Trump is obviously not a Christian
Donald Trump is an enigma.
The Left thinks he’s “Cheeto Hitler.” The Right thinks he’s God’s elected representative on earth.
The truth has got to be somewhere in the middle.
First things first — not everyone is exactly who they claim to be. Approximately three quarters of Americans identify as Christian, so it’s massively advantageous for politicians to appeal to that demographic. So they do. Trump frequently invokes God’s name in his speeches, called for greater protection of religious freedoms, and switched over (conveniently) from pro-choice to pro-life. That was enough to gain the support of many conservative Christian voters.
Unfortunately, there are some Christians who are insistent on claiming Trump as one of our own — I think in their minds, that justifies their vote, no matter what ridiculous and inflammatory things he says or does. On the other hand, leftists are eager to identify Trump as a Christian so they can smear Christianity and the Right at the same time. But as Christians, we’ve got to do some gatekeeping. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Essentially, there is nothing about Donald Trump’s words, lifestyle, or actions to indicate the fruit of a living faith in Jesus Christ. He has bragged about (nonconsensually) grabbing women’s genitals. He publicly insults people on Twitter and boasts about his position. He has been married three times, and has had extramarital affairs. He has made inappropriate comments about his daughter, saying, “If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her.” He has made derogatory remarks about both individuals and groups of people. He is extremely wealthy, and Jesus said that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. If Trump were a Christian, we could expect him to be chaste, respectful, humble, and overwhelmingly generous, yet he exhibits none of these virtues.
So really, it’s time to stop extolling him as if he’s a prophet of the Lord or something. He’s a cunning businessman who knows how to market himself. And so far, it’s been way too convincing to the religious right in America.
