Just before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed that the love and unity of his one body would be so clear that it would convince the world that he had come from the Father (John 17:11, 20-23). But today in the United States, the body of Christ (especially the white evangelical part) is viciously attacking other parts of Christ’s one body.
Really? How does abortion become a biblically balanced agenda? How does gay marriage become a biblically balanced agenda? How does corruption become a biblically balanced agenda? How does building cages for illegal immigrants’ children becomes a biblically balanced agenda? I could go on and on. Whose side are you really on? I vote for whoever fights for biblical principles for that is the one thing that still holds true.
Whether we are Christian, Muslim, Jewish or something else, a common tenant of faith communities is to be faithful to something greater than ourselves, not to place ourselves as supreme. Parents of all beliefs try to teach their children to believe this. Donald Trump has exploited certain Christian groups in unprecedented ways and in-so-doing has exposed the hypocrisy of trading Christ for power. I try to be a Christian, so I will comment in that context, but other religious traditions can make similar observations.
If we are really, truly Christian, we try to teach our children to love and follow Christ. The prophet, Micah (6:8) writes that the Lord requires only this: “to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (NIV). John says that “Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is Love.”- 1 John 4:8. God is Love, not hate. Peter said that all things that are excellent and good are of God. Paul had a lot to say. We are not “some of Peter and some of Paul and some of Apollos,” no we are ALL of one God (and He requires that we respect others who seek God from different traditions). We are all sinners, deserving one awful fate but hoping for a better one. None of us can “be of Christ” and also “be of” an avowed demagogue. Judas Iscariot was a member of a political sect called the Zealots. The Zealots were, well, zealous about having political power over the Romans and would do anything to get it. Judas followed Jesus when he thought Jesus was seeking an earthly, political revolution, but when he saw that this was not the plan, he betrayed him. Any of us who abandon Christ and HIS teachings in favor of one who promises political power in exchange for loyalty is taking the road of Judas. There is no middle ground. Christ’s way, God the Father’s way, is love not hatred.
For some, Christianity has truly meant following Christ’s example of love and grace. For others, the “Christian” mantle is merely a vehicle for advancing a quest for power or preserving the pre-eminence of a white, rural, unevenly educated majority. They have sold out Jesus in favor of political power through Trump. Paul said that “they will know we are Christians by our love”. No real Christian could have anything to do with Trump’s doctrine of fear and hatred. No real Christian would ever lock a child in a cage away from his or her mother and father in order to “Make America Great Again”. If one claims allegiance to Christ, taking this path is an admission of apostacy. People in America who identify themselves as “Christian” need to consider that voting for such a person as Trump has something to do with their soul and salvation.
Jesus gave us the prescription for our lives in The Lord’s Prayer. God is God, and he has a paternal relationship with us. He is in heaven, which is a place, a place that is perfect in peace and forgiveness, and love. He is “holy” which means that he alone is Him. He isn’t a perfect example of love or power, or anything else. Those things exist because they come from Him, not He from them. We pray that His kingdom might come here to earth, a fallen place, not perfect like heaven. The Kingdom comes to the extent that we bring it by following the Father’s will and Christ’s example of love and forgiveness and mercy, and faith. We ask God the Father to gives us just what we need to get through the day and to forgive us for more or less continually making mistakes, “trespassing” upon his will, trying to take things into our hands instead of his. The condition for this is that we do the same for others, including others who don’t look or act like us, who don’t approach God in the manner that we do. We are not all of Peter, or Paul, or Apollos, or Mohammad, or Abraham, or Pope Francis, or the Dalai Lama, or Franklin Graham, or Jerry Falwell, or Trump, or Barney the big, purple dinosaur. We are all of God, who simply is whether we acknowledge His existence or not.
Paul also helps with understanding God’s love, but he has more to say about what it isn’t than what it is. It’s interesting that Paul knew the importance of confronting our urge to pull others down more than to help them up. From 1 Corinthians:13, “Love is patient and kind”. Yes, good start. But what is it not? “It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It does not keep record of wrongs (hold grudges). It does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.” What “love is not” reads like a list of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Greed. It reads like the clinical definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It reads like Mr. Trump’s defining characteristics.
