Donald Trump is not shy about professing his Christianity. He often surrounds himself with religious leaders who display their fealty – many of whom are active practitioners of the heretical prosperity gospel and declare POTUS to be the hand of God.
I am incapable of judging Trump’s heart and, thus, his faith. That alone is the realm of our God in heaven.
“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:5, NIV)
But I am quite capable – obligated, actually, as are we all – to judge the defiance to God’s word that is plainly on display and gives evidence of a cankerous soul.
The problem for POTUS – and for all of us given the political clout granted him by his sycophants, including those in the Supreme Court – is that while he professes his faith, he is entirely impotent in the face of his narcissism. That is, he is utterly incapable of taking any action that does not make him feel good about himself. Needless to say, this is problematic for the leader of our nation.
In a previous post, I argued that Trump appears ignorant of the wisdom proffered by Solomon in Proverbs 28 in which he warns against greed, dishonesty, corruption and pride in leadership. The king, Solomon, that is, praises honesty, compassion, justice, generosity and accountability.
Honestly, I don’t know if POTUS is a wise man. Whatever wisdom he may indeed possess is smothered by his lack of humility, his compulsion for vengeance and his indifference to the truth. He acts not on the basis of wisdom – and certainly not on God’s great command to love your neighbor – but on his enormous, uncontrollable self-worth.
This personality disorder has manifested in so many ways that are not only devastating to the constituents that Trump has pledged to serve, but to our democracy and way of life.
- Nowhere is his narcissism on greater display than his prioritization of personal fealty over professional competence and institutional integrity. Many officials have been fired or sidelined for not showing personal loyalty, even when they were fulfilling their legal or ethical duties. Such behavior undermines legislative effectiveness and stifles candor.
- Trump’s leadership is further compromised by decision-making that is impulsive, ego-driven and entirely self-serving. The cost: collaborative, evidence-based policymaking.
- His rhetoric typically centers on grievance and personal slights, intensifying divisions and deepening the “us v. them” narratives that preclude national healing and unity. Witness his deranged holiday tweets.
- Dangerously, POTUS has unpretentiously normalized falsehoods. He flouts truth in order to create a narrative that feeds his monumentally narcissistic character. And while the most blatant and notorious example is that of his knowingly false claims of election fraud, his ceaseless fabrications run the gamut from trivial to treacherous – from cheating on the golf course to denying credible government statistics, making false claims about immigrants, denying climate change, characterizing white supremacists as “very fine people” and pretty much anything else that comes out of his mouth.
A textbook example of Trump’s treachery is the recent firing of BLS chief Erika McEntarfer, guilty only of being the messenger to the disappointment of the Trump economy. Concerned that the monthly jobs report reflected poorly on his performance, POTUS immediately looked to scapegoat McEntarfer, knowing his minions would be fooled by his maneuvering. Trump not only cruelly upended the life of a civil servant, but compromised the integrity of future reports. He didn’t do this because of anyone’s incompetence or deceit – he did it ONLY to escape any accountability for bad numbers and to intimidate McEntarfer’s successor.
This is the man in charge of the nuclear codes. This is the man elected to care for our hungry and indigent. This is the man charged with caring for the afflicted. This is the man who is supposed to be a custodian of our planet. This is the man some believed would deliver world peace.
This is the man destined to be an example for our children.
The Righteous Will Answer 