President Trump and the Evangel

I confess to feeling uncomfortable, more accurately, disturbed when I hear about evangelical leaders in the USA positively promoting President Trump. The impression that I get from Donald Trump’s own mouth, as broadcast in the news media, is that he is an untrustworthy man and something of a loose cannon.

This raises the point, ‘What is an evangelical anyway?’ The word evangelical is used a little loosely these days. Where Christian communities are found to be faithful to the teaching of Jesus Christ, they will spread the Evangel i.e. ‘good news/tidings’ of Jesus Christ.

This good news, at first glance, seems to be bad news! How so? If Jesus is promoted as the Saviour of people, and he is, it becomes obvious that God, who sent him, says we need saving from something. That ‘something’, putting it candidly, is God’s own displeasure and ultimately his judgement.

God is Creator of all things and therefore all things are his by right. Though this is reasonable, by nature we each find ourselves resisting God and wanting self rule. This is tantamount to rebellion against the highest authority.

Yet, God is patient and kind and, at great cost to himself, provides a way to bring us back from the brink. He sent Jesus who is the very image of God. When Jesus was crucified, it was for people like you and me. He willingly took upon himself the displeasure and ultimate judgement that befits those who in their hearts are standing against God, their creator and Lord. This is the Evangel - good news (also called the Gospel). Jesus has done all that’s necessary to put us in right standing with God and give us a new start – no longer rebels but reconciled children.

Now I’m going to do the work of an evangelist. Will you receive the glad tidings and take them into your heart or turn your back on what God, by sending Jesus, has done?

President Trump is in office just as long as it suits God’s overall purposes - purposes now hidden from us. Then the President’s power will evaporate. He too will give an account as to what he did with the Evangel. We must pray that those American evangelical leaders, who have his ear, are truly sharing the good news with him.