Jesus did not seek political power, he transcended it. The prophets did not seek political power, they transcended it. As for Jesus, as for the prophets, as for any disciple, it is hard. It is not the life of power and privilege that Trump or his sycophants crave. It is not the false gospel of “the victorious life”. No, the cost of discipleship is hard. God does not sponsor or endorse any person or political party or religious denomination. God just is, and it is up to us to seek His will, not for Him to serve our will. No, an actual, true disciple of Christ seeks to live a life of love and understanding and charity and faith and hope in the one true God. An actual, real disciple of Christ knows what a demagogue is and cringes at the hatred and the apostacy.
So, for the actual, real disciple of Christ, this isn’t about who wins an election, it is about their soul and its destiny. For those who got lost in the moment in 2016, for those who meant to follow Christ and got led astray before, this is a chance at redemption or a chance to double down in following the way of Judas. It is about the way of Christ or the way of a demagogue. The way of a real disciple or the way of Judas. God’s Kingdom here on earth through our own actions or a demagogue’s agenda in exchange for personal power. The real cost (and reward) of discipleship or the path to the “blood field”. The Kingdom of God or the 30 pieces of silver. Neither is it about endorsing everything the alternative might support. That would just be picking another political agenda. It is about picking the decency of a man, Joe Biden, who does seek God vs Donald Trump, who proudly proclaims that he has done more than Jesus for his Evangelical base. It is about picking one who attempts to follow the path of discipleship, however imperfectly, over one who does not. It is about us seeking to live the life of real discipleship, trying to realize God’s Kingdom on earth through actions of faith, hope, charity, and love, not accepting uncritical membership in a demagogue’s club.
We owe a great debt to Mr. Trump. God’s love is everything he is not, and he has made very clear for us the path that we, if we are to be disciples, simply cannot take. If Christians, that is REAL Christians, want to follow Christ, he or she must follow love. If we want to serve God’s Kingdom and define our own, we have only one way to go. It is not possible to approve of and follow Mr. Trump and his brand of self-deification and hatred at the same time. We must pick. God or Trump. God or hatred. God or …
Thank you Ron for your prophetic voice and your pastoral heart. The judgmental rage of some white evangelicals to your blog and political perspective is disheartening to be sure, but there are many others who are responding favorably. Thanks also for not allowing the religious bullies and thought police to silence you. You are helping many of us find our voice and still others to know that there is no party that has a corner on God or morality. The religious manipulators and vote herders are not going to succeed politically, but much more importantly, the Lord said, "I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." I am not worried about the Church, just disappointed in those who would rather win an election than win the world. John 17 is centerpiece of the heart of Jesus. Thanks for your post!
Thank you Ron Sider. The reason I have remained friends with my believing brothers and sisters in Christ is that Christ tells us to love one another. He did not put qualifiers around this statement. I do not try to antagonize them with disrespectful statements about their right to choose whom they support. I am shocked by the vitriol bordering on blasphemy, if not downright blasphemy, I've read in articles coming from those who name the name of Christ. After this election there will need to be a time of reflection and reconciliation among members of the Body of Christ.
The last comment indicates a point i feel a need to make. the problem goes back to the breakdown in the 1970s of civility between conservative evangelical christians and liberal progressive christians, what jim wallis calls the crips and the bloods of theology. I have proposed that the newly rebranded christians for social action become inclusive of liberal/progressive christians. Personally i do not view jesus as divine but as a great moral spiritual teacher whose teachings have value today. my understanding of God is that of a hindu buddhist universal mind rather than a personal God . I am willing to agree to disagree on this with ron. that puts me in the progressive christian camp. i do see christianity as a faith among faiths and do not self identify as a christian as such .
That said the attacks on liberal\progressive christians have grown in viciousness over the years. to be fair some liberal/progressive christians can be just as nasty, the writings of john shelby spong can be just as nasty in attacking conservative christians as franklin graham has been in his attacks on liberal/ progressive christians. what is needed is not just dialogue between pro-and anti trump evangelicals but a renewed dialogue between conservative evangelical christians and liberal progressive christians. this will be difficult liberal progressive christians and conservative evangelical christians have strong differences on theological issues such as the nature of God the virgin birth the resurrection of jesus biblical authority to name few. There are also disagreements on issues of sexual morality. still there can be agreement on jesus moral teachings
The truth is the likes of you, Ron, making Jesus weep. Two verses in Leviticus 18:21-22 alone make it clear: “And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”
Leviticus 18:21-22 NKJV
You not only support those who pass laws and thus erect altars in the land against the Word of God but also mislead the sheep to vote against the Word of God—Romans 1:32: “who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
Romans 1:32 NKJV
And for what? I already told you Trump is winning so you’d do well to repent and lead others to do so before you damn your souls for a leader that the LORD has already rejected.
