Christians and Politics: a bad mix

Alternative title: Another Example of Christian Stupidity

Pastor Carl Gallups is ardent supporter of  Donald Trump (our nice “Christian” President who likes to brag of his privileged right to grab women by their genitals.) He was an early supporter, and Trump was delighted with the endorsement—inviting Gallups to give the invocation at one of his campaign rallies.

Red flags are a flappin'.  It is almost a universal law that Christians who get heavily involved in politics¹ will spew inanities. (This law seems to be independent of political persuasion.)

Possibly the correlation is straightforward: there is no command given in the New Testament to get involved in politics. In fact, the message is quite the opposite: we are aliens and pilgrims wherever we live, and our citizenship is in another kingdom. (We are kind of like those dreaded immigrants.) It is unfathomable how one misses the lesson that Jesus, in spite of all the opportunity and local support to go all-out political, resolutely declined. In fact, he ran away from the possibility of political power:

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (John 6:15)

In short—I think you really do have to be dumb to think a heavy involvement in politics (with no compartmentalization) is compatible with the Christian faith.

Appearing on the Christian talk show “Focus Today” Pastor Gallups acknowledged the host’s claim that there is a “spiritual disdain” for Trump. Gallups added:

“You are absolutely right,” [attacks on Trump are evidence that] “we are living in the most profoundly prophetic times since the first coming of Jesus Christ.”

The most profoundly prophetic times! Seriously?? Oh no, not again!!

Gallups also argued that Trump is facing relentless attacks because he is a Christian (Where’s the fruit?) and that Trump is “a great friend of the church” who “picked as his vice president a Jesus-loving, spirit-filled, church-going, Bible-believing, Bible-studying, Bible-quoting Christian in Mike Pence.”

Pastor Gallups: please look up the word pandering.

Here is a bit more of Gallups:

“God is honoring that,” Gallups stated. “I think the Lord’s hand is upon him to give the church some breathing room in these final days, in these very prophetic times in which we’re living. And what you’re watching, you’re watching all of the powers of hell come against him in the form of the anti-national sovereignty demonic realm, which is the form of globalism, which is, in the Bible, the kingdom reign of the Antichrist. You see, globalism is demonic.”

All the powers of hell are arrayed against…Donald Trump?? The anti-national sovereignty demonic realm?  Unbelievable.

Pastor Gallups: your responsibility as a pastor is to tend to your sheep.  To make disciples. To give the good news.  You are truly missing the boat.

Hat tip to RightWingWatch.

¹ I would qualify that: without compartmentalizing. I’m sure there are many fine Christians in government who balance their Christianity with their constitutional duties.