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Christian Issues

The Sermon of the Trump: Evangelical Catechesis

by Matthew Distefano in Christian Issues

Donald Trump is a hit among evangelicals. In his own words: “I love them. They love me. I love the evangelicals. Why do they love me? You’ll have to ask them–but they do.” Indeed Donald, why? Well, regardless, since they somehow do, I thought I would help them out by giving them something of a catechesis–instructions on how to make America great again.

Donald 5

The Trumpitudes

5 When the Donald saw the crowds, he went up the podium; and after he sat down, his supporters came to him.2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the rich, for theirs is the American dream.

4 “Blessed are those who win, for they will be called winners.

5 “Blessed are the assertive, for they will make America great.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for power, for they will be filled.

7 “Blessed are those who bomb the shit out of ISIS, for they will find victory.

8 “Blessed are those who close the deal, for they are deal closers.

9 “Blessed are those who make law and order, for they are zealous for the nation.

10 “Blessed are those who destroy the enemy for righteousness’ sake, for they will make America great again.

11 “Blessed are you when you destroy your enemies and crush the terrorists and utter all kinds of accusations against them in the name of God and country. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is a great America, a white America.

13 “You are the trumpeters of the… [Read more…] about The Sermon of the Trump: Evangelical Catechesis

A Close Encounter of the Ark Kind

by Alexis Misra in Christian Issues

Growing up, I loved the story of Noah’s Ark. I loved the underdog theme in which it was presented in Sunday school lessons and sermons: Noah and his family against the world, laughed at by the pagan masses—the terrible, bloodthirsty people who would soon get their comeuppance.

I pictured poor Noah, laboring day after day with his sons to build an ark to save his family, the chosen of God’s creation, from a cataclysmic flood that would wipe out all of civilization. I imagined the threats and the taunts he endured as he built this massive ship, how strong his faith was, and how good God was to spare such a righteous man and his family. They alone were holy, they alone were worthy of salvation. And after the heavens poured down God’s wrath in the form of rain, after the planet was flooded and the evil purged, God (so mercifully) promised to never again flood the earth and annihilate all of creation.

What a story.

I heard this story countless times throughout my childhood, and I even taught it in children’s Sunday school lessons and children’s church groups. But I never thought much about it. After all, the Bible did say that God was sad to destroy humanity. He didn’t want to do it, but it was necessary and He regretted creating humans in the first place. Man was corrupt, evil beyond repair, and only Noah and his family were salvageable. The rest were beyond repentance, beyond salvation, and the obvious choice for an all-powerful God was to completely destroy… [Read more…] about A Close Encounter of the Ark Kind

An Election Reflection: Why Politics Is Personal

by Sarah Anderson in Christian Issues

Growing up outside of Washington, D.C., in a political family, had its pros and cons. A pro was the access we had to things like the Smithsonian and the monuments. Cons would be the insistent political murmur that invaded most conversations and the sense of emergency that surrounded every upcoming legislative vote, appointment, and election.

And then there were the things that just were—like the fact that politics always hit close to home. Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, you knew that behind every election, national firestorm, and escalating debate, were real people—people who you’ve met, who’ve gathered to eat dinner at your house, who you’ve taken vacations with. These people weren’t just suits on a TV screen. They were friends. They went home to real spouses, tucked in real children, and felt the weight of their decisions on real shoulders.

When you grow up in the shadow of Washington, you know this. Politics is personal.

This is complicated. Because, as is evidenced by social media, the talking heads on the news, and the articles appearing on both blogs and nationally syndicated newspapers, most of the time politics is not personal at all. Politics is a sport. It’s a chance to stun with our barbs, wound with our carefully worded condemnations, and impress with our well-educated defenses and criticisms.

