God looked down on the United States of America and said, “I need a caretaker. So God gave us Trump. And God said, ‘I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, fix this country, work all day, fight the Marxists, eat supper, and then go to the Oval Office and stay past midnight… So God made Trump.’” That’s the message of a new, slickly-produced video that pieces together excerpts from Trump’s life and family while serving in our nation’s highest office (https://news.yahoo.com/ trump-shares-bizarre-biblicalvideo). The former president is depicted as a messianic figure, as “a man who cares for ‘the flock, the shepherd to mankind who won’t ever leave or forsake them.’” There are quotes from the Bible, paraphrases from Psalm 140 to describe “fake news media,” and then Trump is also fighting the “deep state” that is against him and against our great nation, and then Trump finishes a hard week’s work by attending church services on Sunday.
So the former president is tough and strong when fighting the “deep state,” but “was gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild.”
Several have asked me how I reacted to this little video, easily accessible on YouTube, and urged me to write an editorial about it. My first reaction was thinking it was hilarious—that reaction lasted no more than five to ten seconds. I knew the video was meant to be serious. My more thoughtful reaction is that the video message and images smack of blasphemy.
Not making an accusation of blasphemy here, I must leave that to the Almighty. I cannot and will not be final Judge. No human is called to be Final Judge.
But I can confess my genuine discomfort, and I can challenge my friends to give the question serious consideration. The former president has posted this little video on Truth Social, and Rep. Marjorie Green and other MAGA activists have also posted the video.
SO WHAT IS BLASPHEMY?
Blasphemy is defined in Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1986 edition, as “an act of insulting or sharing contempt or lack of proper reverence for God; any act claiming the attributes or special role of deity.”
The discomfort I feel with the brief video is due to the narrator’s description of the sending of Donald Trump into our nation— the description is in the same style and language of the New Testament description of God sending his Son into our world!
And that’s not even to mention the video narrative’s making several false and misleading statements; for example, there’s no evidence that Trump attends regular church worship services.
So the video narrator seems to know the mind of God, and our former president is depicted as a Savior. While I was watching it a second time, a Scripture and a narrative came to mind.
The Scripture is from the Apostle Paul in Romans: “For who has known the mind of God? For who has been his counselor?” (11: 14) And the narrative that came to mind? In the book of Acts (12: 20-23), readers might assume that a wicked ruler named Herod was a great orator. Herod went to Caesarea and must have delivered a moving address; his listeners were so impressed they shouted: “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”
Then Luke, the inspired historian, narrates: “Herod did not give praise and credit to God, he was struck down and eaten by worms.”
PRESIDENTIAL MYTH-MAKING
The American presidency is one of my favorite subjects for reading and study. I enjoyed teaching a class on the topic earlier this year for Lipscomb’s Lifelong Learning program. How understandable that, with any president serving in high office long enough, there is a degree of exaggeration and myth-making.
Sometimes this presidential mythology is for teaching moral lessons, such as the myth that George Washington as a young boy used his new ax to cut down his father’s favorite cherry tree. (You know how young George owned up to his misdeed, and you remember the lesson that many generations of school children were supposed to learn about always telling the truth and then facing the consequences!)
There are also all kinds of legends about Abraham Lincoln as a lad and teenager, and, indeed, some may be true. Many are surely mythical.
Even though six decades have passed since the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy, there is still something “larger than life” about the man, his presidency, his death, and his impact on the American people. Part of this legacy Kennedy created himself, through his extraordinary image and style.
After his passing, his wife and others contributed to the Camelot image of a youth and glamour that generated this romantic image and stirred fond memories of the brief time Kennedy was in high office.
They surely wanted us to remember the handsome Chief Executive, the beautiful and stylish wife, the high culture in the courtly residence, the court entourage of brilliant and dedicated public servants—a time that belonged, by design, with the legends of chivalric courts— and our fascination with legend and reality were merged!
There was a moment on the debate stage of presidential candidates in Y2K, if memory serves, when the moderator was closing the evening round of debating by asking: “Can you name one person in history you admire and to whom you look for inspiration in your political career and why?”
As expected, most candidates could mention some great philosopher or a founding father such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, or Thomas Jefferson.
George W. Bush’s answer was: “Jesus Christ, because he is my Lord and Savior.”
My immediate thought at that moment: George W is pandering to evangelical voters, saying what he knows will impress them, or maybe he just doesn’t know much about great philosophers or founding fathers.
But I’ve come to believe now that the younger Bush was sincere. In post-presidency, Bush has done guest speaking at churches, and he has delivered speeches at Christian schools and universities, one being a fund-raising event at Lipscomb University a few years ago.
While I have serious critique of George W’s decisions in foreign policy, I can respect his sincere expressions of Christian faith.
Thinking that Abraham Lincoln could be among the top two or three presidents in our history, I respect that, in his public correspondence to leading newspapers and in his inaugural addresses, Lincoln was willing to express faith in the Almighty, being humble enough to admit he did not fully know the providence of God and what was in store for the nation that tolerated slavery for so long.
There is no sense, in my opinion, in saying that these presidents crossed a line of honesty and appropriateness in public communication. With one possible exception, in every presidential inaugural address in our nation, the incoming (or incumbent, in some cases) president has referenced God and sought divine guidance in the address. How humble and how appropriate!
In the case of “God Sent Trump,” too many lines of honesty, decency, and respect for God have been flagrantly crossed! That video is truly “beyond the pale.”
Perry C. Cotham is retired from pursuing twin careers in full-time church ministry and university professorship. He has served in pulpit positions for urban, small town, and rural churches.As a fulltime professor he has held tenures in teaching communication and history/ political science at both Lipscomb and Middle Tennessee State Universities. The son of parents in church ministry, Cotham was born in Wewoka, OK, and lived several years in Duncan, OK.