Be cautious Christian. In our desire to have a nation more affable to our comfort and faith, we are at risk of making a sinful error for the second time. What I am about to write is controversial for sure, but it is true and a repeated fact of history. It is the question of whether we ought to throw our voting weight behind former president Donald Trump.

Consider the many times the American Government has made an alliance with nations or people groups contrary to the American way of life or democracy, only to have those convenient allies turn out to be enemies.

Consider Russia during WWII and the reality that Stalin and communism, turned out to be just as murderous and even more contrary than the evil of Nazi Germany. Consider the United States training and providing arms to the Mujahedeen Gorillas of Afghanistan, in that nation’s war against Russia, and how they turned out to be involved in the 911 attacks.

Consider how many Americans were killed during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, by men directly trained or indirectly trained by these former Mujahedeen fighters, Osama Bin Laden being one of them.

Why were these alliances forged? Because at the time it seemed aligning with those contrary to America’s ideals, was the only way to defeat a perceived evil. At least that is what we are told.

Let’s no lose that principal, because we Christians have done this to our detriment, through out the history of the church.

Consider how the faith once delivered to the saints was weakened, after persecution against Christians was outlawed (in 325 ad). We know the word of God declares, the world will hate us, because it did not know the Lord Jesus Christ and it hated Him, but we forget that truth when the world appears to like us.

Persecution was ended by emperor Constantine, who saw Christianity exploding in growth. He understood that although paganism was still the majority, it would not be for long and that would create a potential civil divide leading to war. Therefore, he accommodated both, by instituting law favorable to Christians, while instituting incremental changes into Christianity that would draw pagans. The man flat our manipulated Christians.

Constantine focused on a celebration of the virgin birth of Christ, to be held during the feast of Saturnalia (around December 25th), which was not the season of Christ’s birth. When Christmas was introduced, the early church had not specific day of celebration for the birth of Christ, although it is a fundamental fact of Christ’s deity.  Constantine used a pagan feast, which celebrated the birth of Mithras, a pagan demigod, to syncretize pagans and Christians.

This pleased Christians for they would get tax breaks and other accommodations to celebrate an important theological fact, publicly. It pleased the pagans who held that Mithras, who was supposedly born from a rock, could be aligned with Christ, which we know is blasphemous.

Over time, this syncretism would lead to other pagan practices being brought into Christianity, when “parallels” were found. One would be the bastardization of the Lord’s supper itself. Romans, by way of Egypt celebrated the raising of the god Osiris into bread and wine. It was called transubstantiation. In lieu of this ritual, the priests of Osiris would then consume bread, which is the representation of the actual flesh of the false god, gaining power and blessing.

This is the exact ritual of the Roman Catholic Church in what they call the eucharist, or what we call “communion” or the Lord’s supper”. The difference the bread and wine are remembrances. Roman Catholics are taught they are eating Christ’s actual flesh and blood.

In addition to this blasphemy, the Roman syncretism of the faith led to Catholic idol worship, as they swapped out Roman god names, with Christian ones, whereby through devotion one can supposedly gain power and grace for their troubles. There are so many more, all because the church decided, the world can’t be all that bad, and if it will advance our cause, and they say they are aligned with Christ, it can’t be bad.

How does this relate to my earlier warning? Let me ask how Donald Trump was elected in 2016?

This really is a simple question. He was elected, because Christian voters, fearful of Hillary Clinton being elected, voted for a man that is antithetical to what the word of God declares is good and honorable leadership.

Before you want to clobber me with a club, let me declare I do not need the president of America to be a Sunday school teacher, but for a Christian, the criterion of voting should not be based on who is the only hope to beat the other candidate. Truth be told, there were other candidates who would have beaten Clinton, because she is perhaps one of the most polarizing candidates in history.

The election would have been close, but others could have won. The point is that the majority of Christians voted for Trump, while knowing there were and are huge character issues, because they were told, he was the only one who could beat Hilary Clinton—the only one who could drain the swamp—the only one who could protect our civil liberties from being taken away.

This was an alliance forged in mutual need. Therefore, a candidate who was avowed pro-choice as little as five years prior to running as a republican, was now miraculously pro-life and would put forth supreme court justices with that in mind.

