NOTES ON A RAP SHEET OF THE AMERICAN CHURCH UNDER DONALD TRUMP 2025: THE FINAL SPIRITUAL SEDUCTION OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION – (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off] …

Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,

idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” – GALATIANS 5:1, 19-21, AMPC

KEY TERMS: “YOKE OF SLAVERY”

• “YOKE.” ‘Zugos’ [ζυγῷ]: “‘A joining or coupling of servitude (by law or obligation), a harness;’ hence (a Jewish idea) of a heavy burden, comparable to the heavy yokes resting on the bullocks’ necks; a balance, pair of scales.” NOTE: “The term ‘zugos’ primarily refers to a yoke, a wooden beam used to join two animals, usually oxen, for the purpose of pulling a load or plowing a field. In a broader sense, it symbolizes servitude, burden, or bondage. In the New Testament, it is often used metaphorically to describe the obligations or burdens placed upon individuals, whether by religious law, societal expectations, or spiritual commitments.”

• “SLAVERY.” ‘Douleia’ [δουλείας]: “Bondage or servitude in the fear of death;’ as with slave labor; captivity; imprisonment; restraint of a person’s liberty by compulsion; in Scripture, spiritual subjection to sin and corrupt passions, or to the yoke of the ceremonial law; servile fear.” NOTE: “The term ‘douleia’ primarily refers to the condition or state of being a slave or in servitude. In the New Testament, it is often used metaphorically to describe ‘spiritual bondage or subjection,’ particularly in contrast to the freedom found in Christ. It conveys the idea of ‘being under the control or dominion of another,’ whether it be sin, the Law, or fear.”

QUOTATION. “What win I if I gain the thing I seek? A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy. Who buys a minute’s mirth to wail a week? Or sells Eternity to get a toy?” ― WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, The Rape of Lucrece, 1594

COMMENTARY. “This first verse of chapter 5 refers to this practice – ‘He should live as a free man!’ Here we have a very good illustration of the difference between Law and Grace. The Law would say: ‘If you earn your freedom, you will become free.’ But Grace says: ‘You have been made free at the tremendous cost of the Death of Christ. In gratitude to Him, you should STAND FAST therefore in the Liberty with which Christ has made you free’ …

What kind of works does fallen human nature produce? There is no difficulty in identifying the works of the flesh. They are evident to all. Adultery is unfaithfulness in the marriage relationship. Fornication is unlawful sexual intercourse. Uncleanness is moral evil, sensuality. Lewdness is shameless conduct involving absence of restraint. Idolatry is not only the worship of idols, but also the immorality that accompanies demon worship. Sorcery is witchcraft, the Greek word being related to drugs (‘pharmakeia’). Because drugs were used in sorcery, the word came to mean intercourse with evil spirits, or the use of magic spells. It may also include superstitions, “bad luck,” etc. Hatred means strong feelings of malice directed toward individuals. Contentions are discord, variance, quarrels [in rebellion against God’s truth]. Jealousies are distrust, suspicions. Wrath is outbursts of hot anger or passions. Selfish ambitions are self-centered strivings to be ‘Number One,’ even at others’ expense. Dissensions are separations caused by disagreements [spawned by departure from the truth]. Heresies are sects formed by men with self-willed opinions. Envy is displeasure at the success or prosperity of others. Murders are unlawful killing of others. Drunkenness refers to intoxication caused by strong drink. Revelries are riotous gatherings for entertainment, accompanied by drunkenness.

Paul warns his readers, as he had told them before, that those who PRACTICE such things will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God! The passage does not teach that a drunkard cannot be saved, but it does say that those whose lives are ‘characterized’ by the above catalog of fleshly works are not saved [either never were or were but are fallen away].” – WILLIAM MACDONALD, Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995, pp. 1890, 1894; edited

1. TEACHING

Now that we have a Biblical Template for the evaluation of how the American Church is doing, I present the Application of these Standards in TWO PHASES: (1) Spiritual Abuse in the Church; and (2) The Collapse of American Christianity.

• PREMISE: ‘The First Condition, having been practiced in the great majority of the White Churches of America over the last ten years has led, inexorably, to the Second Consequence – the very Destruction of the Christian Faith in our very nearly shattered Republic. Selah.

Tough Love necessarily brought to the Table again, beloved. It is only the Stinging Balm of Biblical Truth by which we can heal, and nothing less.

ONE: SPIRITUAL ABUSE. For this part of our conversation, I turn to a highly regarded individual who specializes in this difficult area of examination. DR. DIANE LANGBERG, globally recognized for her 50 years of clinical work with trauma victims. She has trained caregivers on six continents in responding to trauma and to the ABUSE OF POWER. She also directs her own counseling practice in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, Diane Langberg, Ph.D. & Associates, which includes sixteen therapists with multiple specialties.

Dr. Langberg’s newest book is Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church (2020). Dr. Langberg is co-leader of the Global Trauma Recovery Institute housed at Biblical Theological Seminary.  The following THREE MAIN IDEAS are drawn from her article titled, “When the Sheep Are Preyed Upon” (The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Dec. 16, 2020; edited).

