"Many of us support what the President and the Republican Party are doing, even as we cringe at some of his actions, past and present."
Robert Guyer
Surely this photo-op stunt was too much. Surely this was so nakedly hypocritical that a Christian simply must be offended and recoil from Trump.
No.
A Christian shares how he feels about Trump.
No.
A Christian shares how he feels about Trump.
Robert Guyer is a believing, practicing evangelical Christian. He rose to my challenge to explain to me why he and other Christians support Trump. Trump has no interest in Christian faith nor practicing its virtues, and his ignorance of the Bible is apparent--laughably so, when he tries to disguise it. It would seem reasonable and predictable that the evangelical Christian faith community would resent such open hypocrisy.
Trump is a highly visible representative of their faith; he claims to be a "big fan." Whatever political reasons a person might have for supporting Trump--his immigration policy, tax policy, abortion policy, gun policy, the fact that he is a Republican--the resilient fact of current politics is that his strongest support group are evangelical Christians, a faith community, adhering to a person who subjects their faith to ridicule.
Trump is a highly visible representative of their faith; he claims to be a "big fan." Whatever political reasons a person might have for supporting Trump--his immigration policy, tax policy, abortion policy, gun policy, the fact that he is a Republican--the resilient fact of current politics is that his strongest support group are evangelical Christians, a faith community, adhering to a person who subjects their faith to ridicule.
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| Click: "Trump" praises the Bible |
Yet Trump maintains evangelical support. This unintuitive condition requires an explanation. There must be something very special about Trump, something so powerfully good that it compensates for behavior that no Christian can ignore.
Robert Guyer said my guess in an earlier post was nearly correct. Trump is a defender of his faith, and Christians feel that their faith is under active attack. God is using Trump.
Robert L. Guyer is licensed to the practice of law in Florida and District of Columbia. He is currently writing his seventh book on applied American politics. For many years Guyer has operated The Lobby School, which offered seminars on how people can lobby governments. His current focus is creating a series of lobbying manuals at www.insiderstalkwinning.com, with book titles including How to Successfully Lobby State Legislatures and How to Get and Keep Your First Lobby Job.
He quoted me below, and crossed out in yellow the part he thought I got in error.
He quoted me below, and crossed out in yellow the part he thought I got in error.
Guest Post by Robert Guyer
“Evangelical Christians have no illusion that Trump is one of them, but theologically, there is a workaround to make Trump part of their tribe. Sometimes God uses un-Godly men for His purposes. That would be Trump, God's hired gun. Trump is showing that even if he wears the school colors incorrectly, waves a Bible when the religious nitpickers say he should have said a prayer or something instead, by gosh he is going to wear those colors.”
Peter, with one small edit, you understand well a strain of evangelical thought and why many of us support what the President and the Republican Party are doing, even as we cringe at some of his actions, past and present.
Peter, with one small edit, you understand well a strain of evangelical thought and why many of us support what the President and the Republican Party are doing, even as we cringe at some of his actions, past and present.
God uses even men that do bad things to bring about God’s will. That’s the Biblical narrative. We don’t understand why but there remains confidence that God is in control even as we don’t like what He’s doing. We are comfortable not understanding. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov 3:6) We persevered through eight years of insults from Barack Obama, Democrats, and a hostile judiciary.
Barr and Senate investigations reveal that indeed God spared America from Hillary Clinton. Trump and the Senate are building judicial ramparts against the next wave of government zealotry for behaviors scripturally abhorrent. Until Jesus returns, the vast spiritual war goes on as it has for thousands of years.
Of course, evangelicals like all people are diverse. Evan McMullin’s former campaign manager is a member of our Green House Church. Our pastors are “woke” holding whites oppress blacks, females are victims of men, enough but not too much of wearisome SJW themes. With 1,000 college students in the congregation we do tilt left. Bible-centric living is the binding orthodoxy among many different leanings, not politics.
