Derogatory Comments About Trump
Part Two
Written by Dale Ebel
I have been reluctant to write about this subject for at least six years. However, because I continue to hear on a regular basis demeaning labels that flow freely from the lips of Christians about the President, I would like to address this. This is part 2 of 3 shorter articles (I know everyone is busy!)
Topics in this article. (Select your preferences)
Headings.
• positive and negative comments about Trump
• throughout the article 16 related Scriptures
• derogatory comments I hear about Trump
• how to respond when we hear negative comments
• evaluate public servants according to their policies
• two visions for America from conservatives and progressives
• quotes from Donald Trump and Barack Obama
• the importance of wisdom and it’s connection to morality
• further comments about derogatory statements
• how our opinions are shaped by the leftist media complex
• new Holy Spirit mini movements
• actions to take
• intercessions being offered
“Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” – Titus 3:1-2 ESV
“Show respect for all people [treat them honorably], love the brotherhood [of believers], fear God, honor the king.” – 1 Peter 2:17 AMP
Positive Introductory Remarks About Trump.
Look to all three articles for my comments. Notice my remarks are not qualified by derogatory and dishonoring language that is apologetic about his perceived character. If you are up for it, please look up the verses I have listed below about each of the interests he stands for.
Below is a general statement Linda and I make often:
“I support Trump because he stands for so many of the biblical issues that I believe in.”
• Trump is for the protection of babies in the womb and that is of paramount importance to me! (Psalm 139:13 NLT)
• Trump enacts sound policies for economic growth. (Deuteronomy 15:6)
• Donald Trump’s strong character is expressed in his foreign policy of “peace through strength.” (Proverbs 25:26)
Hey gang, let’s become comfortable with verbalizing the good Trump is doing!
Derogatory Comments That I Hear Consistently from Christians Talking About Trump:
• Trump is an adulterer, and he hates women. I could never vote for him.
• He is a wicked man that lies and cheats to get his way to the top.
• He is morally bankrupt.
How do you usually respond when you hear such comments?
Taking the label from my above list, “morally bankrupt” I usually say something like this: Oh, you mean “morally bankrupt” like you and me? The Holy Scriptures are very clear about the nature of mankind.
“… for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.” – Genesis 8:21 LSB
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” – Isaiah 64:6 NIV
Evaluate Public Servants According to Their Policies
It is safe to say for public leaders the practice of their righteous character or unrighteous character is revealed in the policies and the legislation that they enact or, in the case of America, the platforms of each political party. Moral words mean nothing if there are no moral actions taken for the good of a society. We who profess Christ and love God at a minimum will hate evil, not only the evil generated from our inner nature but also the broader evils that we see brought about by corruption in our culture including the halls of government. If I say that I love God I must also say that I deplore evil and as a follower of Christ I ought to fight to stem the tide of nefarious legislation and policies that are opposed to Scripture.
“Hate evil, you who love Yahweh, who keeps the souls of His holy ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 97:10 LSB
Two Visions for America From Conservatives and Progressives.
To help me navigate through the somewhat complex issues that we face regarding the character and morality of leaders, it is helpful for me to address the issues regarding two different visions for our country.
Contrary to what we hear, the Great American divide is not a clash between conservatives who advocate liberty versus progressives who oppose liberty. Rather the two sides each affirm a certain type of liberty. One side, for example, cherishes economic liberty while the other champions liberty in the sexual and the social domain. Nor is there a clash between patriots and anti-patriots. Both sides love America, but they love a different type of America. One side lives and loves the America of Columbus and the 4th of July, of innovation and work ethic, the spirit of risk that capitalism affords and the freedom and expectation to create and keep one’s wealth. Conservatives value the Founding Fathers, the Constitution as originally written, parochial and charter schools, traditional families and flag saluting veterans.
The other side loves America of the new tolerance (one must agree), social entitlements, of income and wealth distribution, of affirmative action, government paid abortions, transgenderism, sex changes for young children, drag queens speaking to our children in grade school and the belief that a man can become a woman and have a baby. This is simply foolish.This side honors DEI- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Equity is the demand for uniform outcomes, while equality is the fairness of opportunities. DEI is straight out of the Marxist playbook. This side values an evolving Constitution, the defunding of the police and the rewriting of American history.
If so-called Christians support the progressive vision of America, I simply we’ll leave them to the folly of their own ways.
“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” – Proverbs 14:8 NIV
I would agree with Moses’ assessment of Israel regarding the support of such unwise ideologies.
“But Israel is a senseless nation; the people are foolish, without understanding.’ Or, the Jewish Publication Society (JPS), translation says, “So they are folk void of sense, lacking in all discernment.” – Deuteronomy 32:28 NLT
The Importance of Wisdom and it’s Connection to Morality.