1. AN EVIL REALITY. “‘Spiritual Abuse’ should be an oxymoron! The word ‘Spiritual’ refers to something affecting a human spirit or soul. ‘Abuse’ means to mistreat another, to deceive or do harm. ‘When we use the word Spiritual to describe Abuse, we are talking about using that which is Sacred—including God’s Word—to control, misuse, deceive, or damage a person created in His Image.’I think we can safely say the pairing of those two words is Diabolical! Leaders engaged in Spiritual Abuse use their position and words to coerce another by manipulating, deceiving, or humiliating them. They say, ‘God says …’ followed by words that do not reflect the character of our God. Our God is Light and Truth, yet an authority in the Church tells someone who has been ‘raped’ [‘forceful seizure’] by a pastor [physically or spiritually], ‘We will never discuss this because this is God’s Church, and if you tell you will damage his name.’ That is what Spiritual Abuse looks like.”

• SERVING THE SYSTEM. “‘A Church or a Denomination is a System.’ It consists of people standing together under the name of God for the purpose of educating, nurturing, and blessing others spiritually. Systems are meant to benefit and bless … A bright, credentialed, charismatic Leader arrives to serve a church body. The church is energized, and people assume that this Leader, with verbal gifts and theological knowledge, is wise and spiritually mature. They trust him, and the church grows. ‘Sometimes [many times these days] that ‘Servant of God’ turns out to be a bully, working the System and its people to feed himself, taking what he thinks he needs or deserves … Over time a pattern is revealed as decisions are made and actions taken to benefit or preserve the Leader rather than care for the followers … ‘Leaders and followers in such a System become focused on Serving the System [as the Pastor defines it] rather than serving God.’ But the System is not the Savior! It’s an easy Deception to fall into, but it leads to hiding, ignoring, or denying malignant toxins that then go untreated. Sexual abuse, domestic violence, the abuse of power, arrogance, and many other things take root. ‘The System has the equivalent of Untreated Cancer!’”

• ACKNOWLEDGING THE TRUTH. “‘No so-called Christian System is truly God’s work unless it fleshes out His Character.’ Toleration of sin, pretense, and crookedness do not reveal the character of God, even if they bear His name. Arrogance is never godly. Covering up sin is never godly. Abuse of power is never godly. Shepherds who feed on sheep are abusive. ‘Leadership that preserves and protects the System, rather than the people, turns the House of God into a safe place for Predators.’ Those who come to feed on God Himself find themselves being the main course instead. We have failed to protect Leaders from their own bondage to self-deception and sin. ‘EXPOSURE brings hope, for it brings the Cancer to the Light. To hide sin by Cover-Up or Silent Complicity is Spiritual Abuse. It is a failure to love the Perpetrator. Demise of a System—even a Spiritual System—is not the worst that can happen.’”

Beloved, this is clearly the harshest salvo against our Church Leaders I have yet brought to The Conversation. But by Christian Conscience as a Teacher of the Law, I tell you I am duty-bound to bring it! Lives are at stake here, and I cannot remain silent if we can snatch even a few from The Flame.

TWO: FINAL COLLAPSE. For this Second Section I happily turn to who we might refer to, respectfully, as The Dean of Christian Integrity today, TIM ALBERTA. He is the author of the wise and best-selling (and must read!) book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory (2023). A practicing Evangelical Christian, son of an Evangelical pastor, American journalist currently writing for The Atlantic, Alberta has also published for the Wall Street Journal, National Review, and Politico.

We draw his MAIN POINTS here from a rich well of insight in his timely essay in Vanity Fair, whose title speaks volumes about where America and the Church are heading under the Second Trump White House, “‘This Is the Final Compromise:’ Donald Trump and the Implosion of the Evangelical Movement” (Dec. 4, 2023; edited).

• OPEN. “It was the second day of Road to Majority, the annual symposium organized by Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition, and this year’s [2023] headliners were doing more wailing and gnashing of teeth than usual. DONALD TRUMP was the show-stealer, naturally, vilifying his former Vice President, Mike Pence, and egging on the crowd to boo their longtime Christian comrade for his refusal to subvert the Constitution eighteen months earlier. The dozens of other politicians and Evangelical Leaders who stepped to Reed’s podium were only slightly less unhinged: Warning that it was open season on Christians, denouncing the Satanic Agenda of the Democratic Party, urging attendees to vote Republican in the upcoming 2022 midterms and end the reign of those godless, child-grooming, America-hating Liberals.”

• HUBRIS. “When it was his turn, [Jim] Jordan, the collegiate wrestling champion turned Ohio congressman, hit all the same notes. He slammed ‘The Lefties’ who ‘don’t like freedom’ and ‘have disdain for the folks in flyover country.’ He observed that, ‘Next to Jesus, the best thing that ever happened to this world is the United States of America.’ It felt like the teleprompter had been stuck on the same page for hours. I stood up to leave the ballroom. ‘I love the comment that CAL THOMAS made one time,’ Jordan told the audience. Just like that, I sat back down. Of all the names I expected to be invoked at Ralph Reed’s shindig, Thomas’s would have been the very last. Jordan continued, ‘Cal Thomas had a great line. He said, “Every morning, I read the Bible and the New York Times, so I can see what each side is up to.”’”

