CHRIST-APP by philtierneyblog

XII

Two of the unique patterns of President Trump’s behavior are his use rallies and tweets.  He devotes massive amounts of time and energy to both.  He uses the first to gain praise, which he relishes, not unlike Satan in the Wilderness, as well as to promote himself.  He uses the second, not unlike the serpent in the Garden, to stay in the minds of his supporters by presenting information in ways that will promote himself and detract from his perceived adversaries. 

It is said that President Trump is constantly running for President and that’s why he has so many rallies, more than any other President by far.  That may be, but there’s another reason.  You may recall that back in his first year of office Mr. Trump’s staff saw him seeming to become depleted.  They relented and agreed that he should hold some rallies.  He did, and was reenergized by them.  The energy he derived from the rallies had nothing to do with being in campaign mode.  It had to do with what he got out of those rallies.  But what did he derive from standing up in front of those crowds of carefully screened supporters?  He received praise.  He fed off the cheers and adulation of those crowds, and he still does.  He craves worship – to be the center of worship.  He yearns to be worshipped.  And that’s what those meetings are. They’re worship services.  They’re revival meetings.  They revive him and the enthusiasm of his followers.  They are gatherings of a cult.  And it’s the cult of an antichrist, named Trump.

Many Christian supporters of Donald Trump have consistently indicated that the only aspect of his behavior that they find objectionable is his use of Twitter.  They “wish he wouldn’t tweet so much.”   Why would Christian fundamentalists disapprove of that?  Do they have moral objections to Twitter, itself?  No. Then, might it be that they object to what Mr. Trump tweets?  I suspect so. Trump will never stop tweeting.  His tweets are his life blood.  It’s the way he stays in people’s minds, like the serpent in the Garden.  It’s the way he insinuates himself. It’s the way he bullies, dominates, accuses and demeans others, the way he promotes himself gets people to think the way he wants them to. White Christians in America will never get him to stop or change tweeting. It’s the serpent in him.

The reason they want him to stop is that his tweets are so revealing.  His tweets are windows into his mind, into his heart, indeed, into his soul.  They wish that he wouldn’t tweet because his tweets so clearly reveal what he’s like inside.  Christian supporters object to his tweets because it creates for them cognitive dissonance between what they say they believe and their belief in him.  They object to his tweets because it compromises their message. They object to his tweets because every one of those tweets reflects on them and the integrity of their witness. They object to his tweets because it makes them look like hypocrites. They object to his tweets because his words compromise their conviction that he is an instrument of God.

Historically, it has been said that the eyes are the window of the soul.  In Donald Trump’s case, his tweets are the window into his soul.  What he tweets and the ways he tweets are the opposite of Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.  They reveal that what he’s like inside is diametrically opposed to the ways Jesus taught people live.  His tweets, indeed everything he says and does, have only two goals. Those goals are to diminish others and to inflate himself.  Those were the central motives Satan had in the biblical stories we’ve examined.  President Trump’s tweets and rallies reveal that he has the spirit of an antichrist within him.  Those who follow and support him expose themselves to a malign spirit and, in effect, place them in the position of being in league with an antichrist posing as God’s ally and the source of his power.

He lies, like the “father of lies.”  He deceives, like the great Deceiver.  He tempts and accuses, like the Accuser.  He uses what seems to be good, but only to manipulate and gain power or tribute for himself.  He stokes hatred and divides people.  He bullies.  He calls people names, which Jesus called murder.  He wishes misfortune on those who frustrate his purposes.  He is an adversary, expressing animosity toward others.  He is filled with lust, avarice, anger, and self-indulgence.  He is mean-spirited, disloyal, unforgiving, and vengeful.  His goals are deception, fear, power, control and adulation.  But because he promises money to the rich, influence to Evangelical leaders and power to white fundamentalists to better control the behaviors of others, even the elect are deceived to follow him.  

The Pharisees, long ago, absolutely believed that they were doing God’s good work by undermining and finally executing Jesus.  Many white American Evangelicals believe the same about their support of Donald Trump. They are deceived into thinking that they are doing God’s will.  Their false prophets call him the chosen one, the one sent by God to do God’s bidding.  Some even refer to him as a messiah (Christ).  And yet, he is a false one, which is what antichrist literally means.  But all this pseudo-Christ wants, like the antagonist, is to divert their devotion from God to himself.  They are deceived and, in turn, have become deceivers, as well.  God does not need to use an antagonist to accomplish God’s purposes in this world.  Jesus knew that and resisted the temptation.  And so should white American Christians.

St. Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the spiritual realms.”  (Ephesians 6: 12)

Know what you are dealing with. 

Do not be deceived or demoralized!  Resist evil! 

Trust God to accomplish his own will in his own time.

The Reverend Philip J. Tierney, B.A., M.Th., M.Div., D.P.S.

3/11/2020