Thank you Ron for your humility, integrity, and gracious heart, for the lost and the found. Mark Neuenschwander
Really? How does abortion become a biblically balanced agenda? How does gay marriage become a biblically balanced agenda? How does corruption become a biblically balanced agenda? How does building cages for illegal immigrants’ children becomes a biblically balanced agenda? I could go on and on. Whose side are you really on? I vote for whoever fights for biblical principles for that is the one thing that still holds true.
Amen to you. A reflection:
Christianity and Trump
Whether we are Christian, Muslim, Jewish or something else, a common tenant of faith communities is to be faithful to something greater than ourselves, not to place ourselves as supreme. Parents of all beliefs try to teach their children to believe this. Donald Trump has exploited certain Christian groups in unprecedented ways and in-so-doing has exposed the hypocrisy of trading Christ for power. I try to be a Christian, so I will comment in that context, but other religious traditions can make similar observations.
If we are really, truly Christian, we try to teach our children to love and follow Christ. The prophet, Micah (6:8) writes that the Lord requires only this: “to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (NIV). John says that “Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is Love.”- 1 John 4:8. God is Love, not hate. Peter said that all things that are excellent and good are of God. Paul had a lot to say. We are not “some of Peter and some of Paul and some of Apollos,” no we are ALL of one God (and He requires that we respect others who seek God from different traditions). We are all sinners, deserving one awful fate but hoping for a better one. None of us can “be of Christ” and also “be of” an avowed demagogue. Judas Iscariot was a member of a political sect called the Zealots. The Zealots were, well, zealous about having political power over the Romans and would do anything to get it. Judas followed Jesus when he thought Jesus was seeking an earthly, political revolution, but when he saw that this was not the plan, he betrayed him. Any of us who abandon Christ and HIS teachings in favor of one who promises political power in exchange for loyalty is taking the road of Judas. There is no middle ground. Christ’s way, God the Father’s way, is love not hatred.
For some, Christianity has truly meant following Christ’s example of love and grace. For others, the “Christian” mantle is merely a vehicle for advancing a quest for power or preserving the pre-eminence of a white, rural, unevenly educated majority. They have sold out Jesus in favor of political power through Trump. Paul said that “they will know we are Christians by our love”. No real Christian could have anything to do with Trump’s doctrine of fear and hatred. No real Christian would ever lock a child in a cage away from his or her mother and father in order to “Make America Great Again”. If one claims allegiance to Christ, taking this path is an admission of apostacy. People in America who identify themselves as “Christian” need to consider that voting for such a person as Trump has something to do with their soul and salvation.
Jesus gave us the prescription for our lives in The Lord’s Prayer. God is God, and he has a paternal relationship with us. He is in heaven, which is a place, a place that is perfect in peace and forgiveness, and love. He is “holy” which means that he alone is Him. He isn’t a perfect example of love or power, or anything else. Those things exist because they come from Him, not He from them. We pray that His kingdom might come here to earth, a fallen place, not perfect like heaven. The Kingdom comes to the extent that we bring it by following the Father’s will and Christ’s example of love and forgiveness and mercy, and faith. We ask God the Father to gives us just what we need to get through the day and to forgive us for more or less continually making mistakes, “trespassing” upon his will, trying to take things into our hands instead of his. The condition for this is that we do the same for others, including others who don’t look or act like us, who don’t approach God in the manner that we do. We are not all of Peter, or Paul, or Apollos, or Mohammad, or Abraham, or Pope Francis, or the Dalai Lama, or Franklin Graham, or Jerry Falwell, or Trump, or Barney the big, purple dinosaur. We are all of God, who simply is whether we acknowledge His existence or not.
Paul also helps with understanding God’s love, but he has more to say about what it isn’t than what it is. It’s interesting that Paul knew the importance of confronting our urge to pull others down more than to help them up. From 1 Corinthians:13, “Love is patient and kind”. Yes, good start. But what is it not? “It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It does not keep record of wrongs (hold grudges). It does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.” What “love is not” reads like a list of the seven deadly sins: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Greed. It reads like the clinical definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It reads like Mr. Trump’s defining characteristics.
Jesus did not seek political power, he transcended it. The prophets did not seek political power, they transcended it. As for Jesus, as for the prophets, as for any disciple, it is hard. It is not the life of power and privilege that Trump or his sycophants crave. It is not the false gospel of “the victorious life”. No, the cost of discipleship is hard. God does not sponsor or endorse any person or political party or religious denomination. God just is, and it is up to us to seek His will, not for Him to serve our will. No, an actual, true disciple of Christ seeks to live a life of love and understanding and charity and faith and hope in the one true God. An actual, real disciple of Christ knows what a demagogue is and cringes at the hatred and the apostacy.
