Celebrating the American Present.

A recent article stub in that journal of Canadian Reformed thinking, Reformed Perspective, asks, “How should Christians celebrate the good Donald Trump has done?”. “How?” indeed…

I have to ask Mr. Dykstra, the author, “are you serious?!”

It's true, I’m drawn to the liberal side of the equation, but daily, I fight the impulse to swallow that hook because I see the same evil in it, that I see (more unabashedly) in the right. I have truly struggled to see a silver lining (or the Will of God) in what is happening in the US now. This is really only about one thing though—the quest for ultimate ruling power. We know that the president has no interest whatever in conservative Christian values. We can even be skeptical about the vice president’s values, for that matter.

In his article, Mr. Dykstra has hopped on one of the two favourite hobby horses of the Christian Right, abortion*. ANY candidate that takes this side is naturally the candidate of the C-Right. Obviously ANY candidate. Because the one they chose is an atheist, rapist, rich man who cunningly aligned himself with a so-called Christian candidate. Looks like you’d take Satan himself if he slyly said he was anti-abortion.

Ask yourself this question, dear reader, “would YOU pursue an alliance with a man as vile and untrustable as the man who now is president?” I shudder at even being in the same area code as him.

Though the author admittedly points out the serious flaws in Trump's character, the RP website still felt there was merit in publishing the article—based on the one agreeable 'position' the prez has with the Right. Quotes were deliberate in that last sentence. Here's another question for you, though. If the other candidate had been elected, would we be seeing an article titled, How Should Christians Celebrate the Good Clinton Has Done? I think we both know the answer is a resounding 'no'. This is more about 'our team v. their team' than it is about how a Christian should live. Yay Right Wing!

The article attempts to square the circle by cherrypicking the story of Jehu from the Bible. Well, actually Dykstra cherrypicks some guy named Pastor Douglas Wilson who cherrypicks Jehu. Anyway, these guys rationalize some good from this errant Israelite king’s hand as it’s being controlled by God to punish the house of Ahab and Jezebel. Even though Jehu was a jackass. The author describes this as the “best biblical comparison” to Donald Trump.

Well, only if that’s what you want so badly to believe.

This is special pleading plain and simple.

What about Rehoboam? Remember him? He’s the kid who, when he took over, dismissed the advice of his elder advisors, who urged him to speak to the people in a manner that would draw the faltering kingdom back together. Instead he promised punishment, retribution, and fear. Sound familiar? In Rehoboam we have a young king with such an inferiority complex that he feels compelled to slap his dick up alongside the yardstick, and it doesn’t pay off. It’s the end for a unified Israel.

But I know, I know. This is where YOU get to play the card you always play: Maybe THAT’S God’s plan in the US…

Let’s jump briefly back onto the thing about the alliance of Trump and Pence. What Christians believe is that there is something beautiful awaiting them after this life (just them). A world in which God will take them to Himself and righteously strike down all sinners and make them pay for their wickedness. I've wondered the following for a long time: So if this is the power that awaits them in the Second Coming of Christ, why are they so preoccupied with power in THIS world?

I know the answer to this too. I may write about it. But it’s really quite boring and a bit anticlimactic.

So, how should Christians celebrate the good Donald Trump has done? Mr. Dykstra's conclusion is as anticlimactic as mine.

* (the other being the Gay Agenda)