• REALITY. “What Jordan didn’t mention is that five years after giving that [remark in a] C-SPAN interview, Thomas wrote another book. It was a contrition-laden confessional called Blinded by Might [2000], coauthored by Pastor Ed Dobson, the onetime Liberty University Dean and Falwell [Sr.] confidant who had been present at the founding of the Moral Majority. The authors provided a damning window into the Rise of the Religious Right: Given how the Scopes Trial had humiliated Fundamentalists in the 1920s, and how Progressives had hijacked both Church and culture in the 1960s, Thomas and Dobson recalled believing that Ronald Reagan’s Presidency represented ‘the greatest moment of opportunity for conservative Christians since the dawn of the twentieth century. We were on our way to changing America! … We had the power to right every wrong and cure every ill.’ But they didn’t change America—at least, not in the manner they had hoped.”

• REPENTANCE! “What they called for was Radical: ‘Unilateral Disarmament’ by the Religious Right. Christians need not be ‘political quietists or separatists,’ they wrote, but a wholesale Reestablishing of Boundaries and Priorities was in order. The Moral Majority’s use of shameless scare tactics had tempted the masses of American Churchgoers to put their faith in princes and mortal men. This ‘SEDUCTION BY POWER,’ the authors wrote, was sabotaging the Message of Christ.’ Winning campaigns had become more important than winning converts; Scolding the Culture had become more important than Sanctifying the Church. Mustering some fire and brimstone of their own, Thomas and Dobson warned their old boss Falwell—and his many descendants, biological and otherwise—to stop confusing ‘spiritual authority for political authority!’”

• CONSEQUENCES. ““Look at this New Generation. Over twenty percent of young people have no faith at all [Pew reports a rise to 30% since then]. I think part of that is our responsibility—our being Evangelicals—because of what we’ve modeled,’ Thomas said. ‘These kids don’t want to be caught up in the “Us versus Them” thing. They have friends who have different points of view, and they think they have to hate them to go to Church.’ He continued, ‘The Great Fault in the Evangelical Movement today, is that we’re Disobedient to the Commands of the One we claim to follow. WHAT WERE THOSE COMMANDS? Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for widows and orphans. Visit those in prison. Seek first the kingdom of God.’”

• COLLAPSE. “‘When you ask the average person, what do you think it means to be a CHRISTIAN? They’ll say, Pro-Trump, Republican, Right-Wing, Anti-abortion, Don’t like gays. They’ll go down the list,’ Thomas told me. ‘Well, why would they say that? Because that’s what we’re modeling before the world. Those are our public priorities—not these other things, which get so little attention from man but all the attention from God.’”

From this riveting, painful, and historically accurate account by Mr. Alberta, I will conclude with the impact of this Devastation of the Faith that our Christian Leaders have wrought. And specify what is left to us to do as American followers of Jesus Christ in these waning hours of our fragmented, dying Republic.

1. LAST THOUGHTS

“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed Him! How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: Who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it? —  FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, The Gay Science, Book III, Section 125, trans. Walter Kaufmann, 1974 (1887); edited

When the Editors of Time Magazine published their stunning front cover declaring, in bold red and black lettering, “God Is Dead!” on April 8, 1966, they ignited a years-long Theological Bonfire that to some extent still burns hotter today than ever before. Why? Because all that I have written thus far leads me to breathlessly Propose:

American Christians have ‘Killed Christ!”

Now of course no one, not even Nietzsche, Marx, Engels or even Jerry Falwell could achieve such a thing. ‘But what Evangelical Leaders have done in just a little over 40 years, is gutted Orthodox Christian Theism. In just 10 years, we have dared to REPLACE ‘The True Christ’ with Donald Trump, ‘The Antichrist!’

Selah. Selah.

We have no more cohesive Commitment to The Doctrines. We have, therefore, annihilated our Message and our Witness. To the extent that no one with even a whisper of a desire for Righteousness will listen to our Testimony since we have bathed it in the filth, lucre, and depravity of Donald Trump.

‘Therefore, yes, we Murdered the Faith, beloved. And in so doing, assassinated the American Order.’ She is gasping her Last Air, but it can only be a matter of a few years before she breaths Her Last.

WHAT NOW? I have said it before and cannot change our Final Commission, from our penultimate Apostolic Scribe, JUDE, who many theologians describe as the Author of the “Book of Apostates.” I will close with his penetrating charge, without further commentary.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” – 1:20-25, ESV

The unassailable Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God! Selah.

DK: Following a post on Monday, I will be taking 7-10 days off to recharge in preparation for what lies ahead. Prayers appreciated; see you in February.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/JoRVmOw7Vwk