Reverend Donald Sensing returns to the arena today with Sense of Events: Jesus does not endorse your candidate
The naive assumption of many religionists on both side of the American political aisle seems to be that their only one candidate, but not the other, can sustain Christian morality in the national polity.It beggars words to describe how foolish - indeed, how un-Christian - this belief is. I find it impossible to affirm even in the smallest way that either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump care a fig about the Christian religion at all, no matter what they claim, and at least Trump has the forthrightness not to claim any particular religion at all. Trump's religion is Trump. There is almost nothing I have seen about his platform that bears the imprimatur of orthodox Christianity or its inheritors. I am dismayed that so many prominent Christian figures have endorsed his candidacy. It is more than merely distressing to observe what even conservative commentators are calling, "The Moral Collapse of the Republican Party."
That said, exactly what is the actual evidence, not rhetoric, butevidence, that Hillary Clinton cares a fig about Christian religion herself? Sure, she claims Methodist affiliation, but exactly what does that mean when examining her truly dismal, spectacularly failing record as a public official?Claiming a religious affiliation does not confer competence, and even MSNBC's in-the-tank hosts were forced to admit one day that they could think of nothing of note thatshe had ever accomplished. This is a woman whom FBI Director James Comey, under oath before a Congressional committee, confirmed repeatedly had lied over and over and over about handling highly classified material but just wasn't "sophisticated enough" to know the severity of her actions. So yeah, sure, that plus Methodism qualifies her for the presidency, of course. Hillary Clinton's religion is Clintonism...... [more]
RTWT @ Sense of Events
Posted by gerardvanderleun at July 26, 2016 6:55 PM
The issue of their Christianity is moot, in my opinion.
The best that can be said is that Donald Trump has raised what appear to be healthy and ethical children. Hill 'n Bill 'n Webb's kid are all criminals without blush, and not only embrace immorality but actively promote it. By their fruits, etc.
That's good enough for me. Leftists are the minions of Satan, and I ain't kiddin.
Posted by: Rob De Witt at July 26, 2016 7:17 PM"If God is for me, who can be against me?"
I think God shakes His mighty head, and wonders who on Earth is for Him. Many are called, few actually answer.
We are all pretty lacking and fall far short of who we should be.
Posted by: David at July 27, 2016 7:44 AMThe bar has been lowered to the point that we’ll settle for someone who doesn’t claim that he attends church every Sunday...until it’s revealed that their preacher is a big ole flaming racist who hates America…then claims that he wasn’t present for any of those particular sermons.
BTW, when Trump builds a “wall”, limits ME migration, stops the killing of our police and improves the economy I doubt anyone will complain that he isn’t Christian enough.
God uses whom He will for His purposes. It wouldn't be the first time a Godless man was used for good. There is no way a "Christian" can win this election, in this dumbed down moral swamp. However, we need time to reclaim the culture, and with Hillary, we are out of time. Sorry, but Trump is it, this round.
Posted by: Leslie at July 27, 2016 9:06 AMThe function of the two-party system in our republic---where numerous unique interests compete, yet strive to coexist in peace---is to muster consensus along the broadest possible lines. Those lines in the United States are Left and Right: destruction or conservation, secularism or faith, death or life, dependency or responsibility, pessimism or optimism, relativism or objective truth, anarchy or the rule of law, state control or personal freedom.
Sure, you can form your own political party with the 5 other guys in the world who think precisely as you do, but your effect on the culture is bound to be nil, or close to it; to affect society, you must team up with people of dissimilar interests, and a two-party system is the most efficient way of doing this.
Christians like Sensing don't seem to realize that the Perfect is not just an enemy of the Good, but its deadliest enemy, and that petulantly withholding their votes until Perfection or Apocalypse comes not only hurts their fellow Christians, but also hurts every other innocent person in the world who relies upon the prevalence of Christian ideals to make their lives bearable. Think, for a moment, of the tens of thousands of Yazidis, secular Iranians, Iraqis and Syrians, and Middle Eastern Christians who would still be alive today if the Left had not prevailed in our last presidential election. They prevailed because Christians like Sensing refused to participate over some self-righteous and, frankly, selfish reservation about a candidate.
In this instance, Donald Trump, however absurd it may seem to us, is currently bearing the standard for American Christians. Voting for him is voting against all the injustice and misery that will be caused if the Left prevails---all the evil, all the chaos, all the innocent blood that is bound to be shed.
I would remind Reverend Sensing and other Christians---who really ought to know better---that the Jews of Christ's time had such a fixation on the Messiah appearing in the form of a strong military commander that when he ultimately appeared in the form of a carpenter, they were unable to recognize him. Some---hell, all---of the greatest figures in the Bible are deeply flawed: murderers, adulterers, liars, etc.
For:
"...my power is made perfect in weakness..."
and
"...the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom..."
Withholding your vote is not a sign of virtue; in fact, it may be the exact opposite. Selfish pride is the worst of all sins.
Voting for the side that best represents Christian interests, however imperfectly, allows the Christian point of view to stay in the game. Abandon the field, and we lose all possibility of influence on the greater society.
I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian who is sick to death at the cowardice and sanctimony of American Christians and their self-absorbed rationalizations for not participating in the current political battles shaping our society. Because they insist on operating at such an 'exalted' ethical level, America now has atheists, statists and terrorists running the show.
