Thursday, June 30, 2016

Trump a "Baby Christian"

Maybe it's because of his tiny hands.

Earlier this week, James Dobson of Focus on the Family declared that Donald Trump had accepted Christ and should be treated as a "baby Christian." After being questioned by other Evangelical leaders, he clarified his comments. As North Carolina minister John Pavlovitz points out, by just about every meaningful measure Trump is a terrible Christian. But Dobson seems convinced nonetheless, or at least completely blinded by his hatred of Hillary Clinton.

Only the Lord knows the condition of a person's heart. I can only tell you what I've heard. First, Trump appears to be tender to things of the Spirit. I also hear that Paula White has known Trump for years and that she personally led him to Christ.

Do I know that for sure? No. Do I know the details of that alleged conversion? I can't say that I do.

But there are many Christian leaders who are serving on a faith advisory committee for Trump in the future. I am among them. There are about 45 of us that includes Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, Jack Graham, Ben Carson, James Robison, Jerry Johnson, and many others whom you would probably know.

We've all agreed to serve. How will that play out if Trump becomes president? I don't know. It is a good start, I would think.

If anything, this man is a baby Christian who doesn't have a clue about how believers think, talk and act. All I can tell you is that we have only two choices, Hillary or Donald. Hillary scares me to death.

And, if Christians stay home because he isn't a better candidate, Hillary will run the world for perhaps eight years. The very thought of that haunts my nights and days. One thing is sure: we need to be in prayer for our nation at this time of crisis.


My guess is that Trump's conversion went something like this:

"Donald, do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior?"

"Sure, that sounds great."

"Hallelujah! He's saved!"

The deal is that modern Evangelical Christianity is basically all about saying the magic words, and your sins are forgiven. It doesn't matter if you're a terrible human being, as long as you're not gay - because that's the Worst Sin Ever to those folks, even though the Book of Leviticus says it's a sin on about the same level as eating shellfish and Jesus couldn't even be bothered to mention it during his ministry. Also, lesbians don't even get a mention in Leviticus, but apparently they're nonetheless just as bad.

Paula White, Trump's alleged "Christian mentor," is a prosperity gospel preacher, because of course she is. I imagine there's nothing Trump would rather hear than an explanation of how being rich means that God favors him. Also, this shows that Evangelicals don't even consider mainstream denominations "real Christianity." Trump grew up Presbyterian and never left the church, so he could only be considered a "baby" if all those years of being the wrong kind of Christian didn't count.

Or, I suppose, on account of the tiny hands.

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