Further Reflection on this Time of Trial

For Christians of good faith and good will to have different political opinions is not unusual or wrong. Vilifying political opponents is nothing new but probably not a healthy way to work together for the common good. However, I sense a much deeper divide in the US church across a wide theological spectrum in response to the current administration and to some lesser degree to the previous administration. Much of this division focuses around the respective Presidents: Trump now and more so, and Obama to some extent still.  Absolutist moral judgements are dividing  those who claim to follow Jesus into warring camps that increasingly exclude the possibility of accepting the other side as legitimate Christian kin, maybe not even as Christians.

Much of that division is between Christians who see Donald Trump as morally deficient if not bankrupt and Christians who see Donald Trump as the champion of their religious rights and even as God’s appointed champion. 

Romans 13:1 is often cited in this conflict by those who vigorously support President Trump. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” Interpreting this in its original context requires recognizing that at the time Paul wrote it Nero was the Roman Emperor who eventually executed both Paul and Peter.  Interpreting this in the history since it was written must somehow relate it to the likes of Hitler and Stalin. To interpret it consistently in our own time, it must also be applied to all US Presidents up to and including Obama. I don’t intend to render this passage meaningless, but to recognize that it goes far deeper than an endorsement of a particular office holder whom we support at the moment.

My concern is not so much with President Trump or the US political landscape per se as with the schism that is widening in the US Church and sapping not only energy but public credibility to call for following Jesus. I know that many in evangelical circles have supported Trump on the basis of pro-life and traditional sexual mores and see him as defending their religious rights to live and conduct business on their religious convictions. I understand very well that for some the support of Donald Trump was largely about rejecting Hillary Clinton (and Bill) who are far from those principles, and in a different way rejecting Obama.

I want to be as clear as possible that my reservations about Donald Trump say nothing at all about my opinions of the Clintons or even Obama (or any other politician of either party). Nevertheless, I would like to think that had Donald Trump been running in a different time against a different opponent, he would have been roundly rejected by the evangelical community as well as the broader spectrum of the US Church. Having his business reputation built on the gambling and some salacious aspects of entertainment industries would have been instant rejection, not to mention less visible business practices. Not that long ago divorce, even without remarriage, was instant disqualification for leadership. For someone to be divorced and remarried three times to gain evangelical support would have been unthinkable. While I certainly don’t know what is in Donald Trump’s heart, and am more than content to leave that in God’s hands, I am uncomfortable with his seeming to be an unrepentant serial adulterer with a long established reputation as a sexual predator. I readily acknowledge he is not alone in this among US politicians and even US Presidents. Though I grew up and was educated in solidly evangelical context and still consider myself to be evangelical in the sense of the good news of Jesus (though not as a political block to be manipulated), I do not expect those in public office to be my brand of Christian or even to embrace any sort of Christian faith. But I do expect integrity, authenticity, humility, and competence – regardless of whether I agree with their specific political ideas or positions. I have a hard time trusting someone who has not honored their marriage vows to honor their oath of office.

This brings me back to my deep concern and grief at the schism that is obviously widening rapidly in the US Church over how we who aspire to follow Jesus respond to Donald Trump. The reactions to the ongoing impeachment proceedings seem to be elevating the volume as well as the viciousness of the invectives hurled across this chasm. I am not now speaking about the merits of the charges or the process. I lack the knowledge and expertise to render an opinion. Nor am I thinking of the 2020 election that is rapidly approaching. Regardless of what comes of either of those things for Donald Trump (I personally doubt he will be convicted, but anticipate he will be re-elected). I believe the wound is much deeper than Donald Trump, but he has become the recognized wedge between Christians. Instead, as I have written earlier, I am deeply troubled that the responses to Donald Trump have seriously damaged “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) http://nstolpepilgrim.blogspot.com/2018/07/under-siege-unity-of-spirit-in-bond-of.html

I have observed before that I am increasingly recognizing the parallels between what the Church in Germany faced in the Nazi years with the schism between The Confessing Church and the German Christians. I keep finding myself drawn deeper and deeper into The Theological Declaration of Barman. I do want to be careful about drawing unwarranted similarities between Trump et al and the Nazis, but I do believe we who aspire to follow Jesus will do well to pay attention to what The Confessing Church faced in their time of trial. I found some encouragement in the refrain from my prayer Psalm 37 today “do not fret because of the wicked … be still before the Lord. …do not fret – it leads only to evil.” But even as I write this some hours later, I find that relinquishing my fretting about the spiritual health of the Church in my time and place to be extraordinarily challenging. I am especially uneasy about if and how to respond to current events and attitudes while my primary focus is and must rightly be on caring for my wife on her Alzheimer’s journey and her 92 year old father.