So, for the actual, real disciple of Christ, this isn’t about who wins an election, it is about their soul and its destiny. For those who got lost in the moment in 2016, for those who meant to follow Christ and got led astray before, this is a chance at redemption or a chance to double down in following the way of Judas. It is about the way of Christ or the way of a demagogue. The way of a real disciple or the way of Judas. God’s Kingdom here on earth through our own actions or a demagogue’s agenda in exchange for personal power. The real cost (and reward) of discipleship or the path to the “blood field”. The Kingdom of God or the 30 pieces of silver. Neither is it about endorsing everything the alternative might support. That would just be picking another political agenda. It is about picking the decency of a man, Joe Biden, who does seek God vs Donald Trump, who proudly proclaims that he has done more than Jesus for his Evangelical base. It is about picking one who attempts to follow the path of discipleship, however imperfectly, over one who does not. It is about us seeking to live the life of real discipleship, trying to realize God’s Kingdom on earth through actions of faith, hope, charity, and love, not accepting uncritical membership in a demagogue’s club.
We owe a great debt to Mr. Trump. God’s love is everything he is not, and he has made very clear for us the path that we, if we are to be disciples, simply cannot take. If Christians, that is REAL Christians, want to follow Christ, he or she must follow love. If we want to serve God’s Kingdom and define our own, we have only one way to go. It is not possible to approve of and follow Mr. Trump and his brand of self-deification and hatred at the same time. We must pick. God or Trump. God or hatred. God or …
Thank you Ron for your prophetic voice and your pastoral heart. The judgmental rage of some white evangelicals to your blog and political perspective is disheartening to be sure, but there are many others who are responding favorably. Thanks also for not allowing the religious bullies and thought police to silence you. You are helping many of us find our voice and still others to know that there is no party that has a corner on God or morality. The religious manipulators and vote herders are not going to succeed politically, but much more importantly, the Lord said, "I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." I am not worried about the Church, just disappointed in those who would rather win an election than win the world. John 17 is centerpiece of the heart of Jesus. Thanks for your post!
Thank you Ron Sider. The reason I have remained friends with my believing brothers and sisters in Christ is that Christ tells us to love one another. He did not put qualifiers around this statement. I do not try to antagonize them with disrespectful statements about their right to choose whom they support. I am shocked by the vitriol bordering on blasphemy, if not downright blasphemy, I've read in articles coming from those who name the name of Christ. After this election there will need to be a time of reflection and reconciliation among members of the Body of Christ.
The last comment indicates a point i feel a need to make. the problem goes back to the breakdown in the 1970s of civility between conservative evangelical christians and liberal progressive christians, what jim wallis calls the crips and the bloods of theology. I have proposed that the newly rebranded christians for social action become inclusive of liberal/progressive christians. Personally i do not view jesus as divine but as a great moral spiritual teacher whose teachings have value today. my understanding of God is that of a hindu buddhist universal mind rather than a personal God . I am willing to agree to disagree on this with ron. that puts me in the progressive christian camp. i do see christianity as a faith among faiths and do not self identify as a christian as such .
That said the attacks on liberal\progressive christians have grown in viciousness over the years. to be fair some liberal/progressive christians can be just as nasty, the writings of john shelby spong can be just as nasty in attacking conservative christians as franklin graham has been in his attacks on liberal/ progressive christians. what is needed is not just dialogue between pro-and anti trump evangelicals but a renewed dialogue between conservative evangelical christians and liberal progressive christians. this will be difficult liberal progressive christians and conservative evangelical christians have strong differences on theological issues such as the nature of God the virgin birth the resurrection of jesus biblical authority to name few. There are also disagreements on issues of sexual morality. still there can be agreement on jesus moral teachings
The truth is the likes of you, Ron, making Jesus weep. Two verses in Leviticus 18:21-22 alone make it clear: “And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”
Leviticus 18:21-22 NKJV
You not only support those who pass laws and thus erect altars in the land against the Word of God but also mislead the sheep to vote against the Word of God—Romans 1:32: “who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
Romans 1:32 NKJV
And for what? I already told you Trump is winning so you’d do well to repent and lead others to do so before you damn your souls for a leader that the LORD has already rejected.