I'm surprised I don't blog about theology more, because I was once a part of the Evangelical Christian world for much of my young life.
In middle school and high school, I was known as the "Jesus freak" kid, with a small, Gideon New Testament Bible in my back pocket and wearing Stryper t-shirts.
My first stint in college was at North Central Bible College (now called North Central University) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school year I spent there, from the fall of 1990 to the spring of 1991, was one of the busiest and happiest of my life.
When I left the faith, I found myself dragged to the truth, kicking and screaming. Prying myself loose from the Christian community which was my second home, and in many ways my first home, for the sake of Truth, was like tearing off my own skin.
So I know a thing or two about religion.
Which is why I'm not so amazed at the denialism which is rampant within the Evangelical community. And by "Evangelical," I mean the Pentecostal, Charismatic, Prosperity Gospel, Fundamentalist variety which crosses, and sometimes erases, the borders between denominations.
It all goes back to abortion and the culture war. Trump is seen, not as a holy warrior, but as God's tool. He is like King Cyrus of Persia in the Old Testament, sent by God to crush the Babylonian Empire and thus allow the Jews to return home to the Promised Land. Cyrus was no holy man, but he did serve God's purpose, according to scripture. And that's how the Evangelical Christian Church sees Trump. He is God's useful strong-man, a bludgeon with which to beat back the hordes of liberals who threaten Jesus' elite.
This is why they pray for, and sometimes over, Donald Trump. Even as they lay hands on him, they ignore that they lay hands on one who has actually starred in pornographic films. Because that doesn't matter. What matters is God's victory, not Trump's character.
The denials of Biden's victory often come directly from the "power of faith doctrine" which is so rampant within the Evangelical community. It stems from Mark 11:23, which says, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."
In other words, "claim" it by faith, "believe" that you have it already, and you'll then get it!
It's a central dogma of the "prosperity gospel." Those who tithe faithfully can "claim" financial prosperity by faith, too!
Now, anyone can empirically test this. If I tell Mount Shasta to get lost, it won't go anywhere. It will still be there, no matter how much I believe otherwise. And while it's true that time and erosion will eventually make it disappear, I'll be long gone by then, too!
Still, there's something to be said for the hubris and self-confidence that this philosophy engenders. People who believe that a certain success level is their destiny or birthright tend to achieve that success level, whether they deserve it or not. This idea has appeared and reappeared in popular culture, and not just within Christianity, with everything from Norman Vincent Peale's "The Power of Positive Thinking," to "What the [Bleep] Do We Know?" to Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret." People tend to achieve what they fervently believe they will achieve.
But there's a dark side to this philosophy, too.
Back when I was a Christian, I observed the sad situation of a woman I'll re-name Gina. Gina had multiple sclerosis, and was slowly dying. Her husband had to carry her into and out of church on many occasions. She claimed her healing by faith, and for years I heard her thanking God that her body was healed. But she never received healing. The miracle she professed never happened. I heard she passed away not too long ago.
In fact, I observed many fake "healings" during my time at Bible College. People see the "healings" which are broadcast on TBN or CBN, because that's what they see in a one-hour program. They don't see the following day, when the person "healed" returns to their walker, or wheelchair. But in Bible College, the few students who had medical need of crutches or wheelchairs, walked awkwardly around campus without them for about a day or two, and then went right back to their crutches and wheelchairs afterward.
Now, the typical response received when this sort of thing is pointed out to a Christian is that the person wavered in his or her faith. But that's a cop-out, and deep inside, they know it. Still, they reference the story of Peter in Matthew 14:22-23. When he saw Jesus walking on the water, he asked to go to Jesus, and Jesus said "come," and Peter began walking on the water too! But then Peter saw the wind and the waves, doubted in his heart, and began to sink. "Lord, save me!" he cried out. Jesus did save him, and then Jesus said, "Oh, ye of little faith. Wherefore didst thou doubt?"
We're seeing that same sort of doctrine play out in regards to Donald Trump. Many people "claimed by faith" that Trump would win the 2020 election! Having claimed it, their faith doctrine dictates that they must profess that they've received it! And so they repeatedly say, over and over, that Trump actually won!
This is why Kenneth Copeland issued his deranged, maniacal laugh at the reality of Joe Biden's win. You can watch that video here. (I highly recommend it, it's fucked up!)
This is why Johnny Inlow said recently that God himself Told him that Trump won. Watch that video, here. "I don’t know why the Lord gave me two sets of numbers, but he just says, 'You're not even seeing close to the truth unless you see at least 88 million.' He told me in a weird way: 'If you don’t see at least as many votes as he has followers on Twitter’ — 88.6 million followers on Twitter, and that has been squelched as well. And then the states, he went through just one by one with me and was telling me who was where. And so here’s the big news: California and New York both went red."
It never occurs to Inlow that many of Trump's followers on Twitter are members of the media who want to keep tabs on him, political opponents who want to use his Tweets against him, and comedians who wish to make fun of him. Hell, I'M a follower of Trump on Twitter! That doesn't mean I follow him in real life!
This doctrine is also why members of the clergy held a rally in the National Mall in Washington, D.C., called alternately, "Let the Church ROAR!" or, the "Jericho March."
They won't realize that their faith claim failed until after Biden is sworn in. And a few of them won't accept it even then.
Of course, they will then claim that the faith of the entire Christian Church was insufficient! Because surely, if the faith of only one Christian would be enough (and it would be), then the only solution to the equation is that, like Sodom and Gomorrah, there were none who were truly righteous! No, not one!
They will declare America as lost. Some will even say Biden is the Antichrist.
Some might be shaken loose out of the flock as a result of all this, but I know from experience how difficult that road is. Most will find some new rationale to stay within the faith.
Craziness is not so unusual in Christian circles. I remember many an apocalyptic sermon, preached at West Layton Assembly of God in Greenfield, WI back in the '80's, telling me that we knew the Antichrist was preparing his propaganda network because the cable company ran two cables into everyone's home, but only actually attached one. This, of course, prompted me to check the back of our cable box when I got back home, and I saw, clearly, that both cables, for both the "A" channels and the "B" channels which Viacom offered at the time, were attached.
So much for that one.
I'm reminded of the lesson found in Deuteronomy 13:1-3, which provides a clear guideline for Christians regarding false prophets. "If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, 'Let us follow other gods' (gods you have not known) 'and let us worship them,' you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul."
In other words, if people say "Follow Trump!" instead of "Follow Jesus!" don't do it!
I'm also reminded of the lesson in Matthew 7:21-23. "Not every one that saith unto me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?' And then will I profess unto them, 'I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'"
According to the Bible, a majority of Israelites once thought it was a splendid idea to make a golden calf and worship it.
Never was there a golden calf quite so obvious as Donald Trump.
Eric
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