26 What is written in the Law?" he replied. How do you read it?" 27 He answered Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself." 28 You have answered correctly" Jesus replied. Do this and you will live." 29 But he wanted to justify himself so he asked Jesus And who is my neighbor?" 30 In reply Jesus said: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes beat him and went away leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road and when he saw the man he passed by on the other side. 32 So too a Levite when he came to the place and saw him passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan as he traveled came where the man was; and when he saw him he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him he said and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.The Samaritans of ancient Israel were viewed as among the most vicious enemies of the Jews. Therefore the Jews had been advised to avoid them in the name of maintaining the peace difficult though that was. That begs the question though: Is Donald Trump a good Samaritan even as we the inheritors of the promise and covenant of Abraham see his obvious flaws grounded in some might call sanctimonious morality? Let me begin by admitting that during the 2016 GOP presidential primaries I was a hardened Never Trumper largely because of his conduct my distrust in what appeared to be a living fluid platform. I participated in the Release the Delegates push during the days leading to the party convention for those very reasons because I believed his conduct made him unelectable against Hillary Clinton. On the afternoon of November 8 2016 when I walked outside of my assigned voting station about two miles from home I was convinced that I may well have cast my vote for the devil himself. Vowing as late as the moment I walked into the booth to never vote for the man I initially couldnt find a slot for Evan McMullin (though later I learned he was on the ballot) nor any other politician I recognized aside Trump and Clinton. It is true that my approach to the 2016 election was that hell would have had to freeze over before I would have ever considered pulling the lever for that vile woman. On the other hand having passionately supported Ted Cruz and witnessed the brutal mistreatment of he his family and staff by the Trump campaign had hardened my heart towards him so much that I thought I could not (at that time) forgive him. I lost good political contacts (even one of my mentors) after clashing over Corey Lewandowskis alleged assault of former Fox News and Breitbart journalist Michelle Fields. I saw evil sides among fellow conservative activists and party members good people people who were colleagues even mentors I had never thought possible. I would have expected this trash out of any atheist Leftist I had ever known because they act as they are. Never however would I have suspected this cruel Machiavellian demonstration from our side. It had never manifested in such a startling manner before. And I was greatly disillusioned as a result. But after Trump won it became increasingly apparent that as he engaged aggressively in protecting religious freedom in both America and around the globe (particularly Christians who face the faiths greatest existential threat since the Roman Empire) he should be viewed more in the mold of Cyrus the Great than say the deeply religious Ronald Reagan. That night November 8 2016 as the GOP basked in the stew of victorious bliss I could rejoice in the fact that it was the end of socialism in America through the will of the American voter (or so I thought at the time). While I personally did not support Trump during the campaign the Clinton political machine had been dismantled under the weight of its own corruption while the devasting eight year reign of Barack Obama arrived at its ignominious ended. I resolved to abide by the following standard: Will Donald Trump heal the deep divisions in place today divisions that are easily more pronounced in the 21st Century than at the height of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement? The onus was obviously on him to deliver. I finally decided to support Trump if and only if he verified his good faith in the trust I subsequently placed in him to remain true to the conservative credo. For the most part (with the exception of his still-crude behavior and flimsy defense of the Second Amendment) President Trump has far surpassed my broadest expectations with flying colors. Yes I still cringe every time Trump tweets out something vulgar or inappropriate as it confirms what I still view as his greatest character defects: his choleric temper the exhibition of traits consistent with narcissism. But then I recall what the other option is who will not protect our First Amendment rights but rather punish the faithful for not bowing before the altar of political correctness. As Archbishop Charles J. Chaput wrote for National Review in September 2016 in expressing his concerns over the Obama administrations demand that Little Sisters of the Poor provide contraceptives to their employees (among other attacks on conscience rights)
Religious freedom perhaps our most fundamental freedom ought to be of serious concern not only to religious believers: A well-ordered society must protect the realm within which all men can consider essential questions of human existence mans relation to the divine and the proper relationship between men because the answers to these questions could have bearing on eternal life. But of course curtailment of this freedom is of particular concern to religious believers attempting to live out their faith in the current environment.Archbishop Chaputs article titled Christians Must Not Indulge in the Luxury of Cynicism Even in This Election foreshadowed the same concerns I shared in 2016. If Christians leave the public square according to Archbishop Chaput other people with much worse intentions wont. And this is why the matter that last weeks impeachment of President Trump is reaching critical mass. This did not emerge because he committed any actual federal crime given the charges against him ― which imply obstruction and abuse of power but not any illegal activity because there was none ― all were levied and all while he was denied due process. But then Christianity Today editor-in-chief Mark Galli guilty as hell of Disraelis condemnation of politicians who distort or outright lie about the facts on public policy (There three types of lies: Lies damned lies and statistics") behind individual cases committed what some courtrooms might rule as libel for any one else not occupying the Oval Office. Ever the moralist of the Pharisee tradition his debating points apparently derived while thumping a Bible he utterly disregarded were articulated through prejudice and the lie this was not a political matter but for him the church.
