Preaching to the Choir
On July 25th I wrote a post titled "The Dark POTUS Rises" in which I claimed Donald Trump was the President these United States deserve, citing from Daniel 2:21 and John 19:11. After the President's interaction with Russia's president Putin, his Twitter spat with LeBron James, and his continued conflagration with NFL kneelers, you may be thinking I would reconsider my position.
You would be wrong.
Those familiar with the Bible will recognize King Solomon, son of King David, as the wisest king in the history of Israel, both past and present. If you have read the Bible, then you know Solomon was wise, but he was influenced by the wrong crowd and eventually stopped following God in deference to lesser gods to please his wives. Because of his actions God stripped the kingdom of Israel from his family's grasp and left his son King Rehoboam with only one tribe to govern – one twelfth of King David's kingdom.
For Rehoboam's part, he wasn't innocent. He is one of the kings highlighted in the Bible as how "not to act." He rejected wise counsel and caused division in Israel because, as the Bible puts it, the "turn of events was from the Lord" (1 Kings 12:15).
But what does that mean for us today, Christians living in these United States, in a time when our President seems to be such a dividing force?
In my humble opinion, it further solidifies that Donald Trump was raised to the Presidency for such a time as this. America is at a crossroads with Christian values being rejected at every turn; wisdom being shunned in favor of mass popularity; and everyone closing their ears and minds, choosing offense over intelligent discourse. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) was not entirely wrong when he said our democracy is at stake – he just misunderstood the nature of our Union and highlighted the wrong threat.
The world in 2018 is a complicated and troubling place, and we can either recognize that we are the reason for electing Rehoboam, or we can repeat Israel's mistakes and continue to divide our nation inside and out. Black and White Americans are at odds over the color of a man's skin rather than the color of the blood shed for his freedom. Elephants and Donkeys are at odds over freedom of choice while babies are being murdered by the millions. You may be saying, "But Mark, you're preaching to the choir. We aren't the ones dividing this nation." Am I?
"Christians" preach dissention from the pulpit and "Christians" in Los Angeles say "Amen" in return. Other "Christians" protest funerals of soldiers or terror victims while still other "Christians" craft signs and chant "God is not mocked." Still other "Christians" preach protest of the National Anthem, while their "Christian" counterparts condone violence to quell the movement.
And you still say I'm preaching to the choir. Well, maybe the choir should put down their hymnals and start reading the Bible. Jesus said to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:31, NIV) and, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13, NIV).
So maybe, just maybe, in this time when "Christians" can't figure out which side of the NFL kneeling issue to land on, let alone which side of the abortion issue is Christ-like, maybe we in the choir need to focus on God. Maybe we need to admit that our silence is consent. Maybe we need to realize that we elected this President for such a time as this and get back to God. Maybe then we'll see Batman wasn't a completely bad guy, just a guy faced with two bad choices.
"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chron 7:14, NIV).
– Mark Klages is an influential contributor, a former US Marine and a lifelong teacher who focuses on applying a Christian worldview to everyday events. Mark blogs at https://maklagesl3.wixsite.com/website under the title "God Provides where Hate Divides," with a heart to heal social, political, relational, and intellectual wounds through God's divine love and grace. Mark can also be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-klages-04b42511/.