Gotta love it. To disagree with Shane Idleman and his politics is to need humility. How insultingly arrogant. Correctly calling the former president a convicted felon is not hating him. It is telling the truth. Saying that he has zero morality, or an inkling of Christian values is likewise, an accurate statement. Godly counsel? There was NOTHING but false teachers, hucksters and charlatans surrounding Donald Trump as president, including Shane Idleman. His spiritual advisor was a woman who fleeced the flock of God for five million dollars! Good judges? Who? The guy who flies his flag upside down? Socialism was being resisted? Stop with the NAR talking points! Black unemployment under Trump was between 6-7% and under Biden it is between 5-6%, not including COVID (2021). I know prayer in school is a pet wedge issue the NAR uses to motivate lazy Christians, but God does not care one whit if we force kids who do not understand, to recite a prayer to a god they do not know. The gospel does not work like that Shane. So let us be fair here because the trade-off Shane espouses is the same one being sold to the apostate church today. That because Trump appointed three hardcore Supremes, we can turn a blind eye to the least moral man to ever occupy the White House. Three times married and unfaithful? Hey look at Brett Kavanaugh! Says he can grab women by the vagina? Hey, doesn't Neil Gorsuch look nice? Steals and reveals national secrets, tries to overthrow the government, doesn't mind if his followers hang his vice president, and pays $130,000 in hush money to deceive the electorate from knowing about his affair with a porn star? Three words - Amy Coney Barrett. Maybe you are ok with this trade-off politically. That is your right as an American. Just stop pretending God is on your side because He is not. Stop because it destroys the witness for Christ.
An analogy that I often use will bring this point home. The head of a neighborhood watch program, who took the late-night watches, had previously had an affair. He was occasionally gruff and impulsive, and sometimes his words were crass and offensive, but he watched over the neighborhood diligently each night. Each week he invited church leaders into his home to pray for him and his family and to seek their advice. He often stood against others on the committee who wanted to enact policies harmful to the neighborhood and to the children, such as advocating an open-door policy where residents were required to allow anyone into their homes at all hours of the day for handouts. Is this not the kind of person you would want leading your neighborhood watch? Does his past or his demeanor matter more than the results he is accomplishing? If you are intellectually honest, the answer is not difficult. In the same way, the answer is simple for America.
I think Shane Idleman should stay out of the analogy business because he is really, really bad at it. This country is not your gated community. The president is slightly more important than the person who does the neighborhood watch. Trump did not previously have an affair. He cheated on every wife he ever had and the last time we know about was with a porn star. He has been civilly convicted of sexual assault as well. Nineteen women in total have accused the former president of sexual misconduct on varying levels, including rape. I know in Shane's world, they are all Venezuelans carrying out a coordinated witch hunt against the second coming of the apostle Paul but on earth one, we know the truth. So, does the past and demeanor of who is on our neighborhood watch matter? Absolutely. Character reveals who people are, not just who they invite to the homes for fake prayer. If I knew that the guy running for neighborhood watch cheated on three wives with porn stars and behaved boorish and crassly, why in the world would I trust him watching my neighborhood? I would probably hide my wife and kids if he was watching anything.
Again, we are not voting for people based on how godly they are; we are voting for the future direction of America: the right to life, the elevation of God's Word back to its proper place, the appointment of conservative judges, securing America and her borders, creating jobs and improving the quality of life for all Americans. I will close with what I stated before: We can't have our cake and eat it too"there is no middle ground for Christians today. You can choose a president who who would seek to destroy the America we know and lead us down the primrose path of socialism"or worse. Or you can choose to back President Trump. For those who say they won't be voting, your silence speaks volumes. Be clear on that. Saying nothing is saying something.
Yes, saying nothing is certainly saying something. It is saying that we are not of this world. That the kingdom we serve is not of this world. It is saying that we will not demonize other human beings, all of whom were made in the image of God because we are scared that there is not enough American air to go around. God's word does not need to be properly elevated in this country if it is not going to properly elevated in our churches. Do you think that the unsaved looked at the snake oil salesmen that surrounded the first Trump presidency and did not realize the rampant hypocrisy? I want us to seriously consider the key verses for today listed above. I included the entire context because it is quite telling for this discussion. The sexual immorality that was convicted 34 times last week should never be found among us. Let there be no filthiness or crude joking. For such people, idolators, have no place in the kingdom of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words like Shane Idleman. Do not become partners beloved with the darkness but expose it! Awake oh sleeper and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you!
Beloved, God does not care about our carnal politics. People can be saved under monarchies, socialist regimes, capitalist countries or hybrid mixes such as ours. God is not a respecter of persons, let alone the governmental models persons ascribe to. Shane Idleman is trying to sell what his masters have commanded him to. That his candidates, from his party are the true choice for God when they are not. They are flawed and sinful men and women, just like in the other party. The other side might not be God's choice either, but they are not pretending to be and therein lies the rub. Donald Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts last week. You can say that does not affect your vote, but you cannot ascribe Christ to it. In closing, I ask only one question that you alone need to answer for yourself. If Joe Biden had been convicted last week of 34 felonies for covering up an affair he had with a porn star years ago to deceive voters before the 2020 election, would you be screaming Venezuela? Or would you be righteously demanding he be removed from office or at the bare minimum be locked up and prevented from running for office? I think we know the answer, don't we? Shane Idleman can try to wrap Donald Trump up in Jesus Christ all day long but at the end of that day all he is left with a man convicted of 34 felonies for trying to cover up an affair with a porn star to deceive voters. Do not fall for the Faustian bargain he offers you. Deals with the devil do not work out in the favor of anyone but the devil. Judicial appointments are not worth your soul. It is not worth your witness. Dear Lord, it is just not worth it and last week we were given 34 more reasons why so.
Reverend Anthony Wade - June 3, 2024
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