But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the presidents political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly it is profoundly immoral."In response to this massively egotistical and unbelievably ill-informed thesis I recall how Edmund Burke objectively observed that Politics and the pulpit are terms that have little agreement" in his 1790 Reflections on the Revolution in France. In the face of unprecedented crisis for the church in America and around the world and given President Trumps deep commitment to addressing these issues through executive orders and foreign policy before the United Nations it is obvious that here Mr. Galli is an utter gay illiterate with respect to the Constitution of the United States fitting the true mold of Democratic politicians like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton who slandered the slain Christian victims of Sri Lankas Easter morning terrorist attack as Easter worshipers rather than acknowledge they were Christians. Here his sin emerges through his selective moral indignation a form of moral relativism thinly veiled according to Burke under the guise of a mistaken and overzealous piety." He further places his foot deeper inside his mouth until he practically gags by failing to remove the plank from (his own) eye:
The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women about which he remains proud."There is a major divergence in Mr. Gallis vague debating points. First every administration nay every politician dumbs down the idea of morality especially within the presidency given the nature of the profession. If he finds fault here he will note that the party with which he has vocally aligned to take down President Trump by attempting to convince actual Christians (unlike himself) to turn on the one man standing in their way is currently committed to passing various pieces of legislation designed to bring about the extinction of an already corrupt increasingly secular church in America. That party the Democratic Party seeks to end his right to attack any other politician but Trump (or others like him) by forcing him to otherwise join in his own habitual string of mischaracterizations lies and slanders." If Trump has insulted people through slander as both a celebrity and politician he is not alone nor have other pastors in churches and editors-in-chief of influential Christian publications. Politicians regularly slander their opponents call out people who lie while they themselves are indeed liars. But in all fairness while Trump may be guilty of mischaracterizations of certain issues through his very direct blunt means of communication where he calls things as he sees them his reference to Low Energy Jeb Bush (who along with the RNC sought to expand a political dynasty by forcing his nomination down Republican voters throats) Little Marco Rubio (who he saw as a lightweight) and Lyin Ted Cruz (who proved to be a liar by first refusing to fulfill his obligation to endorse Trump as nominee before unexpectedly doing so in September to save his political career) proved to be spot on. Furthermore there are these positive traits which vindicate the president: When Trump pledged to move Israels capital to Jerusalem after his three predecessors reneged on their campaign pledge he followed through. When he promised he would cut taxes and deregulate bureaucratic red tape inhibiting economic growth he did just that and he plans to cut more taxes specifically for the middle class. When he said he would build a wall to safeguard our borders from drug cartels violent gangs and illegal immigrants as a matter of national security he has followed through: construction continues to this day despite attempts to stop this by left-wing activists and Democratic lawmakers through the courts. And when he said he would seek to bring an end to nearly 20 years of war in Afghanistan while striving to avoid conflict elsewhere he is. For Galli however there are merely yeah buts: the glass he says is always half-full. But in reality he always regards it as empty. Mr. Galli also claims that the facts in this instance are unambiguous and Im inclined to agree ― at least as to the real nature behind the Democrats push to impeach (and remove) President Trump not the ones he shares with the Democrats or the McCain and Bush families nor Carly Fiorina Jeff Flake or Mitt Romney. The Democrats did not charge President Trump with any specific crime given the transcript of the phone call to the newly-elected President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine (available below) was free of any overt attempt to bully or coerce a foreign ruler to fulfill any obligation in order to receive American financial assistance. However the Democrats did deny the president his right to due process to appoint a legal team in his defense and they certainly blocked Republican access throughout most of the inquiries refused to permit them to call vital witnesses or to cross-examine many Adam Schiff summoned.
Trump-Zelensky trancript by Breitbart News on Scribd
Like a simp Mr. Galli plays by the Democrat and media talking points and the hypocrites Jesus attacks in the Bible. As a fellow conservative columnist (and mentor as well as a dear friend) informed me fairly recently regarding Trumps recent acceptance of Christ into his life according to her bosses at The Stream run by James Robison I must inquire of Mr. Galli whether he like many evangelicals is of the mistaken opinion that America is a theocracy and has been so throughout the republics 230 year existence; and in that sense how is he fit to judge the president similarly to the atheists and pagans in the other party when he himself admitted two nights ago that what he said was hyperbole and therefore shouldnt be taken totally seriously? Was this man of God just pitching a fit based on his moral judgment?https://youtu.be/IAHeSF5vYTU
In conclusion we should recall what President Reagan taught America in his negotiations with the Soviet Union: Trust but verify. The president may have converted to Christianity but its like Franklin Graham (whose father Billy Graham founded Christianity Today) recently said to Eric Metaxas: the president has little knowledge or understanding of the Bible. That point to me is abundantly clear and nearly every pastor or evangelical. Yet regardless of any misgivings we should pray that Trump will eventually acquire wisdom from his growing faith in the Lord for his journey has only begun. But until then we should associate Trump with Cyrus the Great: a man who not a Jew but a pagan nevertheless proved to be an individual who God saw was a just ruler over the newly-formed Persian Empire after the fall of Babylon and in that tradition he was chosen to return the Jews to their ancient homeland. The Bible even refers to Cyrus as messiah (Isaiah 45:1) though not the Son of God. No Christian should ever view Trump on par with Jesus although I note others seem to idolize him as if he is a pagan deity.
