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Equating Trump and Jesus? Why I am not comfortable with this

Equating Trump and Jesus? Why I am not comfortable with this

Last updated on: June 10, 2024 at 10:21 am by Rob Dalrymple

Equating Trump and Jesus? Why I am not comfortable with this 2024-06-10T10:21:08-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

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An artist renders Jesus and Trump in the dock

I’m not saying I am perfect; it is just that I don’t make mistakes.

We all do it. We struggle to admit we are wrong. Surely I’m not mistaken, it must be you.

We do it with our favorite sports teams. If we were to ask, “Was that a foul?,” “Was that a touchdown?,” or “Was he safe?” The answer almost always depends on what team you are rooting for. For Raiders fans, Tom Brady’s “tuck rule” was a fumble.

NB: as a lifelong Patriot fan, I would have to concede that it was an incomplete pass. After all, a rule is a rule!!! Honestly, though, it was a fumble!

The higher the stakes, the more entrenched we often find ourselves.

Falsifiability

In science, any “unfalsifiable” hypothesis —i.e., it cannot be proven wrong—is often considered “unscientific.” The idea behind this is that science is based on observation and experimentation. If something cannot be proven wrong, it cannot be adequately tested.

Of course, this principle is disputed within the philosophy of science. One of the problems is determining what actually disproves a given hypothesis. After all, any given “fact” must itself be interpreted. As a result, something thought to “disprove” a given theory might not actually do so.

This may sound like philosophical mumbo-jumbo. But it is essential.

This manifests itself in most aspects of life, sports being the most obvious (well, the most obvious to me). But it also appears in politics, religion, social contexts, etc.

“Us” versus “them”

One of the most insidious aspects of bias is its ‘unfalsifiability ‘. It’s the belief that ‘I’m on team ‘good” and my opponent is on team ‘not good ‘, a belief that’s immune to any evidence to the contrary.

When my country, sports team, family member, politician, religious leader, etc., does something wrong, it is an “oversight,” a “misunderstanding,” or “not what it may seem.” Sometimes, it is minimized with “everyone makes mistakes.”

However, when the “other” does so, it is clearly intentional, egregious, unacceptable, damnable, etc.

We give “grace” to those on my team but “wrath,” “judgment,” and “condemnation” to those on team “other.”

Such bias is regularly found in the media. Political parties and politicians that a given media outlet favors are immune from error. However, those on their side of the political aisle cannot do what is right.

As Christians, we must be aware of the danger of assuming we are constantly correct and the other is always wrong. This can render us unable to critically self-examine.

We should know better; however. That we are not always right is evident: just ask my wife!

Our witness is harmed

We lose credibility and respect when we are unable or unwilling to admit our mistakes.

This is especially problematic for Christians. Our witness is discredited. When we are clearly on the side of wrong but refuse to admit it, others look at us with a measure of disgust. The media also picks up on this. They love to highlight the wacko who supports something we all know is heinous.

Then, when we do testify to the truth of the kingdom, few are willing to listen. And understandably so!

NB: sorry for the lack of posts over the last several weeks. I have had several writing deadlines. My commentary on the book of Revelation is all done and should be in print in the next month.

Trump and Jesus

This leads me to the recent “conviction” of Donald Trump. For Trump supporters, his conviction was a hoax and a sham. In fact, it was the working of the liberal left to intended to bring down a good man who aims to “Make America Great Again.” Hence, it was an egregious abuse of power.

Memes circulated around social media associating Trump with Jesus. One meme shows Jesus and Trump in the dock.

Another saying spread around social media asserts, “Jesus was convicted in a sham trial; I still follow Him.”

Let me be clear: I am not making a statement about Trump’s political positions or whether or not you should vote for him.

My point is simple: We need to step back, think, examine things, and be fair, critical, gracious, and loving.

Let’s begin with this. Trump was convicted of falsifying business records as part of a hush payment to a porn star.

Now, you may think that he was innocent. It may have been a sham trial.

Should we not begin by addressing the fact that he had sex with a porn star? And that he did so while married? This is egregious. To my knowledge, he has never denied this.

The fact that payments were made presents conclusive evidence that he did it. Whether or not he cooked the books seems superfluous to me.

As for the comparison to Jesus, serious concerns arise.

NB: I encourage you to not be defensive here. Please listen.

The comparison between Jesus’ “sham trial” and Trump’s does not line up. Jesus was brought before the Roman authorities for claiming to be the King–which He actually did. He really was guilty.

The irony, of course, is that Jesus really is the King. But Rome didn’t believe that part. In other words, by Roman law, Jesus was guilty of treason and worthy of death.

In addition, whether or not Trump was guilty of the charges against him is beside the point. The problem here is that Trump is guilty of sexual sin.

Now, you might respond by asserting that many politicians are guilty of many sins. Exactly. There is no denying that here. Whether or not we support a political candidate should not influence our evaluation.

The fact that many Christians (I am not writing to non-Christians. If they read my posts, great!) are more supportive of Trump because of his conviction is highly problematic.

This raises several concerns for me:

This goes back to my concern about our Christian witness. The world is watching. The world wonders at our double standard when we unquestioningly endorse someone whose character is deeply flawed.
The conclusion that some have become “more supportive” of Trump since his conviction betrays the features of a cult. When a leader can do no wrong, and when that leader does do wrong, yet that wrong is whitewashed, and he gains more support from his followers, it is dangerous.

If we ask, “Can you name something that Donald Trump could do so that you would not support him any longer?” and the reply is “No,” we have a problem.

NB: This week I will host two livestreams (the links work even if you are reading this after the events)

Richard Harvey and Rabbi Brumbach will appear on the Determinetruth Livestream this Thursday, June 13, at 8:00 a.m. PST. Here is the link.

Then, at 10:00 a.m. PST on June 13 (the same day), we will interview Kristin Caynor to discuss the Glory of God, peace, and violence. Here is the link.

If you subscribe to the Determinetruth YouTube page, then you will be automatically notified of upcoming events.

Our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.

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About Rob Dalrymple

Rob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 34 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. He is currently completing a commentary on the book of Revelation titled, “Revelation: a Love Story” (Cascade Books, July 2024). Also, his new book, Land of Contention: Biblical Narratives and the Struggle for the Holy Land, should be out by the summer 2024. You can read more about the author here.

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