The Mountain at the Foot of Donald Trump

A Guest Post by xCCC

When Satan took Jesus up to the highest mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world and offered them in return for worship, let’s talk about what Jesus didn’t do. He didn’t decide that He wanted to rule the kingdoms of the world in order to force His will on everyone. He didn’t desire political power in order to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. He didn’t bow to His human desires for power, prestige, efficiency or comfort. He basically told Satan to fuck off.

Jesus came to heal the sick, feed the poor, care for the homeless and to upend the religious establishment. He came to plow through the bullshit of the religious leaders in order to offer up something better: Love. Compassion. Empathy. Community.

I was born-again as a sophomore in high school. I prayed for Jesus to forgive my sins and make me like Him. I was a devout believer through high school and college. Since I literally believed that people needed Jesus more than anything, I felt I had no choice but to devote my life to ministry. I joined the staff of a very prominent college campus ministry immediately after college – sure that sharing sharing the love of Christ was the ultimate use of the life I had been given.

In three short years, however, it became very clear to me that the ministry for which I was working (and the entire evangelical machine of the 1980’s) was trying desperately to climb that highest mountain on which Satan tempted Jesus.

Ministry was all about obtaining results using any means necessary. Walking up to strangers and pretending to take surveys in order to launch into the ridiculous 3 Spiritual Laws presentation about having a relationship with God. Scheduling events during school hours on public high school campuses with the pretense of offering academic information but the intent of converting students to Christ. Inviting students to ice cream socials or fun parties without mentioning the sermon they would have to endure if they came. Raising vast sums of money to send students to preach the gospel to the “unchurched” on the beaches of Florida, San Diego and Hawaii. Lying to government officials in foreign countries about “teaching English” with untrained evangelists only there to evangelize.

Ministry was about numbers. It was a pyramid scheme. You tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on. That student you talked to who had no use for your religious ideas but needed someone to talk to about her abusive home situation? A waste of time. It was the early 90’s and we were part of the New Life 2000 Plan. By Y2K a coalition of evangelical ministries would saturate the world with the Gospel. There was no time for people with real problems. We were much too busy climbing to the top of the mountain so that all the kingdoms of the world would be ours.

I left the ministry in the early 90’s. I eventually left the faith completely. I could no longer be a part of what I have come to call the “seedy underbelly of the corporate evangelical machine.”  Anything that could win converts was sanctioned. The ends always justified the means. No matter how dishonest. No matter how dismissive of love, compassion or justice.

Y2K came and went but the evangelicals kept climbing.  20 years later, the corporate evangelical machine is no different. Having worshipped at the foot of Donald Trump, evangelicals finally have their means to climb that highest mountain. They see their path to rule the kingdoms of the world and establish their Kingdom of God on Earth. They can’t wait to impose their will and feel their power.

How I wish I could believe that Jesus was here to tell them to fuck the hell off.