https://youtu.be/x9BxyCkf-ys
If Mr. Galli is legitimately concerned about his moral high ground I suggest that as an individual who recently came to embrace Jesus myself to review Matthew 7:1-3 which reads:
Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:1-3)Furthermore Jesus the supreme head and teacher of the whole church challenged his new disciples by asking them to dig deep down inside and to answer Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3) Most of Trumps devout evangelical base would love nothing more than to see the president improve in his newly-found faith. But if Mr. Gallis basis to attack Trump is to decry his morality as unchristian and that on this basis he is unfit to be president; and if hes siding with the Democrats in the attempt to remove him from office for this purpose alone he fails to understand that America is not a theocracy nor should he want it to be. After all in Act 16 both Paul the Apostle and Silas benefited from their citizenship during the height of the pagan Roman Empire: when he informed the officer near his cell that the local authorities at Philippi beat them without a trial even though we are Roman citizens and threw us into prison" they were released. But before they were Paul demanded that he be allowed to face the guilty magistrates by demanding they escort them out for they were alarmed that they had denied both he and Silas their civil rights as Roman citizens regardless that they were Jews in a pagan land. Its important to remember that Jesus condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for trying to test him similarly to Satan during his 40 days in the desert. For those not familiar about obedience to the governing authorities Jesus demanded that they show him a Roman denarius which they had minted inside the temple. In asking Whose image and inscription is this?" the Pharisees replied Caesars". Jesus response was simple and concrete: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods" (Matthew 22:18-22). With respect to Americas government it is separate from religion: there is after all the matter of the Establishment Clause whose wording alas has been trampled along with the rest of the First Amendment. But as for the Second Temple in Jerusalem Christ condemned the Pharisees: My house will be called a house of prayer Jesus said but you are making it a den of robbers (Matthew 21:13). The White House is not a church but the Peoples House; and its inhabitants according to President Reagan are the American peoples tenants not priests pastors or rabbis. Finally Im reminded of the series of secular Scandinavian customs outlined under The Laws of Jante. There are ten primary rules which abide by variations of a single theme usually referring to a socially homogenous construct unique to the region:
You are not to think youre anyone special or that youre better than us."But there is an unspoken eleventh point recognized as the penal code of Jantes:
Perhaps you dont think we know a few things about you?"Words and actions have consequences for everyone and not just Trump. Mr. Galli is facing them now having ignited a mini-civil war with the majority of evangelicals who have placed Trump in the proper perspective who would not have him removed ― especially by perpetuating a proven lie as is Christianity Today. He fails to reconcile through his faith and intellectually that although any Trump removal would result in a Mike Pence presidency (who is deeply committed to the faith) the ramifications of arbitrarily condemning based on his moral judgment and righteous indignation would be catastrophic. In effect it is better to deal with the devil we do know as opposed to the devil we dont whose intentions against the church and Jews have been made perfectly clear ― and who among the collaborators with blood on their hands stands Mark Galli himself. So as with the occasion an expert in the law like Mr. Galli who stood up to test Jesus I want to conclude this by asking my readers the following beginning first with the Pharisees inquiry: Teacher... Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" (Luke 10:25) If after Jesus explained the American church sides with the Levite high priest (personified by Mr Galli) who came to the place and saw a man on his way to Jerusalem from Jericho but simply passed by on the other side in strict observation of the Jewish Sabbath without stopping to help after being attacked by robbers than Christianity in America is truly ailing. But if we answer Christs inquiry as did the expert in the law correctly The one who had mercy on him; or the Good Samaritan: the neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers we are truly justified in our faith and must according to Jesus Go and do likewise" if we truly love our neighbor living in the White House. That inn the White House is inhabited by the tenant of the American people President Donald J. Trump whom we employ as its innkeeper. Even when he misbehaves we should reimburse... for any extra expense (we) may have and to let he without sin cast the first stone (John 8:7). We therefore must rediscover how to love our neighbor as we love ourselves to not judge or (we too) will be judged through distortions of the Lords commandments (Matthew 7:1) in the case of Donald Trump or anyone else. In order to do that we (Mark Galli included) must relearn how to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind even in the wider community (Luke 10:27) while not giving to dogs what is sacred nor to pigs our pearls (Matthew 7:6) like Mr. Galli given they intend to trample them under their feet before tearing us to pieces. Thats what the Prince of Peace commands.