Trump On Salvation

I have never cared for the 'Donald', just another ego maniac strutting his stuff in the public sector for the past 30 years that I have been aware of him.  And honestly, I have little use for people whom do not know when to shut up on what they are ignorant of.

Take religion for an example.  Now Trump has made many shadowy statements about Ben Carson, things people can point to and howl about - but he can brush off because - hey, he never said that.  Indeed, he never did, he just alluded to whatever the fracas over.

His recent speech in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Trump pronounced Ben Carson’s story of conversion from violent troublemaker to Christian to be so much “crap.”  “He goes into the bathroom for a couple of hours, and he comes out, and now he’s religious . . . . Give me a break. It doesn’t happen that way,” said Trump.

And here Trump shows his complete ignorance of true Christianity.  In true Christianity this is but one of several ways one can find God.  Not necessarily on the toilet, but isolated - thinking - wondering about this whole reality of a Creator - God - Savior.  In history, it has often happened this way.  On the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, a nasty character named Saul got whacked by God and became the utterly transformed Paul.

In A.D. 386 , Augustine heard a child’s voice chanting, “Take up and read,” opened a Bible randomly to Paul’s letter to the Romans, was convicted to the core and abandoned the life of a hard-partying pagan.

Around 1510, a monk named Martin Luther understood Paul’s letter in a new way — one version locates this revelation in the “cloaca,” or bathroom — and “felt I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”

On May 24, 1738, John Wesley heard someone reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle of Romans in a meeting on Aldersgate Street in London, and at 8:45 p.m. felt his “heart strangely warmed.” (as a side note I have to admit that Luther's work on the first seven chapters of Romans to be without equal.)

And in September 1973, a young man whom had been witnessing miracle after miracle for months, lay in bed and finally had to admit this whole God thing just might have something to it.  And I prayed for God to prove it.  No nothing happened.  I slept soundly, I awoke refreshed, my fears were gone and I had peace for the first time in my life.  So, pronounced was the change that I guessed He was real ... it also was apparent to many in my uncle's church.  This troubled young man suddenly seemed far less troubled!

Yeah, Trump would like to be thought of as a progressive Christian, but unfortunately, that ain't necessarily so.  Instead of giving Ben Carson black eyes, and himself some in the process, he would do better to get on his own knees and dump his heart out to God.