No.Nonsense.

I spent a glorious week on vacation with my family, staying away from the news and, for the most part, discussions about politics.

And then I came home to the image of Trump as Jesus, healing the sick and with an acolyte praying to him.

As it should be, everyone took offense to this image. Conservative pundits called him out. Religious leaders asked him to delete the post from his social media. Even my MAGA friends said it was wrong- though one did insist it was fake news. Be that as it may, for once everyone was singing from the same hymnal.

When asked about it, Trump said he thought it was a depiction of him as a doctor working for the Red Cross. Of course, he overlooked that biblical robes are not part of the Red Cross dress code.

Either way, the explanation is another moment of incredulity as we consider if Trump actually believes the words coming out of his own mouth.

But this whole new controversy brings up a point that is worth considering. Why do so many evangelicals continue in their support of him despite his history, his words, and his deeds?

I posit it is because he tells them what they want to hear.

I would like to think, as one of those evangelicals myself, that I would have more discernment when the serpent is speaking to me. I too was once convinced to believe his words and voted for him three times as a result, even as I knew he would strike with his fangs at any moment. But as with Eve, he manipulated the truth to a small enough degree that it still sounded like truth.

In a world where Christians have been moved to the sidelines in the name of tolerance, we have seen the culture diminish in our values of family, faith, and personal responsibility. We are told we are wrong if we want to protect the unborn. We are relegated to not talking about our faith in our workplace because it’s against company policy to discuss religion. Women are allowed to wear hijabs but not crosses. Men are told they are practicing toxic masculinity if they are traditional working men who take care of their families. Men have been made weak and women are birthing persons.

All in all, the world is going to hell.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe as Christians that we have a responsibility to treat everyone with compassion and respect. Jesus ate with the dregs of society and verbally castrated the religious leaders. We are called to follow in his footsteps. It doesn’t mean we stop calling out sin but it means we do it from a place of love.

What Trump did was to insert himself into that narrative of cultural decline to tickle our ears with promises that we would again be respected. He promised to support Israel as the Bible commands. He promised to fight for the unborn. He established an office for religious freedom in the West Wing. He protected men’s and women’s spaces.

And as Shakespeare said, “it is sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

It was the price of the church’s vote. And we bought the lie.

Yes he has done some of these things. But he’s also equated the nation of Israel with the government of Israel and allowed them to pull us into a war that is further destabilizing to the Middle East and the world economy. His wars and tariffs have degraded our economy and made it harder for us to care for our families. That office of religious freedom? It’s led by a snake oil salesperson who preaches positivity and prosperity and knows nothing of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. He has used the most vile images and words to describe those who oppose him. And if you disagree with him? There is no grace for you in his house.

I have consistently stated that the Bible says we know them by their fruit. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Trump has shown none of these fruits on his tree. In fact his life has always been and still is anathema to every single one of these traits. I hope those who know him in private see something different but his public display is one of rot.

And now he has practiced the ultimate betrayal of all things holy in likening himself to Jesus.

So I will continue to express my increasing disdain for this man. I will continue to call out the hypocrisy of supporting someone who is contrary to every principle I as a Christian hold dear. And, most importantly, I will continue to pray for his soul because that’s what God expects from me.