Donald Trump Let The Wolves Place Their Paws On Him
This isn't going to be a post about the surprising support that a man like Donald Trump has been receiving from most Christians.
Instead, I want to report on the fact that a video was released recently that shows some rather infamous "Prosperity Preachers" (a.k.a. false teachers) like Kenneth Copeland and Paula White placing their hands on Donald Trump to pray for "God's annointing" over him as he runs to become our next U.S. President.
As one Christian blogger wrote last week...
Friends, what happened right there is that Donald Trump let the "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15) place their paws on him. Apparently, he doesn't mind petting and playing with wolves either as long as it helps him achieve his goal.
We should let this be a warning to us, especially if we haven't already questioned the man's morals and political views as believers in Christ.
Another fascinating angle to Donald Trump's present popularity from a decidedly Christian perspective is it's connection to the past and what it might mean for America.
Look, you all know that I'm certainly no fan of the "Social Gospel" (and I definitely do not agree with the author's final conclusion), but I think the writer makes some fair points for our prayerful consideration.
So, is history repeating itself? Time will tell.
In the meantime, let's pray for the Lord to give us godly leaders with the understanding that He is in complete control at all times no matter what (Daniel 2:21).
In a Lutheran layman's terms, no politician or political party will save this country much less save men's souls (especially one that surrounds himself with false teachers!), because that role already belongs to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just a regular Christian, Candy-Making, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm also a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism almost 2 years ago now. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with our Confessions and Lutheran doctrine (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1). Also, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran basics was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavy influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical, because we now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse notes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean! haha!). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm experiencing and/or studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!
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Instead, I want to report on the fact that a video was released recently that shows some rather infamous "Prosperity Preachers" (a.k.a. false teachers) like Kenneth Copeland and Paula White placing their hands on Donald Trump to pray for "God's annointing" over him as he runs to become our next U.S. President.
As one Christian blogger wrote last week...
What do Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Jan Crouch, Dr. David Jeremiah and Robert Jeffress all have in common? A video has surfaced online showing the men and women, along with others, laying hands on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump this week and praying for his potential presidency. According to reports, an estimated three dozen spiritual leaders from across America met with Trump for over two hours at his Trump Towers on Monday, providing advice. Those in attendance included a number of nationally-recognized televangelists and prosperity preachers, including the aforementioned Copeland, Crouch and White, as well as TBN regulars Jentezen Franklin, Steve Munsey and Clarence McClendon. Donald Trump has never shown himself to be a genuine Christian so this is not surprising. What is surprising is the spiraling downfall of David Jeremiah.
Friends, what happened right there is that Donald Trump let the "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15) place their paws on him. Apparently, he doesn't mind petting and playing with wolves either as long as it helps him achieve his goal.
We should let this be a warning to us, especially if we haven't already questioned the man's morals and political views as believers in Christ.
Another fascinating angle to Donald Trump's present popularity from a decidedly Christian perspective is it's connection to the past and what it might mean for America.
What Is Donald Trump Teaching Christians?
Look, you all know that I'm certainly no fan of the "Social Gospel" (and I definitely do not agree with the author's final conclusion), but I think the writer makes some fair points for our prayerful consideration.
In the continual media coverage of Trump, we must guard against becoming desensitized to the historical precedent of this brand of politics. A 71-year-old man named Lou at the Phoenix Trump rally inadvertently spilled the beans: “This country today is sad, sad, sad,” he said. “You can’t say anything or they call you ‘a racist.’ It’s like we’re back in Nazi Germany. But look around, man. It’s people here reading and listening to his message.”
Lou hit the nail on the head with the historical allusion, but fails to realize how those racial politics played out and what side that puts him on. Trump supporters openly blame ethnic minorities for their economic problems and long for the days of a purer, paler race in America. Let me be clear — Trump is no führer, but ethnic politics are dangerous, and the world has seen this script before.
Another reason that Trump’s supporters have made him the current GOP frontrunner is that they believe Donald is being honest with them, unlike “all the faked, plasticky, canned politicians,” as one supporter put it. Because Trump avoids any talk that could be construed as “politically correct” (i.e. by making bombastic, demeaning comments about Hispanics and women), they deduce that he is speaking the truth.
A 150-year-old admonition from Robert Ingersoll cautions us that simply being honest about one’s bigotry is no virtue — “They knew no better, but I do not propose to follow the example of a barbarian because he was honestly a barbarian.”
So, is history repeating itself? Time will tell.
In the meantime, let's pray for the Lord to give us godly leaders with the understanding that He is in complete control at all times no matter what (Daniel 2:21).
In a Lutheran layman's terms, no politician or political party will save this country much less save men's souls (especially one that surrounds himself with false teachers!), because that role already belongs to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just a regular Christian, Candy-Making, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm also a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism almost 2 years ago now. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with our Confessions and Lutheran doctrine (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1). Also, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran basics was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavy influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical, because we now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse notes from my Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages since they are the called and ordained shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean! haha!). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#trending" at the time, but is instead all the things that I'm experiencing and/or studying myself at the moment. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!
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Thank you for visiting A Lutheran Layman! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question since we do not exercise censorship. We've seen a similar policy with other blogs and it's worth repeating: Please act as if you're a guest in my home, and we'll get along just fine. I think anyone would agree that the kind of back-and-forth that is characteristic of blogs/chat forums and social media is becoming tiresome for all of us. Still, we should confess, edify, and love (and contend and defend when needed). Bottom line? Search the Scriptures! Apply Acts 17:11 to anything and everything you find here and, if you do happen to disagree with something you find here (which is certainly ok), or think I'm "irresponsible" and "wrong" for writing it, then please refute my position by supporting yours with Scripture and/or the Confessions. I don't think that's an unreasonable request, especially for those who identify themselves as "Christians" here, right? Besides, Proverbs 27:17 tells us "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" and 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." If you have an opinion that's great, I welcome it, but try to support it using God's Word. I mean, if the goal here is to help us all arrive at the truth of God's Word (myself included), then it should be easy to follow through on this one simple request (I'm talking to all you "Anonymous" visitors out there). Grace and peace to you and yours!