{"id":1586,"date":"2018-01-31T19:21:40","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T02:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/felixculpa\/?p=1586"},"modified":"2018-02-02T05:31:33","modified_gmt":"2018-02-02T12:31:33","slug":"forgiving-trump-not-excusing-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/felixculpa\/2018\/01\/forgiving-trump-not-excusing-trump.html","title":{"rendered":"Forgiving Trump is Not The Same As Excusing Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"photo-1469248620856-e8c981d98aff_opt\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Okay, one more rant concerning President Trump and Christians, and then I\u2019ll revert back to my normal self. Here goes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After being in discussion with Trump opposers over the last year, it\u2019s clear many of them believe two things: <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\nOne is that Christians who voted for Trump are not Christian at all. Just wolves in sheep\u2019s clothing, or maybe wolves in wolves\u2019 clothing. The other is that Trump supporters are pathetic, hypocritical, and other character traits that shouldn\u2019t be referenced on a G-Rated blog. <\/span><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s start by breaking that down.<\/p>\n

First,<\/b> voting choices do not have anything to do with one\u2019s salvation. <\/span>Who<\/span><\/i> a voter trusts in for the forgiveness of their sins has everything to do with their salvation. Being a Christian certainly will influence how a Christian votes. But it\u2019s incorrect to say if a vote was placed for Trump, the voter is going to hell. Or on the flip side, if one voted for Hillary, one is going to hell. Both statements are preposterous. One cannot determine via a ballot marking, the spiritual condition of another. Shoot. I sometimes have trouble deciphering the condition of my offspring\u2019s hearts, let alone the heart of a voter I\u2019ve never met, never conversed with, and <\/span>literally<\/span><\/i> know nothing about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second<\/b>, if someone feels a Christian is pathetic and hypocritical because they voted for Trump, that is their prerogative. But feelings and opinions don\u2019t necessarily make something true. General, broad sweeping statements such as \u201cAnyone who voted for Trump is a hypocrite\u201d, or \u201cIf you voted for Trump you sold your soul to the Devil\u201d are damaging. Not only are they largely untrue, but they marginalize people \u2014 precisely what liberals claim Trump is guilty of. Trump is racist. Trump is a mysogynist. Trump is an Islamaphobic. Trump this. Trump that. Trump everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mostly what we know about Trump is this: <\/span><\/p>\n

The media hates him. Hollywood hates him. Vagina hat-wearing women hate him. He\u2019s an actor. He plays rough. He\u2019s blunt. He\u2019s brash. He composes infantile tweets. He is guilty of sexual promiscuity. He fights for the lives of the unborn. He is an incredible businessman who is doing America good with his tax reform. He loves our military personnel. And America. The Stock Market has recovered since he took office (can we not all be thankful for at least <\/span>that<\/span><\/i>?). He\u2019s been married too many times. He dearly loves his children. He is against the Dems bringing in illegals to acquire votes in the name of \u201chaving a heart for immigrants.\u201d He is spiritual, but what kind of spiritual is unknown, just like most former Presidents. He favors Republican agendas, and clearly opposes many Democratic agendas, but he\u2019s his own person. Neither Republican or Democrat, truly. He works hard. He\u2019s driven. He reportedly drinks <\/span>twelve Diet Cokes a day<\/span><\/a>. He has a trophy wife. He\u2019s richer than Richie Rich, but also charitable. He\u2019s orange.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Why, why, <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> is he orange? Inquiring minds want to know.)<\/span><\/p>\n

We think we know it all. Not just about Trump, but about each other. My comment section is becoming volatile. Much of the web is verbally explosive because too many are free to say what they want, when they want, knowing they will not suffer any ramifications, (partly) because they hide behind three letter aliases. I find myself constantly needing to extend forgiveness to some soul who finds it easier to fling hate language my direction than discuss politics and Jesus rationally, thoughtfully, kindly. Still, at other times, I am grateful for the Bruce Atkinson\u2019s of the world (read what he wrote here<\/a>)\u00a0<\/span>who stick up for those being hated because of which candidate got their vote. That hate is what\u2019s truly hypocritical. What, liberals, happened to <\/span>Love Wins<\/span><\/i>? And tolerance. Isn\u2019t tolerance, by your own definition, allowing others to live however their hearts desire without judgment from the likes of \u2026. anyone?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible for everyone to be tolerant of everything. There has to be law. Lines drawn. A specific world view has to be set it motion to govern people, which means there will always be tension. Christians will never tolerate gay marriage and abortion. Homosexuals will never tolerate Christians\u2019 view of marriage. And so forth. Therefore, we would be better off accepting that though everyone has a specific worldview, <\/span>leaders who agree with that worldview don\u2019t always get to rule.<\/span><\/i> We call this the balancing of powers, which our forefathers thought, rightly, was vital to preserving America.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christians just went through eight years of the hell liberals feel they\u2019re going through with Trump in office. But you know what? We survived. We didn\u2019t feel better off for it, necessarily, although we learned some valuable lessons. But in the end, the country still stood, albeit peg-legged and otherwise maimed.\u00a0Amidst Obama\u2019s reign, we found ourselves needing to forgive so often it nearly taxed us to insanity. The amount of excuses made for Obama by the media, Hollywood, and those who follow those \u201cleaders\u201d like a dog hot on the trail of a hot dog (nose down and spaced out) was unbelievable. Sad, truly. And disheartening. By the end of 2016, those of us on the opposing side felt our nation was irreparably <\/span>broken.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So I get it, liberals. You feel you\u2019ve been put in the fire. That you\u2019re being broken in two. But when you retaliate by hating Trump supporters, it only sews further discord, and a nation divided against itself cannot stand. Discord such as we are seeing today\u00a0will<\/em> eventually break us.<\/p>\n

