Trump: God is on our side.

God is on our side, Trump proudly proclaimed. 

That’s not all. Trump declared: “Evangelical Christians of every denomination and believers of every faith have never had a greater champion, not even close, in the White House, than you have right now.”

In his speech at Ministerio International El-Rey Jesus, a church with a predominantly Hispanic congregation, he said: - 

“We’ve done things that nobody thought was possible. Together, we’re not only defending our constitutional rights. We’re also defending religion itself, which is under siege.”

Actually, if you think about it, Christianity was born out of the furnace, and not at the podium. Jesus himself avoided all that. He walked away from the crowd. He prayed alone in the early hours of the morning. He rejected Pilate’s offer to save himself. He told him his kingdom is not of this world.

That is why Nietzsche once said that the last Christian died on the Cross, not by way of a state funeral, or whose body was preserved in a mausoleum. 

If you want to find enduring faith, transforming hope, you must not forget its birthplace: it’s in a manger, not a palace; it’s in the wilderness, not in the synagogue; it’s at Calvary, not in a political rally.

So, Christianity was born under siege. When the rose of Sharon was trampled on, bloodied, it released a comforting fragrance, and its beauty and majesty became known throughout the world, even today.

But I guess, Christianity today is different. It takes its place in the highest pulpit of the land, at the head of government, the apex of power, fame and wealth. 

Alas, we have given to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and did not stop there. We went further to come together to offer to Caesar that which belongs to God too. 

Our faith is now on a man that has promised us that he “would renew the importance of religion and family” and “had vowed that he would toughen restrictions on abortion and would take action to safeguard students and teachers’ First Amendment rights to pray in our schools.”

Indeed, we have become who we have adored. We have become a quid pro quo believer and our faith is about what we can get in return for casting our favour and vote. It is more transactional, than transcendent, more tangible than intangible, and more self-preserving than self-sacrificing. 

And Trump knows our buttons well. It is in his playbook, The Art of the Deal. He has found an easy bait when he said: “We can’t let one of our radical left friends come in here because everything we’ve done will be gone in short order.” 

Well, the truth of our faith is that nothing we have done is forever. Power corrupts. Fame fades. And no man can serve both God and money. Even our life is but for a season. 

If we as believers wish to pursue after things that are eternal, after a life that has overcome all worldly temptations, and after victory over death that has lost its sting, we look to the Cross, not to the promises of men. We stand on His word, and not on the enticing words of men.

For people like Trump and his promises come and go - only His word has stood the test of time and the worst of it. 

And for this reason, it is never about fearing what we’ve done will be gone in short order. It is always about fearing what we’ve done will cause us to be lost forever. Because in the end, the cost of a lie will cost us everything, whether in a marriage, in our relationship or in our faith.

When we are however prepared to pay the cost of truth, whatever the price, we stand on neither the promises of men nor their enticing words. At times, we stand alone in the footsteps of our Saviour who Himself stood alone before the Cross. 

So, God is not on anyone’s side. He stands as the Rock of Ages, and the question is, whose side are you on?