Now I admit that is something Trump did, yet now that the election cycle is on, and Roe vs. Wade overturned, his tune has changed.

As little as 8 months ago, he was criticizing those republicans who are so pro-life as needing to loosen up or risk losing elections.  In April former president Trump criticized Florida’s heart beat abortion ban, as going too far, and suggesting either in error or by outright lie, that most pro-life advocates are against these types of bills.

Was this done because of political expediency or to criticize his onetime ally, Florida  Governor Ron DeSantis, who is running against him? For what it is worth, I believe it is political expediency, like how he went out of his way to overturn Roe vs. Wade, because who would advocate for life and not understand a heartbeat means life? To me it appears that for what is best for him, the former president is changing his colors.

I do not fault him for this, because it is what he has always been as a self-promoting and self-serving lost man. From my earliest years being raised in pop-culture I knew of Donald Trump. He says and does whatever is expedient for him. Now the Roe vs. Wade is settled, he needs moderate voters from the democrat side, so he will soften his rhetoric to reflect a more centrist view on abortion.

Christians beware, he still needs your vote, therefore he is coming hard at the alphabet soup of LGBTQ ideology, against out children, all the while saying that a heart beat ban goes to far on protecting unborn life.

As stated above it seems contradictory, because it is, but that is what political expediency is. His political expediency can be seen in the blasphemous statements the former president made concerning the meaning of the Lord’s supper and how he does not need forgiveness, but just to tried harder, during the 2016 presidential campaign.

One more, I do not need a president to be a Christian in order to vote for him. I also understand that an honest politician with integrity is a rare commodity, but a person who reduces a practice of the faith to a humorous and mildly mocking troupe, for the purpose of appearing close enough to what you want in a candidate to vote for him, is more than troubling.

This is partially how he was elected, but also because of his bitter, mocking, insulting and at times cruel manner of attacking enemies.

There is a vulgarity, mixed with a loose self-righteousness, mixed with a humorous arrogancy–mixed with a situational morality–mixed with an ability to get away with somethings many would like to get away with–mixed with a well crafted and phony narrative of success–that appeals to many a man’s offended macho man sensibility.

Consider that many Christian men, like Trump because he tells it like it is or says what we would like to say in our disgust. Why do we like this? Because rather than behave like Jesus Christ, loving our enemies by blessing those who curse us and not returning insult for insult (Matthew 5:44-48; I Peter 1:21-24), we would rather be like Trump.

How many times have I heard men say, “God did not save me to be a doormat”, when they are called to consider that suffering? Truth told suffering persecution for our faith in Christ, is more than a prospect; it is built into the experience of a Christian and necessary for them to live a life being sanctified (Matthew 24; John 15:18-6:3; II Timothy 3:12; I Peter 1:6-7, 4:11-14).

The error of the “I will not be a doormat” theology, is contrary to the very life of Christ, who’s bleeding wounds from His torn open back read “Welcome Home” to those of us who walked across His body, from the land of death, into the kingdom of God and eternal life. This wrong thinking is also contrary to our call to be like Him, in this life.

Recently I have heard many mirroring the attacks of former president Trump on former vice president Michael, even calling him a coward and akin to a flip-flopper.  I do not know if Michael Pence would be a good president, but a coward he is not and not a flip flopper.

What he is, is a man who at least seeks to live with integrity, self-control, and character. The point is, Donald Trump praised Mike Pence when expedient to do so, and now he curses him because it is expedient.

Be careful friends not to believe that Trump is the only one who can save us from tyranny. He cannot and does not need too. Jesus Christ saved us from the tyranny of sin and death and a world contrary to us. He enables us to shine that truth, by resurrection power, throguh the Holy Spirit with us. One day, we will forever be free of the curse of this ear, from sin and death, and dwell with His perfect Government, in a new earth wherein dwells righteousness.

Trick, Trump or Truth, what will we get, that is the question? Do we win at any cost, or potentially lose and hold to our Christian integrity? Is a second Trump presidency going to make us a more godly nation of Truth, or be a trick, which may further shackle the church with carnality and false beliefs about political saviors?

You’ll have to decide.