Do you really believe that's something of which to be proud?
Posted by: ahem at July 27, 2016 9:44 AMBummper sticker I saw: Jesus is coming, and is he pissed!
Posted by: Snakepit Kansas at July 27, 2016 10:40 AMThank you, Ahem, I shared your comment.
Posted by: Leslie at July 27, 2016 11:13 AMSensing did not say not to vote.
Posted by: pbird at July 27, 2016 11:19 AMDear Ahem -- quite obviously you did not read my blog post, but only the small snippet Gerard excerpted. Please try again.
Posted by: Donald Sensing at July 27, 2016 12:07 PMOkay, I read the article. First, I find it very arrogant that you would presume to know how religious Trump is. Are you interested in folks that make a big show of how religious they are? I am not. Remember how often we are told that Obama really is a Christian? I see no sign of that being true.
Second, I am less interested in candidates proclaiming their religious beliefs. I am fine with that being a private affair. I am more interested in a candiate that will protect Christians and most especially, their ability to practice their faith. In Hillary's world, gay rights trump christian rights. That is part of the reason she is unconcerned with unrestricted Muslim immigration. They are just like us, right?
Lastly, there seems to be this idea that the President is like electing a Pope. Like I said, the candidate's religious beliefs are less important that what they will do to protect Christians and to maintain the American culture. I don't see anything that tells me Trump is incapable of that. As others have mentioned, his children are exceptional. Yes, he has stumbled and ruined his first marriage. The current one seems very stable. Would you prefer the Clinton's idea of marriage?
What I am looking for is someone that is concerned about the effects of government policies on American citizens. I want illegal immigration stopped. I want the rule of law to apply to ALL citizens. I personally want to see public colleges and universities cleaned of the anti-American teachers and policies like restricting free speech. And I want someone that fights. I am tired of losers. If you think Hillary would do a good job of appointing justices to the Supreme Court, then you should vote for her.
Posted by: Teri Pittman at July 27, 2016 12:25 PMConservative commentators talking about the moral collapse of the Republican party. Get real! That collapse began by at least the 60's and Nelson Rockefeller was sure as hell a part of it along with numerous other "leaders". What did the conservatives conserve? Themselves! The current crop of conservatives from Ryan, Boehner, McConnell, Romney, Bushes, Rove, et.al, are the problem, not the solution. We have not a thing to lose by voting Trump. The politicians of the past 50 years have been poison. No more politicians and no more lawyers...I have had it with the least ethical and Constitutionally aware human beings in this country.
Posted by: indyjonesouthere at July 27, 2016 1:09 PMMr. Sensing:
Actually, I _did_ read your entire article, and I was left with the impression reflected in my comments.
Posted by: ahem at July 27, 2016 1:38 PM"The function of the two-party system in our republic---where numerous unique interests compete, yet strive to coexist in peace---is to muster consensus along the broadest possible lines."--Ahem
Universal suffrage destroys what Republics build. The broadest possible consensus now includes the functionally retarded, the scofflaw, the users and takers of the welfare state, and millions of voters who's vocation depends entirely on a government paycheck. The consensus not only brings down the quality of political discourse, it forbids many subjects from being discussed. These little truths have passed you entirely by. Before extolling Democracy you might wish to find out what it is, because the opposition has done that and done it well. The old Republic has become and Empire of a new ruling class of intellectuals. There is no crossing this river twice.
But some credit must be given to conservative voters. After the last five Republican Presidential candidates revealed themselves over time, these voters completely rejected the last batch. The old ways will without question not work. No one claims to know what Trump brings. This election is not an endorsement, it is a rejection, but especially a rejection of the Republican Party by it's own voters. It is the most well informed and honest vote made in generations. If in the end it brings nothing, few yea voters will be surprised. This is the year that Lucy held the football and Charley Brown finally kicked Lucy.
Posted by: james Wilson at July 27, 2016 1:44 PMMr. Sensing is quite correct. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world." We should take his words seriously. When it comes time to render our vote unto Caesar, we can only hope to discern which candidate's positions more closely align with our Christian values (if we have any). The overtly religious antics of Glenn Beck and Rafael Cruz did no favors for Ted Cruz's candidacy. Trump's "Christian values" are no more convincing than Clinton's. There are political reasons for supporting either candidate, with no religious justification involved.
Posted by: Bunny at July 27, 2016 3:06 PMI will vote for Trump, but the issue of who is going to ultimately win the fight for culture is a moot point. I have said it before here.. we do not fight to win.. but instead.. we fight to keep from becoming that which we fight...
Bill Henry
Posted by: Bill Henry at July 27, 2016 3:49 PM"...looking for...someone...concerned about... effects of ...policies on American citizens". Without any moral grounding such concern as issues from the mouths of either candidate is mere words. Our choices seem between a Medusa and a Showman. Would that the choice were between Charlemagne and Aquinas; it is not. This writer sees, at last, in the Trumpster someone who is taking on the larger enemy in the culture war, i.e., the entrenched Borg continuum of the media/press. Might he improve or degrade once in office? Of course. Might the Medusa become Athena overnight? Doubtful, more likely "A queen, terrible", whom all will look upon and dispair.
By the way, the failure of any professed Christian to fail to live up to the standard of the founder, (who is God Himself, the Second person of the Holy Trinity), does not prove the failure Christianity. You know, "Perfect is the enemy of the good">
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