The Faith in Donald J. Trump

[TheSystem]

Interesting article from the Medium. First few paragraphs appear below:

The Faith In Donald J. Trump

Why evangelicals are working overtime to convince themselves the President is a faithful instrument of God

Ben Howe
Mar 13

Is Donald Trump actually a Christian? You may find it unseemly to question the authenticity of Trump’s professed faith. However, this question preoccupies a lot of evangelical leaders in this country.

Despite the fact that support for Trump from evangelical voters is not predicated on his professed Christian beliefs, evangelical leaders have been desperate to paint him as part of the club — a true man of faith — ever since he started leading in the Republican primaries. They’ve gone to great lengths to convince Christians that Trump is a consenting instrument of God’s will.

The Faith of Donald J. Trump, by David Brody and Scott Lamb, is the latest in this effort. The authors do not disappoint in their ability to rationalize every ill-considered utterance and misstep as yet more proof that Trump is the greatest presidential ally Christendom has ever witnessed—even though heroic perfection is not required when one’s audience is so willing to accept the premise right from the start.

The book’s purpose is the same as that of the evangelical leaders you see debasing themselves on Fox & Friends every week or so, which is to convince viewers that, first, they need not wish for a godly president, and second, Trump is, in fact, a godly president.

Donald Trump himself was so inspired upon learning how strong his own Christian faith is that he pitched the book to his nearly 50 million Twitter followers....

With careful planning, the authors do not specifically claim the book will answer the questions surrounding the legitimacy of President Trump’s faith (to do so would be to admit it must be legitimized). Instead, they intend to demonstrate that Trump is a consenting instrument of God’s will through his acts. But the impression they’d like to leave is clear: Trump is God’s faithful servant.

[HouseWolf]

Sure beats the muslim con artist who preceded him.

[TheSystem]

Sure beats the muslim con artist who preceded him.

I'd say Obama is about as Muslim as Trump is Christian--and as coal is white.

[OldTimer]

I'd say Obama is about as Muslim as Trump is Christian--and as coal is white.

Damn, you must be that new and improved brand of stupid I've been hearing so much about. Impressive!

[ractivist]

Damn, you must be that new and improved brand of stupid I've been hearing so much about. Impressive!

Funny, accurate too.

[OLD FARMER]

Received in an email...

Most folks know that I despised Hillary, but was somewhat dismayed that the alternative was Trump. Trump for me was the lesser of two evils, but that’s water under the bridge. I stumbled into this article about a Gold Star Mom, and figured I’d share.
Billy and Karen Vaughn are the parents of fallen Navy SEAL, Aaron Carson Vaughn (SEAL Team VI). On August 6, 2011 Aaron was killed in action in the Tangi River Valley of Afghanistan when a chopper (call sign Extortion 17) carrying thirty Americans was shot from the sky. Let me tell you, when a Gold Star Mom speaks, people listen. These moms have endured unimaginable loss and have earned the right to a bully pulpit. They are not some fawned over TV show host or starlet. GSMs are the stuff that made America truly great, raising kids who understand the meaning of “the last full measure of devotion.”
Here are her words:
Sometimes God uses the no-nonsense, salty sailor to get the job done. Appreciating what the man is doing doesn’t mean we worship the salty sailor or even desire to be like the salty sailor. It doesn’t even mean God admires the salty sailor. Maybe He just knows he’s necessary for such a time as this.
I believe with all my heart that God placed that salty sailor in the White House and gave this nation one more chance in November 2016. Donald Trump is what he is. He is still the man he was before the election. And without guilt, I very much admire what that salty sailor is accomplishing.
He’s not like me. That’s okay with me. I don’t want to be like him. I will never behave like him. I know we’ve NEVER had a man like him lead our nation. It’s crazy and a little mind blowing at times. But I can’t help admire the ability he has to act with his heart rather than a calculated, PC, think tank-screened, carefully edited script. I still believe that is WHY he became our President and WHY he’s been able to handle a landslide of adversity and STILL pass unprecedented amounts of good legislation for our country AND do great works for MANY other nations, including Israel.
I’m THRILLED with what he’s doing for my nation, for the cause of Christ (whether intentional or unintentional, doesn’t matter to me), and for the concept of rebuilding America and putting her FIRST. I will not be ashamed of my position because others don’t see him through the same lens.
Should it matter to me if a fireman drops an f-bomb while he’s pulling me from a burning building? Would I really care about what came out of his mouth in those moments? Heck no! I’d CARE about what he was DOING. He wasn’t sent there to save my soul and I’m not looking to him for spiritual guidance. All I’m thinking in those moments is, “Thank you, Jesus, for sending the fireman.”
This man is crass. Okay. He’s not careful with what he says. Okay. You feel offended that he’s not a typical statesman. Okay. But he is rebuilding the nation my son died for…the nation I feared was on a fast track to becoming a hopeless cause. Forgive me if I’m smiling.