When I have the privilege to dialogue with sincere Christians regarding their leftist understanding and support for transgenderism, racism, or white privilege, I have discovered they believe that the moral arc of history, and the proper understanding of the “love of Jesus” is bending in their direction. Many simply do not want to be on the wrong side of history or Christianity. I also have discovered that they themselves and those progressives who espouse such views are kind, compassionate, and loving people with good motives. These behaviors seem reasonable because people’s intentions are good but from my perspective good intentions are not enough to overcome evil. I believe these sincere Christians truly desire to act the way that Jesus would act by loving people who practice alternative lifestyles or those perceived as marginalized. (As an aside, I wish more Christians would use Jesus’ full name– The Lord Jesus Christ.)
On July 6, 2017, President Donald Trump addressed the values of Western civilization, to the Polish people in Warsaw’s Krasinski Square:
“The West,” Trump said, “is a particular type of civilization. We write symphonies. We pursue innovation… we strive for excellence and cherish inspiring works of art and honor God. We treasure the rule of law and protect the right to free speech and free expression. We empower women as pillars of our society and our success. We put faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, at the center of our lives, we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share the hope of every soul to live in freedom. That is who we are. Those are the priceless ties that bind us together.” His speech brought the Polish crowd to its feet in enthusiastic applause.
Have you noticed how many people from other countries are alarmed at what is happening in America and cherish American ideals more than complacent ideologues living free?
The Importance of Wisdom
From my perspective, wisdom is far more important than good intentions. It is also more important than knowledge. Wisdom is the capacity to make sound, biblically righteous judgments in matters of life and conduct. Most people, especially intellectuals, confuse wisdom with knowledge, or minimize wisdom and replace it with intelligence. An example of this can be found in the halls of academia where it is widely believed that people who hold a doctorate are wiser than people who do not. Regarding the academics understanding of evolution, I found this to be particularly true. When I taught the literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis, the main outcry came from the academics in the congregation. Those who held doctorates or majors in biology, medicine and/or geology. The leaders of our church listened to these intellectual elites and encouraged me not to teach the literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. From my perspective there is a moral culpability regarding these decisions and a lack of wisdom and sound biblical judgements.
The Western supporters of communism were disproportionately intellectuals. These haighly educated Westerners were the group most likely to support communism though often not realizing their endorsed leaders were genocidal tyrants. Even today a disproportionate support of the Social Justice ideologies come from the misjudgment of the “intelligent” political elitists, as well as the perceived intelligent people occupying the professing Christian camp. Friends, at a minimum this is tragically unwise.
The progressive side fosters dependence on the State. In his notes on the State of Virginia Thomas Jefferson said: “Dependence begets subservience in venality [the ability to be bribed], suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.”
Both sides value American exceptionalism—the one side believes America is exceptionally good, while the other believes that America is exceptionally evil. Unless people are leftists, they do not wish to destroy America, however, they are set on making a new America. On the cusp of his historic presidential election, Barack Obama said in Colombia, Missouri, on October 30th, 2008: “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” The Social Justice Movements are attempting to, and are fulfilling Obama’s leftist dreams. Will believers be so compliant and deceived? (Look to Romans 11:8-10 where God addresses Israel’s blindness).
Further Comments About Derogatory Statements
Imagine, when in conversations, people labeled you or me with some degrading description of our character—past or present. This would be devastating to say the least. I can provide you the names of Christians who have committed previous grievous sins and/or are not living for Jesus Christ now and are quick to label Trump as an adulterer, woman hater, arrogant, brash, a tyrant, a dictator, a toxic masculine man, or “the lesser of two evils.” Even when Hilary Clinton and Trump went head-to-head, in the 2016 general election, I never labeled one of the candidates as, “The lesser of two evils.” I simply think that is degrading to any political person in office and dishonoring to the office of the United States Presidency. This is also the tactic used by the Marxist ideologies in the Social Justice Movements— to downgrade our foundational institutions. Far too many Christians play into the Marxist philosophies by pontificating destructive comments which ultimately demean our Constitutional Republic.
I have been in conversation with several people in one of the leading national evangelistic ministries in which that organization has gone “woke,” (which means becoming awakened to your whiteness and your white privilege, which should make you feel guilty because you are guilty). They are quick to lambaste Trump with vindictive vitriol. They ridicule Trump for being a liar, (usually without the accurate facts from prejudicial sources) and for being brash as if these sins are worse than not standing against unrighteousness or complying to Marxist ideologies. The sincere Germans and the German Church fell into the same web of deception.
It is amazing to me how quickly and freely these vindictive comments flow from Christian lips. They actually spit the same vitriol I hear from the atheistic voices of social media and leftist pundits. Clearly, for many, many Christians we are simply “conforming ourselves to the pattern of this world,” (Romans 12:2), and we are getting our information from the “spirit of error” (1 John 4:6). There is a good reason why the Lord says in Exodus 23:2, “do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.” The “crowd,” at this present time, can and does include social media. Our minds and hearts and decisions ought to be transformed by the Holy Spirit by grasping the whole counsel of God, not by secular pundits. Friends, we can have our minds transformed by the Spirit of God! Let’s stay immersed in the whole counsel of God.
