The article by John Pavlowitz is a trap argument or proffer designed to lure weak and unschooled minds to a judgment about the moral character of a person: in this case Trump.
So— who is a Christian? Obviously, the article deems Trump "not a Christian." Think about it. Mahatma Gandhi was not a Christian---and yet he was by the judgment of history, a pretty moral guy. Harry Truman called himself a Christian--even in the face of obliterating hundreds of thousands of innocent people with the explosion of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And I would never say "Harry Truman was not a Christian." Donald Trump wants to build a wall. Does that make him not a Christian albeit that Pope Francis rendered an ill advised opinion saying just as much?
So this business of boxing up a character into monikers like Christian or Non Christian can lead us down a path that promotes unfair categorizations of souls. Calling a person Christian doesn't make him so. Calling a person non Christian does not undo a deeper compendium of the good will actions of a person as judged by God. To say otherwise is to speak in behalf of God. No--this is not the same as the weak argument of "who am I to judge?" that is used as an excuse to not reflect truth or sponsor quietism in the face of a soul in need of salvation. My response is look at the intentions and the fruit in the context of the good will of those who are under our charge. In the case of a President, those under his or her charge are its citizens. They indeed are the priority. The good will of those apart from our borders are secondary by virtue of the responsibility vested in the office.
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"To say that somehow Trump is exiled from grace permanently by virtue of past sin is to limit the power of Christ who can move (by the power of prayer) a person to make decisions that are clearly meant to result in ends that have deep virtue and are intent upon the common good of a nation's citizenry."
__________________________________________________Christianity or living the ideal life of the Gospel is not a political issue subject to personal preferences about our likes and dislikes of a person's character. Christianity or ones self identification with Christ is not subject to a forum; not subject to an adjudication by society or worldly court or aggregate. That self identification is only subject to the adjudication by God as to how one tried to live that profession.
Who is the one who is so virtuous that they can cast the
first stone? That’s Jesus’ Christ’s purpose in asking the question! No one
meets that standard. Is Donald Trump a Christian? That’s an unfair question of
anyone. Was the good thief who was crucified a thief, justly judged and condemned--- a
Christian? He turns to Jesus asking for the simple task of being remembered and
gains paradise. Was he Christian? What, a thief “miraculously finds Jesus?”
Preposterous. So why would anyone including Trump be different. Each of us are
incredibly fallible as we see our way through life in our weaknesses and
strength; in our sins and in our virtues. We all face our better angels and our
worst demons. Does Donald Trump have the same access to grace as any person for
whom Christ died. Can Christ move the heart of a man like Trump? "To say that somehow Trump is exiled from grace permanently by virtue of past sin is to limit the power of Christ who can move (by the power of prayer) a person to make decisions that are clearly meant to result in ends that have deep virtue and are intent upon the common good of a nation's citizenry."
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"The measure of a man's relationship to Christ is more than the sum of the actions -- good and bad----in a lifetime."
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We must first take away any prejudgment of a person based on political memes. In Trump's case, a media driven impression based on a life full of personal misbehaviors that seem antithetical to virtuous life and the highest ideals of so called Christian life. Take those things away; and rather, assess the following consideration: Trump's commitment to the unborn in a swamp of abortion. Is this commitment virtuous? Are the consequences of such policies Christian? Can a person say that fostering a policy that conforms to the protection of preborn life "unchristian?" That would be preposterous.
So if you
conclude “yes,” then would it follow that the person sponsoring such a Christian policy
then Christian person? Again, it's a trap to say carte blanche -- "yes." The measure of a man's relationship to Christ is more than the sum of the actions -- good and bad----in a lifetime. The measure of a man's relationship to Christ is personal and between him and Christ. To say otherwise is to limit the working of God's grace and relegates the person making such an unfair judgment to be in the place of God. And that, my friends, minimizes Christianity into a club with someone making a judgment as to who is "in" and who is "out."
Rather than coming up with some pseudo adjudication about a person being "in" or "out" of the "club" of Christianity, it’s more important to look at the consequences of a policy
choice than a speculative judgment of the sponsor of that policy. Trump like
the good thief may indeed have done or said awful things and yet by virtue of
that good thief’s generosity to Christ himself, invited the grace of Christ
that resulted in his salvation. Trumps defense of Religious freedom, his
opposition to abortion, his work ethic that has brought about prosperity for
the working man and even his stance on the border as a means of bringing about
order from disorder, all are policies that positively impact the citizens to
which he has been given charge—-are they selfish? Or are they virtuous? Are
they, given his electoral charge, in line with duty? Or whim to benefit one’s
own situation?
All the attention to discredit a supposed “new found” Faith is unfair. Are his
faith overtures a show? To measure sincerity again you have to see the fruit
and not judge the externals.
"Rather than coming up with some pseudo adjudication about a person being 'in' or 'out' of the "club" of Christianity, it’s more important to look at the consequences of a policy choice than a speculative judgment of the sponsor of that policy."
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Trumps personal salvation is the same as yours and mine:
personal—between him and Christ. However mercenary people may think Trumps
overtures are to appeal to faith, prayer and Christianity, they fail to see how
Christ works in history with the most unlikely of characters. To “Stop calling
Trump a Christian” is a moot and vapid exercise that seeks to limit the power
of God’s Grace in the life of a man who defied all odds and prevented a person
who has on occasion written and done things antithetical to the gospel—the
biggest of which is the murder of the unborn. Which one is more Christian? The
label doesn’t matter. What matters are the actions we take that are supportive
or in opposition to the Gospel of life. To not support a leader who is
committed to the simplicity of the justice of protecting the most fundamental
of all gifts—life, is to be in danger of going the way of the bad thief on the
left of Christ. It’s that simple.
And finally, some say Trump's policy on the border is not
Christian because he “supposedly” dehumanizes the immigrant. Jesus gives us a
personal means to salvation; he doesn’t give us a societal means of salvation.
Jesus teachings speak to the individual heart that is not open for discussion
in a societal sense. Policies that are based on rules and laws that promote the
common good of citizens are not to be judged on a religious basis. Adherence to
the common good prerequisite principal in policies is a must in making a
determination whether a policy is just or unjust. But not whether they follow
the Hammurabic code, the mosaic code or canon law—so why measure on the
Christian —-Non Christian scale? Truth is their are policies that were driven by
good intentions but that bore bitter fruit. Are policy errors a justification
to call a nation Non Christian? Only if the supposed good intentions were not
corrupted by a redefinition of the bad as good—-I.e. killing babies is for the
common good of giving a woman her freedom to choose. In those cases, the
intrinsic evil presents a policy error under cover of the title “good” much as
you have a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and when you gave intrinsic evil, you can
say with certainty “this is the spirit of Antichrist. "
I see no irreconcilable differences among the Trump
policies and Christian virtues and morals as I see no intrinsic evil as In the
case of the electoral alternative in Hillary Clinton or Obama for that matter.
It does no good to jump on a bandwagon either way as to whether or not a public
figure is really Christian.
The important issue is the question of the enormity
of God’s Grace to work in even the most despicable of us. I think God has
worked well in Mr. Trump. Whether he’s more Christian than the next guy is a
straw man argument that has no value in our everyday decision making. My advice is don't fall into such traps as set by Pavlowitz' article.
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