[TheSystem]

Damn, you must be that new and improved brand of stupid I've been hearing so much about. Impressive!

And you're clearly the regular unimproved old brand--the kind incapable of using reason or facts, so who depends on insult to respond to what's said by people who disagree with him.

[OldTimer]

And you're clearly the regular unimproved old brand--the kind incapable of using reason or facts, so who depends on insult to respond to what's said by people who disagree with him.

For the likes of you, a simple insult is more than adequate. In fact, I've wasted more of my time on you than you're worth, but I'm feeling especially generous today. Goodbye. You're dismissed.

[TheSystem]

Received in an email...

Most folks know that I despised Hillary, but was somewhat dismayed that the alternative was Trump. Trump for me was the lesser of two evils, but that’s water under the bridge. I stumbled into this article about a Gold Star Mom, and figured I’d share.
Billy and Karen Vaughn are the parents of fallen Navy SEAL, Aaron Carson Vaughn (SEAL Team VI). On August 6, 2011 Aaron was killed in action in the Tangi River Valley of Afghanistan when a chopper (call sign Extortion 17) carrying thirty Americans was shot from the sky. Let me tell you, when a Gold Star Mom speaks, people listen. These moms have endured unimaginable loss and have earned the right to a bully pulpit. They are not some fawned over TV show host or starlet. GSMs are the stuff that made America truly great, raising kids who understand the meaning of “the last full measure of devotion.”
Here are her words:
Sometimes God uses the no-nonsense, salty sailor to get the job done. Appreciating what the man is doing doesn’t mean we worship the salty sailor or even desire to be like the salty sailor. It doesn’t even mean God admires the salty sailor. Maybe He just knows he’s necessary for such a time as this.
I believe with all my heart that God placed that salty sailor in the White House and gave this nation one more chance in November 2016. Donald Trump is what he is. He is still the man he was before the election. And without guilt, I very much admire what that salty sailor is accomplishing.
He’s not like me. That’s okay with me. I don’t want to be like him. I will never behave like him. I know we’ve NEVER had a man like him lead our nation. It’s crazy and a little mind blowing at times. But I can’t help admire the ability he has to act with his heart rather than a calculated, PC, think tank-screened, carefully edited script. I still believe that is WHY he became our President and WHY he’s been able to handle a landslide of adversity and STILL pass unprecedented amounts of good legislation for our country AND do great works for MANY other nations, including Israel.
I’m THRILLED with what he’s doing for my nation, for the cause of Christ (whether intentional or unintentional, doesn’t matter to me), and for the concept of rebuilding America and putting her FIRST. I will not be ashamed of my position because others don’t see him through the same lens.
Should it matter to me if a fireman drops an f-bomb while he’s pulling me from a burning building? Would I really care about what came out of his mouth in those moments? Heck no! I’d CARE about what he was DOING. He wasn’t sent there to save my soul and I’m not looking to him for spiritual guidance. All I’m thinking in those moments is, “Thank you, Jesus, for sending the fireman.”
This man is crass. Okay. He’s not careful with what he says. Okay. You feel offended that he’s not a typical statesman. Okay. But he is rebuilding the nation my son died for…the nation I feared was on a fast track to becoming a hopeless cause. Forgive me if I’m smiling.

In other words: "I don't care how corrupt, dishonest, or morally depraved this guy is. I will support and defend him and make excuses for him as long as he follows policies I like, and I will prostitute my own integrity and stated faith in order to do it."

If Jesus hadn't risen from his grave, he'd be turning in it. I never again want to hear from that bunch of Bible-thumping hypocrites about how the character of public figures matters to them. Ever. What amazes me is that the people of faith who have actually not set their Bibles alight to hold up as torches at the Trump rallies don't call their fellow believers out for it, given the disastrous effect it has on their effectiveness as witnesses and exemplars.

[jimmyb]

In other words: "I don't care how corrupt, dishonest, or morally depraved this guy is. I will support and defend him and make excuses for him as long as he follows policies I like, and I will prostitute my own integrity and stated faith in order to do it."

If Jesus hadn't risen from his grave, he'd be turning in it. I never again want to hear from that bunch of Bible-thumping hypocrites about how the character of public figures matters to them. Ever. What amazes me is that the people of faith who have actually not set their Bibles alight to hold up as torches at the Trump rallies don't call their fellow believers out for it, given the disastrous effect it has on their effectiveness as witnesses and exemplars.

So when did the left find morality.