Our Opinions Can be Shaped by The Mantra of The Leftist Media Complex
It is also clear that far too many Christians are perceiving the world as the “world” is reporting to them. This is not a conspiracy. We have listened to the cacophony of the centipede media complex for years that covers up bad economic, and social policies or empowers deviant behaviors by calling them normal. The Leftist news and social media—newspapers, news magazines, YouTube presentations, Google, Facebook, radio, and TV, with few exceptions, are propaganda machines that sway the public opinion. The Hollywood gang and the academic pundits clearly have a significant sway on us Christians, which is revealing in and of itself. The only way these leftist ideologies can survive is with the steady stream of the efforts of the democratic social media complex. Pretty sobering!
I understand how non-Christians are being blinded by the God of this world:“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4), however for professing Christians who ought to “walk as Children of the light” (Ephesians 5:8), our responses ought to be founded on a rational, and thorough Biblical Total Truth Worldview because we “love the Truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11). In the Thessalonians passage the fundamental way to dispel deception is by loving and embracing the Truth and the whole Truth. This is simply marvelous.
I believe it is morally concerning that many Christians don’t qualify their assessment of Trump by the righteousness he has done and is attempting to do. I think too many Christians are intimidated by public opinion, their families, and especially their children. It seems that they will go along from what they hear from other Christians and secular voices. This is why it is vital that pastors speak up. By the way, in my estimation probably 70 to 80% of the so-called evangelical pastors are not willing to confront evil like Trump is. They simply ignore the issues, and they feel they are safe and secure by continuing to stay focused on peaceful and comfortable subjects. Any religion, and/or if our own faith — ignores the intellectual tasks of explaining our Faith and is not able to address the social issues of the day, but simply retreats to the therapeutic realm of personal relationships and feelings — will not survive today’s spiritual battlefield. We must learn to fight with love and respect in the public arena.
I, like most of us, would rather talk and teach about the affirmations of our Faith, but I also am
compelled to “contend for the Faith.” (Jude 3)
“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you exhorting that you contend earnestly for the Faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” – Jude 1:3 LSB
New Holy Spirit Mini-Movements
I wrote a letter to a key leader in Campus Crusade (CRU), Jim Dempsey, about the organization espousing wokeism. He never responded back, and I was very polite and gracious. It is easy for these organizations to justify their compliance to false ideologies because, after all, they are “sharing the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” To me, this is an example of compartmentalization and dualism.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19 NIV
Meanwhile, God is raising up new evangelistic organizations that are staying true to the Word of God and are presenting the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ! This pattern of letting false organizations die and new ones rise up to take their place is evident in the life of the Nation of Israel. On many occasions when the nation became apostate, He raised up His remnant and they created a new movement! This is wonderfully redemptive, isn’t it?
“In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return; yes, the remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.” – Isaiah10:20-21 NLT
I am speaking firsthand for I know young people, who we are financially supporting, who have opted out of CRU and are participating in other movements! This is actually very exciting! I believe more Christ-followers ought to leave their woke churches and organizations and align themselves with new movements that the Lord God is bringing about. If you would like a copy of the letter I sent Jim Dempsey let me know and I will email it to you. It might serve as a template for you if you write to other organizations or churches that are adjusting the Truth to accommodate the culture.
I don’t mean to be harsh, but perhaps there is a reason why the first trait that is listed of the people going to hell is being a “coward”. (Revelation 21:8). The second trait listed is “the unbelieving.” I am not saying that these pastors or Christians are going to hell. I’m not even coming close to that, but what I am saying, is that it takes courageous faith to follow Christ and teach the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
Actions to take
#1 absorb the Scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to ruminate in you and through you. If you can paraphrase their contents while standing in a grocery store you have succeeded
#2 communicate one thought from this article to two people. Ask for their opinion regarding what I have written.
#3 can you articulate one or two tenets from the Marxist ideologies of the social justice movement? Give it a try!
#4 how have you seen Christians, in particular, voice the mantra from leftist social media? Give ways you can respond righteously.
#5 list one or two ways you are contending for the Faith as the Holy Spirit encourages us through Jude.
Intercessions being offered—Please consider praying right now.
- safety for Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu
- return of the kidnapped hostages
- the transition and implementation of Trump’s policies and decisions
- safety of the IDF soldiers
- protection of the Christians in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, Iraq, and Yemen
- victory with the war against radical Muslims
“If you keep quiet at a time like this…. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14 NLT
By the power of the Holy Spirit, I’m attempting to speak up.
Let’s do it together.
Dale