I was eight years old when Ronald Reagan was shot. I have only a vague memory of it. Despite attending a Southern Baptist Church, my family were not Reagan fans. This was especially true of my father, who, as the head of the California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), had successfully sued Reagan’s administration five times fighting off hundreds of pages of false accusations from the then governor’s administration. Despite this, there was no joy about the attempted assassination of Reagan.

There were certainly different visions of what America should be in 1981. There was also a growing conflation of the Republican Party and Reagan conservatism within the church. But it was a different time than today.

The recent attempt on Donald Trump’s life was jarring for many reasons. It is always disturbing when someone tries to take someone’s life, especially so in an assassination attempt on a public figure. But what has been most jarring has been the public response. I see so much on social media that makes me shake my head.

An Editor’s Note

I rarely include editor’s notes in our daily newsletter, but I had to this week:

It is no secret that I do not support Trump. I believe he is a danger to our country. That said, he is an image bearer of God. Any effort to murder him, or anyone, is abhorrent. 

This weekend, I saw conservatives online declaring how evil Democrats were for trying to assassinate Trump. I also saw liberals either lamenting that the bullet missed or asserting that the attack was a staged false flag. To quote President Biden, this all is “sick.”

It is disturbing that this is the level to which American discourse has degenerated. More disturbing is that the visible church does not stand as a counterpoint. Too often, the vitriol is just as acerbic within the Church, if not more so. 

At the heart of the Gospel is the remaking of our hearts of stone into hearts that have the same passions as Christ. We are to be known by our love. Our disposition of love should stand in stark contrast to the world. Sadly, the Church seems to merely echo the world’s hate. We need to repent.

I pray that the environment that led to Saturday’s shooting is redeemed and that the Church shows the world God’s prodigal grace and boundless love. I pray for the safety of all political figures, including former president Trump. I pray that we see the image of God in others and treat them with appropriate love and care regardless of any disagreement.

Prodigal Grace and Boundless Love

God’s prodigal grace and boundless love. In 2016, I first wrote a phrase similar to this—I used limitless rather than boundless—in a piece titled “There is no ‘other’ in a biblical ethic.” This phrase, or rather concept, has really stuck with me over the years. It seems that today, Christians of many stripes extend very little grace and show very little love to those with whom we disagree. We are not unique in that. We are simply reflecting our culture, which is the problem.

I used to believe strongly in argumentation, in some ways, I still do, but I also know that people tend to harden their stances when we argue with them. In recent years, I have tended to engage much less. I still think it is important to speak the truth, but I no longer feel it is my obligation to convince others of the truth.

The Transcendentals and Theological Virtues

For a Christian, Truth is more than important; it is central. Our faith is based on certain Truth claims. We even claim that the one whom we worship is Truth. In my theology, the transcendental—the Good, the True, and the Beautiful—have become central concepts.

I have published some of my aesthetic work here on Faith on View. Growing out of this work is a much larger project that expands this way of thinking to Goodness and Truth. More recently, I have also begun thinking about the theological virtues (Faith, Hope, and Love) through this lens. In fact, I keep a printout on my office wall next to my chair of diagrams and notes so I can immediately write down when I have an insight and so that these concepts are always on the edge of my cognition.

That is more than you need to know about what is occupying the deep recesses of my mind, but I wanted to stress that I spend a lot of time thinking about the Good, the True, the Beautiful, Faith, Love, and Hope.

When I think of those concepts and connect them to our culture, especially in its political manifestation, I experience whiplash.

Baptizing Trumpism

In the last few years, one of my great laments has been how the visible American Church seems so distinct from both the transcendentals and the theological virtues. When those outside the church look at us, they do not see goodness, truth, beauty, faith, hope, or love. They see abuse, dishonesty, ugliness, fear, hate, and many other words in this realm. Unlike the early persecuted church, we are not known by our love.

In scripture, The Apostle John claims that God is Love (1 John 4:7) and that Jesus, who is God, is Truth (John 14:6). So a church that claims to worship God and yet seems adverse to Love and Truth is nonsensical.

I have been increasingly concerned by the Church’s baptism of Trumpism. For me, it is less about the policies than the heart that seems to animate them. I have also been very concerned about the messianic language used by Christians in relation to Trump. Last month, I called for us to “Stop It! Stop the Messianic comparisons for Trump.”

Bad Exegesis

Unfortunately, the failed assassination attempt seems to have made it even worse. I found the following on social media.

I didn’t write this but It’s worth sharing!!

In the Bible, the concept of blood on the right ear (Leviticus 8:22-24 and 14:28) serves as a visible mark of consecration, signifying that the person is dedicated to God’s service and has been set apart for a specific purpose. This act represents a physical and spiritual transformation, preparing the individual for their sacred role. Here’s a breakdown of the significance.

• Right ear: The right ear represents hearing and obedience. In ancient times, the right ear was considered the most important ear, as it was the ear that heard the words of God.
• Blood: Blood represents life, sacrifice, and atonement. In this context, the blood is a symbol of purification and consecration.
• Consecration: Consecrations means to set something or someone apart for a specific purpose, making it holy and dedicated to God. In this case, the blood on the right ear signifies that the person is bein set apart for a sacred task or role.
• Priestly consecration: In Leviticus 8, the blood is applied to the right ear of Aaron and his sons, consecrating them as priests. This act sets them apart as mediators between God and the people.
• Purification: In Leviticus 14, the blood is applied to the right ear of the person being cleansed, symbolizing their purification and restoration to the community.

I ran across the post above on social media and shared it with the following comment.

I’ve spent most of my life in conservative churches where they talked about how liberals twist scripture to say what they want it to say. Then Trump… and things like this highlight that there is the danger of both conservatives and liberals twisting scripture.

