Hello World,
I try, as much as I can, to stay away from politics because it is a such divisive topic. But after watching the U.S. Capitol Building under siege last Wednesday, I must address it here. My goal is to not share my opinions although I have strong ones. My goal is to share critical thoughts that I hope Christians can use to help us all to discern what God is saying to us.
From the moment President Trump then just reality TV star Donald J. Trump began running for office in 2015, he has caused controversy. There were those who didn’t take him nor his campaign seriously because he was known as reality TV star with a penchant for creating publicity. Many thought he was simply running for president as a way to expand his brand. But as the presidential race continued, one by one each Republican was knocked out of the race. And what a race it was. Name calling was one of his favorite tools in his arsenal. He called Jeb Bush “Low Energy Jeb.” Ted Cruz was “Lyin’ Ted.” “Little Marco” was his choice for Marco Rubio. It was funny for some but others were appalled. Due to this behavior as well as others qualities, Republicans still didn’t take him seriously until he was actually selected as the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential election. Still, there remained a faction who referred to “Never Trumpers” who were dedicated to not getting on the Trump Train no matter who jumped on it.
Surprisingly for some, evangelical Christians were among those who jumped on board. Despite the Two Corinthians situation and Access Hollywood tape, evangelical Christians, by and large, voted for him while many other Christians, namely black Christians, didn’t support him for a variety of reasons including his questioning the birth certificate of our nation’s first black president Barack H. Obama and other incidents in which some believe that Trump demonstrated racism. This is a chasm that continues until this very day although there have been many well-known black Christians such as Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., for example, who support the president.
So I’m not going to provide an exhaustive rundown of all the controversies that have transpired in Trump presidency, but I will discuss some of the controversies that come to my memory as I write this. Think of it as a controversy highlight reel if you will…
- While our nation is analyzing the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol Building under siege today, it wasn’t that long ago when our nation was in an uproar about what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia in the summer of 2017, months after the president was inaugurated. Self-proclaimed white supremacists, holding their Nazi and Confederate flags and tiki torches, took over a city in a “Unite the Right” rally. Additionally, President Trump’s comment about “very fine people” at Charlottesville caused controversy.
- While this was going on, the Russia investigation, in which Russia’s interference in the 2016 election was examined, unfolded like a soap opera with daily updates. The Mueller Report, as the investigation was led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, was released and became a bestselling book although it was free!
- And while this going on, many people were still curious about Trump’s taxes which as far as I know he still hasn’t released although various news organizations have been able to acquire some information about his taxes.
- And let me not leave out out the firings and resignations: Michael Cohen, Kellyanne Conway, Reince Priebus, John F. Kelly, Mick Mulvaney, John Bolton, Anthony Scaramucci, Hope Hicks, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Omarosa and more…way more actually but these are just a few of the names that come to mind as I’m writing this morning.
- What about the “perfect phone call” also known as the Trump-Ukraine scandal? The long and short of it is that Trump was impeached behind that…
- The Coronavirus Crisis: I’ve never experienced anything like this…Have you?
Now after what happened on Wednesday, the president has been booted off of social media, he has stated that he’s skipping the inauguration of President-elect Biden and he may be impeached for a second time. Again, this is not even exhaustive list of all of the controversies that transpired during the Trump presidency…
Both those who support President Trump and those who do not have to agree that many of these controversies are unprecedented in a presidency. When the Lord wanted to get Moses’ attention in a unique way, he was presented with a burning bush in which an angel of the Lord spoke to Him from the bush. Aside from an angel being in the midst of a burning bush, it was also unique that even though it burned, it was not consumed. I’m desperately hoping that is the case for this country. We are on fire, Saints, but I pray we are not consumed. The U.S. Capitol Building under siege is a sign that no one can ignore, and I think what has happened since is an indication that many others feel this way as well. It seems like some Democrats and Republicans are coming together to figure this all out in addition to Christians in both parties, and I believe that is good. What is God saying to us through the presidency of Donald J. Trump? I have many, many, many thoughts about what I think, but I won’t reveal them right now…
What say you?
Any thoughts?