October 10, 2019--"Render Unto God and Trump"

Yesterday I wrote about Trump's Messianic impulses. Not just that he panders to and uses Evangelicals for his own political purposes, but also that he appears to believe he may be The One.

Encouraging him in this delusion are preachers such as Jerry Falwell and cynical professional Christians such as Ralph Reed, who is the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party.

According to POLITICO, Reed argues in a book due out before the 2020 general election that American Evangelicals “have a moral obligation to enthusiastically back” the president.

According to the book's description, the original title was Render to God and Trump, a reference to the biblical verse, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.” The message from Jesus in Matthew 22 has been used to justify obedience to government--or in the case of Reed’s book, to Trump.

Regnery Publishing confirmed the book’s existence but said the title is For God and Country: The Christian Case for Trump. The publisher declined to comment on the reason for the title change.

Reed, who once said Trump’s comments about women in the leaked “Access Hollywood” tape were low on his “hierarchy of concerns,” belongs to an informal group of evangelical leaders--including Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., Robert Jeffress and Paula White--who support and advise Trump. 

They have claimed that his entry into politics was divinely inspired and have equated him to biblical figures such as Queen Esther; and frequently cite Scripture to justify his most controversial policies and behavior--actions that other religious scholars and leaders have found cringeworthy.

About that, sadly true.