The age of sound bites has made it easy to oversimplify the world by making it… [Read more…] about An Election Reflection: Why Politics Is Personal

Can a Christian Vote for Donald Trump?

by Spencer Klavan in Christian Issues, Current Events

Among the most perplexing features of Donald Trump’s surge to victory has been the enthusiastic support of evangelical Christians for a man who can barely name any books of the Bible. Now that Trump’s nomination has forced me to consider soberly the real possibility of casting a vote for that man, I’m finding the Christian groundswell behind Trump ever more mystifying. One of my most pressing objections to voting for Trump is that I can’t see a way to do so as a Christian. I’m starting to think Trump’s ideology might represent the actual opposite of Christianity.

Here’s what I don’t mean by that. I don’t mean that Trump is such a meanie and my sweet, precious Jesus would never tolerate all that yelling. Reports of Christ’s niceness have been greatly exaggerated. Flip through the gospels and you’ll find a much rougher, scrappier character than you may have been led to expect–upending tables, talking back to his mother, fiercely vituperating his best friends. The use of the term “Christian” to mean “cuddly” is one of the more distasteful banalizations of that word in American popular culture. “Unchristian” isn’t a synonym for “uncouth.”

No, my problem is that Trump’s worldview is pretty much diametrically opposed to the one inherent in Jesus’ life story. By his own gleeful admission, Trump is all about “winning, winning, winning.” This means that from the bedroom to the electoral college, he defines human value in terms of material and worldly success. Who’s got the hottest… [Read more…] about Can a Christian Vote for Donald Trump?

What the H*!! Does "Biblical" Mean?

by Chuck Queen in Christian Issues

In a recent interview, Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church, Dallas, argued that his support for Donald Trump was “biblical.” He said,
I was debating an evangelical professor on NPR and this professor said, “Pastor, don’t you want a candidate who embodies the teaching of Jesus and would govern this country according to the principles found in the Sermon on the Mount?” I said, “Heck no. I would run from that candidate as far as possible, because the Sermon on the Mount was not given as a governing principle for this nation. Nowhere is government told to forgive those who wrong it, nowhere is government told to turn the other cheek. Government is to be a strongman to protect its citizens against evildoers. When I’m looking for somebody who’s going to deal with ISIS and exterminate ISIS, I don’t care about that candidate’s tone or vocabulary, I want the meanest, toughest, son of a you-know-what I can find, and I believe that’s biblical.”
The logic above is so inherently and obviously twisted a critique hardly seems necessary. What does “biblical” mean in this context?

Just the other day, I heard from a woman who was a member of a church I previously pastored. She was a deacon when I was there and she taught Bible studies for women in the church (some men attended as well). I hadn’t heard from her for a long time, so I was a bit surprised when she exploded onto my Facebook page. Recently, I have been posting quotes from my sermons along with links to access them on my… [Read more…] about What the H*!! Does "Biblical" Mean?

The Judging Epidemic: Please Drop Your Rocks

by Belinda Croft in Christian Issues

In a still moment, on the second floor of this building, I look out the window to the world around me. Life is happening. I feel a very tangible presence of God. It’s a gloriously tipsy feeling that hugs my body and my heart. It makes me smile. I am reminded of God’s desire and love for me. Always for me. Always kind. Always loving. It is the love that my heart has been longing for.

I am totally smitten with the creator of the universe. Not because I can bring much to the relationship, but because He loves me so perfectly. I can put the world on hold and it feels like it is only me and Him.

The weight of the rock

But amid this beauty I sense a heaviness within me–it is the weight of judgement rocks. The rocks we throw every day at others. Our perception. Our opinion. Our judgement. Watching the responses to the Orlando massacre, to the debate on transgender bathroom use, to the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, and to the shootings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge–my heart sinks as I process the pain our judgment often causes.

Maybe you’ve expressed your opinions in the form of little (or big), private (or very public) comments that you feel rising up within you. Maybe you’ve felt that you are in the best position to make a judgement call, to have a moment of “truth,” to speak out without knowing all the facts.

You collect a rock off the ground …

“There was a woman raped on the street. She was probably wearing a short skirt… [Read more…] about The Judging Epidemic: Please Drop Your Rocks

Seeing Christ in the Abyss

by Jill Crainshaw in Christian Issues

This guest post is by Jill Crainshaw.

Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.  Luke 24:35 (NRSV)

What about their lives compels them to take the risk? Whatever it is, they do it. They climb onto unseaworthy vessels and head out into rough waters. Perhaps the persecution or poverty on their home shores makes the perils of rickety, overburdened boats seem small by comparison. Seeking sanctuary, they go.

The realities of migrating people today are harsh and deadly, and I have found myself thinking: Christ must not have been asleep in those vessels that have capsized in the Mediterranean in earlier this year, for he seems not to have awakened to rebuke the wind and sea. But another courageous voice did speak out: German Cardinal Ranier Maria Woelki broke Eucharistic bread from a refugee boat as he celebrated the Corpus Christi Mass last May.

The Washington Post featured these words from Woelki: “Someone who lets people drown in the Mediterranean also drowns God.” I don’t think Woelki was referring to the Christ of the Abyss, the famous statue of Jesus that was placed in the Mediterranean Sea in the 1950s, though the connection is striking. Since January, more than 1400 migrants have died in that same sea where the sculpted Jesus, arms lifted up from the deeps, offers a watery benediction. Woelki sought through his unconventional Eucharistic blessing at that boat-altar to lament refugee deaths and call for Christian actions… [Read more…] about Seeing Christ in the Abyss

The Great Masquerade: Who Is Christian in the Age of Trump?

by Jean Pouliot in Christian Issues

This guest post is by Jean Pouliot.

Donald Trump has won the admiration and loyalty of millions of Americans, including large blocks of churchgoing Christians. He has openly courted the evangelical vote and has repeatedly touted his Christian faith. But, given his statements and behavior, it might be wise to reflect on what being a Christian actually means. For many in my own Catholic faith, being Christian boils down to your position on abortion–be agin’ it and you’re in; be fer it and you’re out.

But what does being Christian mean if not following the way of Christ? Remember him? The guy that started the whole shebang?

To get to the core of Christ’s teaching, you can do worse than to start at Matthew 5: the Sermon on the Mount. In his sermon, Jesus listed a number of aggrieved groups that were in for some blessing: the poor in spirit, mourners, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, the clean of heart, peacemakers, those insulted for being his own followers. Jesus identifies these as people who are in distress now, but who will be comforted in the age to come. They are God’s special people, who, though oppressed by the world, will find relief in God’s reign.

If I am to follow Christ’s lead, then should I not also bless those whom God blesses? Should I not take the part of those in spiritual poverty and fill them with hope? Shouldn’t I comfort those who mourn the death of those lost to addiction, militarism, gun violence, terrorism, and sexual… [Read more…] about The Great Masquerade: Who Is Christian in the Age of Trump?

Trump and Dobson: Constantine and Faust

by Robyn Shepherd in Christian Issues

This guest post is by Robyn Shepherd.

As a child, I regularly listened to the radio broadcasts provided by the conservative Christian organization, Focus on the Family–both the daily broadcast on family issues and the weekly broadcast of the radio drama for children, Adventures in Odyssey.

My understanding of family life and the meaning and content of Christian faith was heavily influenced by these broadcasts. I listened carefully to the dangers of straying beyond the strict confines of conservative Christian morality, and I can still hear the emphatic tone of voice in which Dr. Dobson warned his listeners that the process of falling in love that begins with holding hands will inevitably “end up in bed” if nothing is done to stop it.

Adventures in Odyssey was entertaining and funny, with engaging characters and high quality production and story editing. I enjoyed listening to the adventures and getting to know the characters. It was only later in life that I began to sort out the potentially damaging messages within the drama from the more simple moralistic ideas of parental love and good behavior. I still like to listen at times, for nostalgia’s sake, but I am increasingly concerned by how the blithe and joyful nature of the program masks what frequently amounts to bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance. I am grieved that such a special part of my childhood is turning into something that is little better than a propaganda tool for extreme… [Read more…] about Trump and Dobson: Constantine and Faust