New doctrine, theology introduced by Trump into Evangelical Christian practice has made for a much different church.
A tongue-in-cheek summary of major changes in theology, doctrine and practice of Evangelical trumpsters.
https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2024/06/new-doctrine-theology-is-changing.html
But these days, Evangelicals are really lucky, fortunate, in fact, that Trump has come along and helped completely re-make Evangelical Christianity over in his image. No more "Jesus," no more frumpy faces and dowdy clothes. There's a new savior in town, and he's completely renovated fusty old Fundamentalism, ignoring those difficult parts of the Bible that always caused a lot of conviction and guilt, and coming up with a whole new way to worship God. In fact, he's come up with a whole new image of God, too.
It's been a little over a year ago now that Don Jr., addressing a crowd at a Turning Point rally at Dream City Church in Phoenix, told those gathered that they could set aside Jesus' teaching, from the Sermon on the Mount, about loving one's enemies, and turning the other cheek. "We've been playing t-ball for half a century while they're playing hardball and cheating. Right? We've turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of*, the biblical reference--I understand the mentality. But it's gotten us nothing. Okay?" So there you have it. The teachings of Jesus have gotten his followers, or at least, those who claim to follow him in the MAGA crowd, nothing. So just toss that out and forget about it. Ruthlessness, and turning government into a tool to achieve personal revenge is now the core doctrine of the faith.
It appears that much of what Jesus actually said, in establishing the Christian gospel, is no longer satisfactory for modern, MAGA Christian practice. It's got to go. Russell Moore, former executive director of Southern Baptists's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, now editor of Christianity Today, tells of encountering church members who, after hearing a sermon based on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, asked the preacher, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?" So you can now take these things off the list of obligations and practices of your Christian faith. They cramp your style anyway, and since they're "woke," it is no longer necessary for us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to turn the other cheek, which Don Jr. already trashed for us, and that most pesky, difficult thing to do, love our enemies. Somewhere the scripture says, "Vengeance is mine," says the Lord, "I will repay," but we are now able to claim vengeance for our own, and for our favorite politician, and claim the joy of wreaking it on those we hate as an act of worship.
During a recent rally at Dream City Church in Phoenix [that poor church is caught up in this in a bad way, aren't they? ] Trump, trying to find words to criticize President Biden's recent executive order that slows down immigration exactly the way the Republicans wanted it. He couldn't find the words so he alluded to the fact that in these sitations, he feels like using bad language, which he often does. Today, he didn't give in to the temptation, but the crowd picked up on it and began hollering out, in unison, in this church sanctuary, a place of worship, "Bull-shit, bull-shit, bull-shit......."
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(34,057 posts)Red Letter Christian movement. Buy a copy of the Red Letter Bible and only live by those words in red.
Peace and Love Brothers and Sisters.