Why should Trump attack on anti-Christian bias worry Christians?
It should worry everyone!

No, that’s not a typo in the title. I am really asking “Why should Trump attack on anti-Christian bias worry Christians?” Of course, he’ll go after things non-Christians say. But there’s something even worse than that. He will also launch attacks on Christians who actually follow what Jesus taught instead of towing the MAGA Christian line.

Remember, this is the man who had such a need to appear to be a good Christian that he couldn’t even hold the Bible correctly.

It was, as the adjacent image shows, upside down.

Intentional or not on Trump’s part, it’s a reminder that Peter was crucified upside down because he felt he was unworthy to die the same way Jesus did.

The upside-down cross is also used by some as a sign of rebellion against traditional religious beliefs.

As I alluded to above, MAGA Christianity is, in many ways, not traditional/Biblical Christianity. That’s what we’ll look at today.

The dangerous intent of Trump’s prayer breakfast remarks

To get things going, I use excerpts from an article on msn.com titled  Trump’s remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast clarify his dangerous intent.

After a brief summary of past prayer breakfasts, the article says:

In any case, prayer breakfasts are never good eating for secular Americans. Thursday’s doubleheader was no exception.

Tonally, both events were, by Trump’s 2024 tachycardic rhetorical standards, restrained, cool, even calm. The implications of what was proposed at the second gathering, however, are incendiary. America’s non-conservative Christians, non-Christians and nonbelievers should take heed, as should all of those who believe that some form of secular governance is necessary for the well-being of any liberal democracy.

To be sure, I am Christian. However, I’m in no way, shape, or form a MAGA Christian. As such, I do believe a secular governance is what we should have in this country. For those that don’t remember, or don’t know, God’s chosen people originally had Him as their King. But they decided they want a human, just like everyone else had. God warned them about what that would mean, but they wanted it anyway.

In an extreme case of “be careful what you ask for”, God gave them what they wanted.

Here’s the warning the people were willing to live with:

Israel Asks for a King

1Sa 8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

1Sa 8:4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

1Sa 8:6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

1Sa 8:10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day. ”

1Sa 8:19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

1Sa 8:21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Everyone go back to his town.”

Gee. Does any of that sound familiar? And with America going warp speed ahead to a full-blown oligarchy, it’s only going to get worse.

What could go wrong?

Here’s a bit more from the article.

“The mission of this task force will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI … and other agencies. In addition, the task force will work to fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and Earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide. You never had that before, but this is a very powerful document I’m signing.”

Actually, we should have heard things like this before. Unless we weren’t paying attention to history in school and never bothered to learn anything about past governments to see what our current ones might be like. One person we should all be familiar with is Hitler. WW II. Attempted genocide of Jews. White supremacy. Take over the world to form a master race. Any of this sound familiar?

I asked MS Copilot the following question to get a few more people for you to check out if you don’t know about them.

other than Hitler, what other leaders used false information on Christianity to take over a country and impose their own tyranny

There have been several leaders throughout history who have used false information or manipulated religious narratives to gain power and impose their rule. Here are a few notable examples:

• Joseph Stalin: While not explicitly using Christianity, Stalin manipulated religious institutions and leaders to consolidate his power in the Soviet Union. He persecuted religious groups, including Christians, and used propaganda to control the narrative.
• Adolf Hitler: Hitler used anti-Semitic propaganda and manipulated Christian teachings to justify his actions against Jews and other minority groups. He portrayed himself as a savior of the German people, using religious imagery to gain support.
• Pol Pot: The leader of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia used a mix of Marxist ideology and distorted religious elements to justify his brutal regime. He targeted religious leaders and institutions, attempting to create a classless society by eliminating religious influence.
• Idi Amin: The Ugandan dictator used religious rhetoric to justify his rule and suppress opposition. He claimed to have divine support and used religious symbols to legitimize his authority.

These leaders exploited religious beliefs and manipulated information to gain and maintain power, often leading to severe persecution and suffering for their people.

Maybe you say, but Trump’s Christian. Or, more confusing to me, Trump does great things for Christianity. Well, if you can get real for a moment, think about this:

For Trump, the word “Christian” refers to what we might call MAGA Christians, or the types of Christians who voted for him (i.e., evangelicals, Pentecostals, conservative Mormons and traditionalist Catholics). He is not referring to Christians who did not vote for him, such as liberal Catholics, mainline Protestants, members of various African American churches and so forth. 

Now, I have no intention of getting to denominational issues. This isn’t the time or the place. Especially since the key point here is: For Trump, the word “Christian” refers to what we might call MAGA Christians, or the types of Christians who voted for him.

What could go wrong? Lots of things can go wrong. The article goes into detail about various things from political and social points of view.

But I want to get into something very different. Something Jesus was concerned about.

Let’s look at a passage the NIV titles. “The Vine and the Branches”. Most Christians have probably at least heard it. I wonder, how many remember the ending? I ask that partly because it’s in John’s Gospel, the most difficult one to understand. And partly because it’s not an easy passage because Jesus is quite open about us – more open than we want to be about ourselves. And finally, because it might be longer than the attention span of many people today.

