Today’s entry - Rationalize this, weird Trump Christians. Trump says something incorrect and the astronaut gently corrected him. So. He gives her the finger. Our oldest Allies, the finger. The Constitution, the finger. Another worldwide embarrassing day for America.
Bottom Line: Since I pinned the following statement to my Twitter account, I’ve heard from people attempting to call me out for being a hypocrite. "We're incredibly blessed. I believe that if all of us who're fortunate enough to realize the power of God were willing to share the message in public, not just behind closed doors, this world would be a better place." First to address your comments about the astronaut. I thought someone had to be present? The President scratching his head while on the phone would lead to that message not being delivered. But believe whatever you want to believe. As for our oldest ally, France, not only is President Trump critical of President Macron, most of France agrees with him.
Now, Christianity in the age of Trump. You want it rationalized and I’m happy and able to do it. According to the Pew Research Center, Donald Trump won 64% of the Christian vote in 2019 compared to only 28% of non-Christian voters. Clearly, Christians carried him to the Presidency. You, as many critics of President Trump, are attempting to advance the notion that a Christian is weird if they support him. Ironically, as a Christian, I’d suggest it’d be weird not to be supportive. Without getting into specifics about Christianity, the most important role a President can play for us is to protect our rights to practice our faith, free from government interference. That comes in various forms of policy. Starting with tax policy.
Most people don’t associate a good economy and tax policy with religious liberty, but they should. The more money earned and retained, the more we have to engage our faith as we see fit. With near record-low unemployment and record-high wages, more Christians can support their religious beliefs with time and treasure. That includes the ability to donate money and increased financial flexibility to volunteer for causes they would like to support. More charitable time and money are contributed to religious causes than any other category in the U.S. According to the National Philanthropic Trust, over 90% of Christians donate a combination of money and time to charitable causes.
Under the Trump administration, the State Department has created a watch list of countries that limit religious liberty. Countries on that list are tasked with progress towards liberty or are faced with sanctions and limited foreign aid. President Trump has fought federal funding of abortions, including a recent successful legal effort to reallocate $34 million away from Planned Parenthood and having them forfeit another $60 million in Title X money after implementing a rule that wouldn’t allow Title X money for organizations that perform abortions. It’s a specific example that speaks to a larger point.
As is often the case with politicians, many get wrapped up into the messenger rather than the policy. President Obama was an eloquent messenger with policy that didn’t deliver on his eloquent promises. President Trump is an in-eloquent messenger with policy that delivers on his promises. If you spent more time on substance rather than personality, you’d understand why someone as clearly flawed as he is, has been remarkable for Christians in addition to all who value religious liberty.
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