In a perfect world, Christians would\u2019ve preferred a more chaste, more dignified President. But for the sake of Pete, whoever that boy is, we don\u2019t live in a perfect world. Realistically, we were given two choices: Trump and Hillary. Our vote for Trump was not a full-on endorsement of everything he\u2019s ever done in his life. And wrapped up in our vote was forgiveness of the wrong he committed and admitted to, and clingy hope that God could and would use an awkward, brash, imperfect man to do the noble work of saving lives, restoring order, and putting our own house in order before attempting to restore order elsewhere. Christians do not excuse Trump\u2019s offensive behavior. But we do exercise forgiveness toward him, just as we exercise forgiveness toward Obama and others strongly opposed to our values. This is what liberal, non-believing Americans don\u2019t understand. It\u2019s cliche, but it\u2019s still true:<\/p>\n

Christians are not perfect. Just forgiven.<\/b><\/p>\n

And since we\u2019ve been forgiven, we are commanded to forgive.<\/p>\n

If you do not forgive men their tresspasses, neither will your Father forgive your tresspasses<\/span><\/i>. ~Matt. 6:15<\/span><\/p>\n

We also believe God turns the \u201cking\u2019s\u201d heart whichever way he chooses, and neither Trump or Obama (or Hillary) are able to do anything outside the ordained will of God.\u00a0Therefore, we are confident, though our former President was a passive aggressive murderer of innocent children (amongst other frightening things), and though our current President is everything thing I\u2019ve mentioned above (and undoubtedly more), that God is in control. And ultimately, we don\u2019t trust in any finite man. We trust in the Lord our God.<\/p>\n

But the locker room video!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Yes. He said disgusting, sinful things many moons ago. He apologized for it during the election. As a Christian, I refused to reject the apology and cast my vote for the orange dude. If that makes me, in your mind, a hypocritical hell bound person, the problem lies with you. You are jaded. By choice, you believe biased media and hateful Hollywood. You ingest their hostility and derision, and then regurgitate and spew it on blogs like Felix Culpa in an attempt to get conservative Christians to cower. You are not tolerant. You are not loving. You are judgmental and hateful, because your agenda is not being furthered.<\/p>\n

When a Christian\u2019s agenda is not being furthered, they are free to oppose within the confines of the law of the land and the Law of God. And they are commanded to forgive and even respect the leadership in office. Granted, Christians are also sinners, so they do not practice what they preach perfectly, while also preaching how everyone else should practice what they preach. If you think that makes them hypocritical, you\u2019re right. Hypocrisy is sin, and everyone sins on all points of the Law. We would <\/span>all <\/span><\/i>do well to get the speck out of our own eye before trying to dislodge a log from another\u2019s eye. (Matt. 7:5)<\/span><\/p>\n

To wrap up, Christians, by voting for Trump, are not stating his past behavior is <\/span>excusable<\/span><\/i>. But they <\/span>are <\/span><\/i>saying it\u2019s <\/span>forgivable<\/span><\/i>. They therefore choose to forgive him as Christ has forgiven them. Because in the end, if they don\u2019t, they themselves aren\u2019t granted forgiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Forgiveness doesn\u2019t always mean the forgiven are automatically trustworthy. But God is a God of an infinite number of chances. So what the hay. I guess this Christian would rather take a chance on voting for someone who claims to <\/span>favor <\/span><\/i>Christian agenda, rather than on someone who openly, vehemently <\/span>opposes<\/span><\/i> Christian agenda.<\/span><\/p>\n

That, readers, is not hypocrisy. It\u2019s common sense.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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