So, Jesus begins with some of that honesty. Painful truth.

The Vine and the Branches

Jn 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

Cutting off every branch that bears no fruit is about someone getting cut off from God. Following Jesus is about more than just knowing some nice words. It’s about more than holding up a Bible for a photo op, even if you do manage to hold it the right way.

It’s also about giving things up. Not just meat during Lent. Or these days, not just meat on Fridays during Lent. It’s about giving up whatever Hod wants to prune from our lives. Or our minds.

You may remember the rich young ruler. He was told to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. Not because he had money. No, it was about his love of money. For us, maybe it’s money. Maybe it’s something else.

But I’ll tell you this, after we give up whatever that number one thing was in our priority list is removed, something else will take its place. And I’ll bet it’s still not Jesus. And so, we’ll be asked to submit to more pruning. Giving up something else.

We have to be willing to do this. Otherwise, we can do nothing for the Kingdom. Otherwise, everything we do is for ourselves or for some other person.

Jesus continues with that line of instruction.

Jn 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Just in case we haven’t gotten the concept yet, Jesus goes from being cut off to being thrown into the fire if we bear no fruit. That is, if we don’t try to follow Jesus, and do nothing in the way of what He asked and even commanded us to do.

Not only that, but now Jesus says everything is for His Father’s glory. Not ours – God’s.

Just think a bit about our leaders, especially someone like our newly elected one who’s going to support and fight for MAGA Christians who adore and follow Trump. Where do you think that puts him? And by extension, where does that put MAGA Christians who’ve chosen to follow the human leader in place of God?

And now we get to the really hard part. Yes, it does get harder to accept.

Jn 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.”

As we see though, now there are the rewards for truly following Jesus. Laying down our lives is more than only literally dying. It also includes what we call “dying to ourselves”. That’s allowing God to prune us. Giving up the things that prevent us from following Jesus.

Then we become friends, not servants. We follow Jesus because we want to – not because we think we’re forced to.

Where is all this going?

So, where is all this going?

For one thing, it’s going to the most important thing we can do as Christians. Maybe you remember it? The Great Commission?

The Great Commission

Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Yes – we’re supposed to lead people to become Christians. To follow Jesus. Not to follow Him in the manner of someone who doesn’t even know or care what Jesus taught. No – to follow Jesus in the manner of someone who’s a friend and not a servant who thinks they can earn salvation by working hard.

Also notice, Jesus wants more than for us to just baptize someone and say, “good job, you’re saved”. No! It’s to teach them what Jesus taught and commanded. Of course, that means we have to know as well. Plus, what kind of teacher will we be if we have only head-knowledge and nothing of the Holy Spirit in our heart? Not a good one. Probably a false teacher.

For another thing, this all leads to the Greatest Commandment.

The Greatest Commandment – Matthew

22:34-40 pp — Mk 12:28-31

Mt 22:34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Mt 22:37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Ouch!

So, do we remember, our neighbor includes the people we hate the most?

The people who disagree with our religion.

The people who migrated to our country, legally or otherwise, as the Bible tells us to be kind to immigrants just as they were kind to God’s people.

The young woman, pregnant and scared, with no one to talk to.

People of various non-white / non-WASP colors and nationalities, who are hated for nothing they did.

The leader who’s on a revenge tour, even though God said that vengeance is His.

And so many others. Just think of someone you don’t like – and you’re thinking of a neighbor Jesus wants to remind you of.

Conclusion – Why should Trump attack on anti-Christian bias worry Christians?

Have you figured it out? Do you know why the Trump attack on anti-Christian bias should worry everyone – Christians and non-Christians alike?

For Christians, it’s because it makes it so much harder to do the things we promised Jesus we would do. We’re not Christians to “purify” the country. No. If anything, based on what the Bible tells us, we’re here to reach out to the very people the MAGA Christians are so anti-Christians towards. It was the lowest of the low that Jesus reached out to. Now, those are the ones the MAGA Christians are trying to expel or to make their lives so miserable they’ll leave on their own.

For non-Christians, it’s bad because the one great hope the downtrodden people in Jesus’ time had is being stolen, twisted, and turned against you. The one hope you have for a better life for eternity is being labeled as the force that’s more against you than anything else. Remember, all those things God warned His people about if they had a human king, they won’t be present in Heaven. It’ll be life as it was supposed to be, not life as it is today.

Finally, for those who think they’re Christian but follow some other flavor of so-called Christianity, the Bible speaks to you as well. The ones who try to claim they followed Jesus. But He’ll say, I never knew you. That’s sad.

Don’t be deceived. There’s only one leader in Christianity. It’s God. The Father in Heaven. Jesus, who came to earth, paid for our sins, and returned to Heaven. And the Holy Spirit who can reside in us if we truly want Him. No human is the leader of God’s Kingdom. Period.