Few will vote for those who proclaim Biblically abhorrent behavior so I expect few will vote Democrat, even among the 25% of us who are black. Many will support Trump, if only the better of the two. No idea about the campaign manager who is selling furniture since for now his political consulting career is over. The church won’t get into politics but will send tutors to failing public schools, send missionaries to Haiti, Africa, Miami, host recently released felons, promote black-white reconciliation, the do-gooder stuff peoples of goodwill and faith agree upon.
We will all do and give our best, and in the end trust no matter who is president, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.
8 comments:
Test Comment
In the past couple weeks I have read about despicable happenings and terrible ideas all over America, and none turned my stomach any more than did Robert Guyer's screed of bigotry and hate. His morally bankrupt ideas foster the current pall of hatred that lies over our country. If anyone lives a life of "Biblically abhorrent behavior" it is Guyer.
Judas
Judas was a good Christian , a follower of Jesus. His taking of the 30 pieces led to the Crucifixion. A man of God helping the message to spread by questionable actions?
Gods will wanders around using nasty men to further his purpose? I guess priests or preachers who bilk the followers and practice pedophilia, but sell the Jesus message are good, the end justifies the means , the Niccolò Machiavelli Christian Evangelical idol?
Apply the beatitudes to the Donald Trump religious message , the meek shall inherit the earth. Guyer calls Trump “Gods hired gun” what would Jesus say...?
The Christian Right loves the god of domination, rejecting women’s right to chose what is done to their own bodies...old testament Tribal sheep herder mentality very similar to the sharia law of the a Muslim religion. A Broken religion choosing scriptures that justify a narrow minded bigoted view of yesteryear.
Sent from my iPad
aSometimes God uses un-Godly men for His purposes."
I say…
The ultimate rationalization. When faced with evidence of their own hypocrisy religious zealots trot out this homily and stand back, fold their arms with a smug, self satisfied smile and dare anyone to disagree. Since nothing in religion can be proven, faith being a convenient bunker to hole up in when truth and reality challenge their dogma, and from where they can toss out any justification that protects them from actual reason. An inveterate, compulsive liar like Trump is their perfect dreamy prom date.
I'm curious how evangelicals feel about the damage Trump's behavior does to their cause, outside their loyal Christian community. Although I'm not a Christian, I have several long time Christian friends to whom I have lost respect because they are supporting this whack job of a president. Pre-Trump, I respected their beliefs although they were counter to mine. But now I simply can't. There is a line of acceptable behavior. And if you don't subscribe to the Christian biblical worldview, that line gets crossed every time Trump emits a divisive and ignorant ranting tweet or some random conspiracy. Is this what Christians consider spreading the good word?
I sincerely want to rebuild these friendships. I miss the interaction with people with whom I can respectfully disagree.But that respect is out the window now. In the longer term, the evangelical cause of spreading God's word is certainly being diminished by this idiot. Can they not see this? Do they even care? Are they hoping for the rapture or second coming or some divine intervention? I just don't get it. Because of Trump's rhetoric, I find myself silently hating people I once respected.
The following comment is written in the style of Curt Ankerberg. It may not be by him, since it was anonymous, but I suspect it. Most Ankerberg-style comments make some homosexual ideation in them, so I consider this a likely-Ankerberg, but not a certain one. Ankerberg is a repeated candidate for local offices and is repeatedly repudiated by voters. He has had problems with the tax and accounting authorities and has a reputation for obscene, harassing social media comments to women.
Comments like the one below are why this blog moderates comments:.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A Christian Supports Trump":
"Ely....you are a trailer park trash bigot. I'd kick you to the curb in a second. You're not worthy of the friendship of a decent person. I'll bet that you support Kate Brown, and Obama and Hillary, and Kitzhaber, and Merkley and Wyden, and socialism, and "global warming". You're a nasty fool with a big mouth, and I bet that you live in Ashland, too. Your former friends are better off without you."
Ralph: Judas was framed. They needed a fall guy. Expect a Presidential pardon.
I find it interesting that all these commenters criticize Trump mercilessly, but have no criticism whatever for Obama, Hillary and Biden, all of whom have said and done some very questionable things. I really don't know if God is using Trump, but it is true that God often uses unlikely people.
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