Our Father, who art in Mar-a-Lago
Many so-called "Christians" accept Trump, not Christ, as their savior now.
Two men, two conservative Christians, two very different responses to Joe Biden’s victory. I leave it to you to determine who has a better handle on what the Christian faith is really all about.
The Copeland video has to be seen to be believed, though if you’re familiar with the Kenneth Copeland private jet trilogy, its contents won’t be too surprising.
Before the election, The Washington Post reported the rise of “Patriot Churches” based on right-wing politics, American nationalism and support for you-know-who:
…The Patriot Churches belong to what religion experts describe as a loosely organized Christian nationalist movement that has flourished under President Trump. In just four years, he has helped reshape the landscape of American Christianity by elevating Christians once considered fringe, including Messianic Jews, preachers of the prosperity gospel and self-styled prophets. At times, this made for some strange bedfellows, but the common thread among them is a sense of being under siege and a belief that America has been and should remain a Christian nation.
From his lectern during the worship service, Peters rails against perceived attacks on First Amendment freedoms, decrying government mandates and calling masks “face diapers.”
Having launched the Patriot Church outside Knoxville, Tenn., on the weekend of Sept. 11, he declares that the Christian faith in America is “under attack.”
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Sociologist Samuel Perry, co-author of the new book “Taking America Back for God,” says no other factor better predicts a vote for Trump than adherence to a Christian nationalist ideology. Poll data shows it is also a stronger predictor of Americans’ attitudes about race, gender, Islam, family/sexuality issues and mask-wearing than traditional political ideology. More than one-third of Americans say this country has always been and is currently a Christian nation, and 40 percent of Americans agree that God has granted the United States a special role in human history, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
Trump, in turn, has cultivated a Christian Nationalist image. There was his June stroll across Lafayette Square to hold up a Bible in front of St. John’s Church for a photo op, after having law enforcement remove peaceful protesters with tear gas. When tens of thousands of conservative Christians, including Peters, flooded the Mall in late September for prayer and speeches, the White House issued a statement saying “our country continues to turn to the Lord.” Trump has also used religious language in his public remarks far more often than previous presidents did, according to research from Ceri Hughes from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Trump has brought more sentiments about Christian nationalism “to the surface,” says Paul Miller, a professor at Georgetown University who is working on a forthcoming book on nationalism, Christianity and American identity. "He’s given permission to say this stuff out loud. He’s mainstreamed them as prominent evangelical voices.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about forgiveness after the Trump era has ended, and how we deal with Trump supporters and apologists going forward. As a Christian I want to forgive, but what some of these people did to the Christian faith makes it that much harder.
To paraphrase the greatest father in television history, they didn’t make Trump more Christian, but instead made Christianity more Trumpy.
A quick question: what is the difference between Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo?
One is a politician who only hit it big because of his powerful family name and connections, whose incompetent leadership led to thousands of COVID-related deaths that shouldn’t have happened, but who has a cultish following amongst highly partisan media outlets who will run interference for him even when he spouts potentially harmful conspiracy theories.
The other was on The Apprentice.
The Simpsons uncannily predicted many things, including a Trump Presidency, but nothing more accurately than my Chicago Bears’ 2020 season.
P.S. It hasn’t ended yet. The firing of Esper doesn’t look great, though it may be nothing (hopefully).
Copeland’s laugh, like the actions of a lot of people who use others, is calculated to get a reaction. He’s pushing people’s buttons and it’s working like a charm; most people seem to be unprepared for someone displaying emotions when they don’t actually feel them. It works because people are wired to respond to feelings with feelings. It’s odd how many people don’t stop to think and analyze.