No.Nonsense.

In Exodus, Moses was up on the mountain while God gave the Ten Commandments. Meanwhile, in the valley the Hebrews were looking for something or someone to worship. They convinced their leaders to give them a substitute and melted down their gold to sculpt a large golden calf to take the place of God. He had saved them from slavery in Egypt so where was he now? Moses came off the mountain, carrying the rules of living from God’s own hand. The number one rule was, “you shall have no other Gods before me.”

In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue of himself and commanded everyone to bow to it. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow, they were thrown into the fiery furnace. God ultimately saved them. But the imagery of that statue remains.

Last week, a golden statue of Donald Trump was unveiled at his golf course in Miami. The statue, nicknamed Don Colussus, was funded by supporters in the cryptocurrency world. It was dedicated in a ceremony led by Trump’s spiritual advisor, Pastor Mark Burns and was celebrated with evangelical and Jewish leaders in attendance.

I’m having flashbacks right now to a calf.

This new statue was created before the last inauguration but was kept on the down low for a year and a half because the backers of the project knew it would create backlash. Pastor Burns, when questioned about the idolatry of it, said, “Let me say this plainly: this is not a golden calf. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. This statue is not about worship. It is about honor.”

If you have to tell me it’s not a golden calf, perhaps you should rethink things.

What we see is the continuing elevation of Trump to an iconic status. We have statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who led us in the beginning years of America. We have statues of MLK and Abraham Lincoln who fought for freedom. We have statues of Babe Ruth and Willie Mays who gave us hours of escapism and damn good ballgames.

We don’t erect statues to narcissistic blowhards who send our economy into the toilet and our troops into war for nothing. We don’t worship at another Nebuchadnezzar whose own statues for worship are skyscrapers with his name on top.

Now let me tell you about Mark Burns. He is a pastor and televangelist from Easley, SC. When he ran for Congress a few years ago, it came out that he had lied about his education and military service. He ultimately admitted to embellishments in his resume but then said he was attacked for being a black man who supported Trump.

Paula White, head of Trump’s Religious Office is a prosperity gospel televangelist who has faced criticism for the financial dealings of her ministry. She has further likened Trump’s struggles to the suffering of Jesus.

Not that long ago, Trump shared a picture of himself portrayed as a Jesus-like figure. When called on it, he said he thought it showed him as a doctor- in biblical robes. Franklin Graham, another spiritual advisor and son of the late Billy Graham,saw nothing wrong with the image. I wonder what his father would have said.

When the spiritual advisors have their own controversies and are propping up the man in the Oval Office to believe that he is on a level above the masses, they invite him to see himself in a godlike portrait. Their jobs as spiritual leaders is to instruct and to hold accountable, not to dedicate statues to him. When his sycophants add his name to the Kennedy Center as a Hail Mary to his overinflated ego, they honor him in a way he has not earned. When his supporters buy Trump watches and Trump shoes and even Trump bibles, the branding of the presidency has gone too far. When they erect golden statues of him, they invite people to worship at his feet.

And they violate every word of that First Commandment that God gave Moses on mountain. Where does it end?