I’ve increasingly become convinced that the life of faith is less about the rules and dogmas and more about conforming our hearts and passions to be like Christ’s. The text below reads like an apologetic baptizing our hardened hearts with twisted scriptural supports for why it is okay to back hate.

Heartening Pushback

A friend and professor at another university pointed me to a response a colleague of his has shared from a conservative pastor, Derek Allen Senior Pastor of First Baptist Tilman’s Corner.

I don’t want to be unnecessarily cruel, but this post is way out of bounds. If you are a follower of Christ and have shared any version of this post, please take it down. In the future, please check with a solid, conservative Bible scholar/pastor before posting something like it. There are so many issues with it that I’m not sure where to start.

1. The blood placed on the earlobe of Aaron, his sons, and cleansed lepers came from a sacrifice made at the Tabernacle and later the Temple. It did not come from the person being ritually purified. The whole point was that something else had to die for the person to be purified and set apart.

2. The blood was placed on the right ear lobe, the right thumb, and the right toe of priests and cleansed lepers under the Mosaic Covenant. That is obviously not what happened to Donald Trump. He is not a priest. He is not a cleansed leper. He is not a Jew living under the Mosaic covenant. The blood was on the top of his ear and his face. This is an example of gross mishandling of Scripture. When one small part of something kind of fits something that supports something we want, we run with bad interpretations and applications of Scripture. Those of us who believe the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God often criticize liberal interpretations of Scripture that take the same approach. We have to guard ourselves from letting our emotions take us to such places.

3. The blood used in purification under the Mosaic Covenant points to the substitutionary atonement accomplished through Jesus’s death. It does not point to an American presidential candidate. The only blood that can cleanse Donald Trump or any of us is the blood of Jesus.

4. We have so much hope and truth in the gospel. There is no need to reach for a far-flung interpretation of an obscure passage of Scripture misapplied to our current situation to find hope. Jesus is King! Jesus has conquered death! Jesus forgives repentant sinners and brings them into God’s family! Jesus is returning to rule and reign for all of eternity!

I am always heartened to see pastors who exist within religious environments where a lack of fidelity to Trumpism can hurt them professionally stand up against its excesses. This pastor may support Trump. I do not know him or his politics. Either way, his stand for Christ is primary.

Is it Better not to Cast Pearls?

Another (retired) professor friend, who I greatly respect and am looking forward to speaking at a conference with in a few months, pushed back some on my post.

A bit of unsolicited advice on this post: I am afraid you’re speaking only to the folks in a particular silo here. Though I think I agree with your sentiment, and largely spurn faux-prophetic nonsense, it’s impossible to convince people otherwise, once they’ve aligned themselves this way—and once confirmation bias sets in. Better, to save your breath (and “pearls”) and spread more of the goodwill you’re referencing at the real heart of your post.

There is a lot of truth in what he says. It does very little good to argue with folks who are entrenched in a silo, whether it is one on the right or the left. Often, building relationships and goodwill is the best way to promote the change of heart I am advocating.

Yet, I still feel compelled to speak. Am I being foolish? Am I casting pearls?

It is easy and terribly presumptuous to point to the prophets and how they continually called out Israel. It may also be helpful to remember that it often did not work well. Spiritual faithfulness does not always yield earthly results.

I ended up spending time thinking about the advice and typing a response, which I will edit and share below.

Why I Choose to Speak

Why do I think it is important to write about these issues, even knowing that few, if any, who do not already agree with me will listen? Arguing with people generally does not work, so I try hard not to engage in such arguments, especially ones that become vitriolic. The honest truth is I am not really trying to speak to those who are calcified in their bias to one side or the other. I think there are a few particular groups that compel me to speak.

Those who are open to having a seed planted

I know many people who have changed their perspectives politically and religiously. Often, this is not due to an epiphany moment. It is due to small seeds planted over the years. I have seen the Holy Spirit tend those seeds, and change happens years later.

Those who do not know another form of Christianity

When I was eleven years old, I organized a dodgeball game at recess between Mondale supporters and Reagan supporters. Apparently, I was a weird kid. Honestly, I don’t remember doing this, but 30 years later, a childhood friend told me that this game was the first time he realized that a Christian did not have to be a Republican. In recent years, I’ve seen a number of folks walk away from the faith, partly because the only version of the faith they have seen is what we see demonstrated in the situation above. I think it is important to sometimes speak against this perversion of the faith that is more about power and hate than love and meekness.

Those who cannot envision a moderated, balanced faith

I have also seen folks who swing from one side of the Christian spectrum to the polar opposite. Sometimes, they make the same mistakes they were making previously but in service of a different dogma. I have been concerned about a liberal fundamentalism that I have seen emerge recently. I am sure it has always been there, but it seems like the rejection of conservative fundamentalism has, at times, resulted in the growth of this liberal fundamentalism, which is also problematic.

Those who feel they are alone

Most of my life has been spent in conservative churches and working for conservative institutions. I have always been comfortable pushing the edges of this world, which I supported. But there has been a change in the last decade as I see more and more people who feel alone and isolated in their faith refuse to capitulate to what I consider idolatrous behavior. I believe they need to know they are not alone.

Those who see only a distorted witness of the Christian faith

I have many friends on social media who have either stepped away from faith or have never embraced it. To many of them, the witness of the Church seems absolutely insane. I hope I can be a witness for Christ that they can respect. They often not embrace faith. They often still see the cross as foolishness, but hopefully as a benevolent, loving foolishness.

I have no illusion that anything I write will, in that moment, dissuade those who are currently in the throes of the Church’s present political idolatry. But I hope that speaking the truth may, at some point in time, allow those outside the church, on the edges of the church, or uncomfortably within the church to see that Christianity is based on Truth, not alternative facts or, as we used to call them, lies.

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