreted as a modern-day critique of America’s current immigration policy. Are we not, in fact, taking our children’s bread — the heritage of a free and constitutional America — and casting it to the dogs? Likewise, in the Sermon on the Mount, we are commanded not to cast our pearls before swine, lest they trample the pearls underfoot and turn on us and rend us into pieces. Not to put too sarcastic a point on it, but the swine are a metaphor for certain peoples!
People who strive to never say an unkind word to anyone end up never condemning sin, which is our duty. Look to Jesus’ condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. In the course of that chapter, Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees the following:
Vain, arrogant, hypocrites, children of hell, blind guides, fools, blind fools, extortionists, gluttons, greedy, whited sepulchres which are clean on the outside but filled with dead men’s bones and all uncleanness, immoral, white collar criminals, the children of them who killed the prophets, serpents and a generation of vipers.
Well, I never!
“But, but, but… Donald Trump said a horrible thing about Haiti and several countries in Africa and he used a bad word! Jesus would never say such things!” Except for when He did say such a thing, as the angel of the Lord, in chapter 3 of the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar declares, after a visit from the pre-incarnate Christ, that any nations that say anything amiss about the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo will see their homes turned into a dunghill (v. 29). But who can keep track of so many details?
Donald Trump’s speech is shocking to many people because it has been so long since America has had a president who will look evil in the eye and declare it to be evil. George W. Bush referred to Islam as a “religion of peace” as Americans watched our fellow civilians repeatedly butchered by Muslims. Barack Obama praised Islam and refused to use the term “Islamic terrorism.” Donald Trump’s speech pales in comparison to Bill Clinton’s actions with a White House intern, and Jesus told us a man’s actions are far more revealing than his words.
Sometimes a viper needs to be condemned as a viper. America has elected many dishonest leaders who are too afraid to speak truth to power, because our churches have grown fearful of speaking truth to power. We’re not suggesting that everyone should mimic President Trump’s mode of speech. But why aren’t more Christians willing to mimic Christ’s example?
~ Christian Patriot Daily
