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The one and same Jesus that they have turned into a
money grubbing merchandising machine replete with plastic
cups, T-shirts, pens, banners, podcasts, CD’s, key fobs,
magnetic signs, posters, hats and quacky get rich quick
scheme books,
What you are now experiencing is a tsunami shift in
evangelical thought by which the old boundary lines and
firewalls which once stood for the integrity and truth of
scriptures, is being quickly eroded and is being replaced
with the cultic personality of Donald Trump becoming their
“go to savior.”
What was once a body of believers who attested to the
inerrancy of scriptures and the finality of the Word of God
on all matters of morality, is now a corpus of beliefs being
jettisoned in favor of blurred lines constituting the non-negotiables
markers of the Christian faith.
With the puzzling rise of Trump as the titular head
of the emasculated GOP and with the majority of white
evangelicals basing their cultural hopes on the quicksand of
Trumpism, evangelical White America is sliding into the
goop of nonsensical thinking that Trump is the God-ordained
protector of their faith and their shield against the
onslaughts of a wicked world.
Trump, being an accomplished con artist as attested
to by those who intimately know him, willingly allowed
himself to be transfigured from a reality TV showman to the
protector of the faith for those white evangelicals who
chafe at being persecuted for their stances on all things
biblical.
Herr Trump, knowing how to play to the fears of the
religious right, allowed himself to be groomed as the only
person in the Republican presidential field who had the guts
and the toughness to stand up against an America that was
shortchanging their values.
Trump smelled their fear of racial integration, loss
of prestige and status, same sex marriages, abortion and
rode that ticket straight into the Oval Office.
Now, the white evangelicals can not sing his praises
loud enough for what they consider is their answer to their
prayers about a warrior President who has taken them under
his protective wings against the torpedoes of an immoral
America.
To these white evangelicals, it did not matter one
whit that Donald Trump was as far away from any Christian
character, morals or principles as clean water is the
opposite of poison.
To them, it did not matter that Trump was the
antithesis of their cherished Bible beliefs.
What mattered is that he said that he would fight their
public battles and appoint federal judges who would do their
bidding.
These frightened evangelicals would rather
compromise their beliefs in return for a president telling
them what they wanted to hear. Most importantly, the
gravamen of the situation, is they now have access to the
White House.
That is their gold standard: White evangelicals
having their “leaders” able to pick up the phone and talk to
the Donald. That, for them is power greater than a Jesus
giving a Sermon on the Mount.
And, in the process, if the white evangelicals must
close their eyes to the outrageous and evil conduct of the
president so be it.
And, if they must shut their ears to his vain and
gross commentary on women, minorities, immigrants and
disabled people, they can live with it.
What they cannot live with is being persecuted by the
world and being the object of scorn or laughter by society
at large.
Even though their beliefs as garnered from the Bible
clearly inform them that they are not to be friends with the
world or seek the favor of the world’s Caesars, nonetheless,
they would rather leave their first love (Jesus) and seek
the trappings of power and privilege and approval from a
world that has shown contempt for their beliefs and manner
of conduct.
White evangelicals want to be in the klieg lights of
power and prestige and to be seen as a friend of the
president. They want to be respected by the world and they
want to be on easy street in America.
These white evangelicals have nigh open contempt and
scorn for the way of denial, poverty, lack, caring for the
less fortunate, the hapless immigrant and the outcast.
They have contempt for the ways that the Bible speaks of
what may happen to them when they forsake the baubles and
trinkets of the world and fix their destiny to an empty
cross on a hill outside of Jerusalem.
For these wimpy evangelicals, they seek not
commendation from Jesus, but would rather be on the
plantation of Mar-A-Largo preening and basking in the sun of
Trump.
Tragically, these white evangelicals, have made a
conscious decision that this Jesus of the Bible is just not
enough for them.
He is not the fighter for their values that they
thought he was. He is not wearing an Armani suit and driving
a Bentley. His portfolio of promises contains self-denials,
worldly persecutions and not high-flying stock tips and how
to have a beautiful life in only thirty days!
No, these present-day naysayers of the faith, marched
to the 2016 voting booths and pulled the levers for a known
con man and a man that professes not the slightest
allegiance to the commandments of their faith.
They went whoring after other gods, namely Trump and
if required that they had to sear their conscience to do it,
so be it. They now have what they thought was missing in
their collective lives and that was access to power and not
being regarded as people of no importance.
The Bible is surfeit with admonitions, warnings and
examples of those professing to follow the scriptures, but
still decide to say, “Jesus is just not enough” and they go
in hot pursuit after a purported narcissistic and
pathological liar.
After all is said and done, what was the tripwire that
exposed them for their cowardice of standing by the
standards of biblical morality and they wanting to be
caressed and wooed by political leaders?
Lamentably, it would boil down to them, “Talking loud
and saying nothing!”
Oh…how the mighty have fallen!
Contact Lafe Tolliver @ tolliver@juno.com
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