32 reasons a Trump presidency would be a catastrophe for America.

onTrump2

UPDATE: I ask my readers who are devout Christians to be praying (even fasting) all day today. Gather with family and friends to pray for God to show mercy on America, to sovereignly guide the outcome of the Iowa caucuses, and to raise up a humble, strong, wise, Christ-centered leader who has the vision and courage to help turn America around and get us going in the right direction. Above all, this is a spiritual battle for the soul of America. Please be engaged in faithful prayer. The future of the country hangs in the balance.

————————

(Washington, D.C.) — The voting starts Monday, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Two out of three Americans know we are on the wrong track, going in the wrong direction. We are heading steadily towards implosion. We’ve murdered some 58 million babies. We have five Justices on the Supreme Court who have decided that the Bible is wrong and they know better than God how to define marriage. We have taken on $18 trillion in debt and there’s no end in sight. We are surrendering to Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and ISIS. Our tax code is corruptingly complex and killing jobs and opportunity. We can’t — or won’t — control our sovereign borders. Our schools are a mess. Violence, drugs and pornography are epidemic. The list goes on and on.

Americans are hurting, frustrated, and many are angry. The question is: Who can get us turned around and heading in the right direction? Can anyone?

As I wrote on this blog last August, I’ve been praying about this and studying the Scriptures for many months, asking the Lord for clarity, and here is what I have concluded — America needs a Josiah. A President cannot save America from all our troubles, but leadership matters. Above all, we need a sweeping spiritual revival throughout the Church, based on the principles found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. We need a Great Awakening among those who don’t know Christ personally. We need God to wake up a lost nation from their spiritual slumber to earnestly seek the Lord for individual and national forgiveness and restoration. I’m praying for such sovereign moves of God.

At the same time, I’m praying God raises up a President like Josiah, the one-time King of Judah whom the Bible describes as one of the most humble, strong, wise and impressive leaders of all-time. Obviously, we don’t want a theocracy. So I don’t literally mean America needs a king. And I’m not saying America needs a Pastor-in-Chief or a Theologian-In-Chief. We’re not looking for someone perfect. That will have to await the Second Coming. But before you vote, I strongly encourage you to read the Biblical accounts of Josiah. I believe you will find qualities in his life, his faith, his leadership and his passion for and commitment to making bold, sweeping, transformational change that are benchmarks of the kind of leader we need right now.

Will the Lord have mercy on our nation and raise up a Josiah? I honestly don’t know. We don’t deserve one. The Lord would be justified in turning us over to those who are corrupt and/or those who could lead us to tyranny. That said, I do see several possible candidates who — even with their weaknesses and flaws — could emerge as such a leader, especially with much prayer and wise counselors around them. They include (in alphabetical order) Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Marco Rubio and Rick Santorum. In a previous column, I described them as the “Final Four” that I was watching closely. Will one of them emerge over the next few weeks as the leading candidate in the presidential race? We will see.

That said, I have to be honest with my readers that there is one candidate on the Republican side who is definitely not a Josiah. Donald J. Trump is currently the national front-runner in the GOP, and is leading the pack in Iowa. But he would be a catastrophe for America should he be elected President.

Mr. Trump is trying to convince the GOP and the country that he is a deeply committed conservative. But all the evidence says he has been a liberal all of his adult life. Even if he has recently changed his views, all we have is his word. There is very little fruit in his life that would indicate that he has had a true change of heart on matters of faith or policy. Indeed, he has said openly that he does not need to repent or ask God for forgiveness.

It would be a mistake to entrust the entire pro-life, pro-marriage movement to a man who has blown up two marriages of his own, boasts of his infidelities, runs gambling casinos (the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City opened a strip club in 2013), has supported abortion on demand and Planned Parenthood for decades, and talks of appointing his own pro-choice sister to the Supreme Court. It would be a disaster to entrust the economy to a man who has proposed both the biggest tax cut in history (with no plan to pay for it) and the biggest tax increase in history (back in his independent run for president in 1999; see below). Further, it would be a catastrophe to entrust the security of our nation and our allies to a man who has no foreign policy and national security experience, who clearly doesn’t understand the threat of Radical and Apocalyptic Islam, and who says he gets his military advice from watching Sunday TV talk show.

In some ways, Mr. Trump reminds me of the Biblical figure, Sampson — blind and ready to bring the house down. But perhaps the analogy to Saul, Israel’s first king, is more apt. Read the account in I Samuel chapter eight through fifteen. The people demanded that the Hebrew prophet Samuel “appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” (I Samuel 8:5) The rebellious people didn’t want God to lead them. They wanted a king of their own choosing, someone that would make Israel seem like all the pagan nations around them, someone to “go out before us and fight our battles.” (I Samuel 8:20). In short order, the people made a man named Saul their king. They didn’t study his character or his track record or his statements or his views on how to lead them. They chose “a choice and handsome man” who was “taller than any of the people” and was the son of a “mighty man of valor.” (I Samuel 9:1-2). Why? Because Saul looked the part.

Samuel, the Hebrew prophet, was horrified. But in the end, the Lord said, “Listen to the voice of the people…for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.” (I Samuel 8:7) The Lord then explained how much this foolish decision would cost His people, but He let them make their choice anyway. And it did not go well.

Is this where America is heading?

I realize some — maybe many — of my readers will be angry at what I’m writing. But I have to be honest with my readers about the enormous threat Mr. Trump poses to all that we hold dear. His arrogance, narcissism, greed and lack of respect for women, minorities, and anyone who disagrees with him disqualifies him to be President of the United States. I do pray for Mr. Trump that he will either truly come to personal relationship with Christ through repentance and faith, or — if he has already made that decision — will humbly seek discipleship and grow in his new faith. But even if he’s a new convert, he is not ready to be president.

Thus, I am deeply concerned that so many professed Evangelical Christians are supporting Mr. Trump. Perhaps they haven’t looked carefully at his life, his statements, his record, his leadership, his allies, and his flip-flops.

Here are 32 reasons a Trump presidency would be a catastrophe for America. Each is a direct headline, based on specific statements by Mr. Trump. (There are many more. But this is plenty for reasonable people to consider.) Please carefully review this, and please share it with family, friends and others on social media.

  1. Trump: I could “shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters” (CNN) — “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn’t lose voters.”
  2. Trump on God: ‘I don’t like to have to ask for forgiveness’
  3. Trump: I’ve Never Asked God For Forgiveness For Anything [VIDEO] 
  4. Donald Trump Would Not Rip Up The Iran Deal
  5. Trump: Don’t Just Kill ISIS — Kill Their Wives and Children
  6. Trump: I Get My Military Advice from Watching TV Talk Shows
  7. Donald Trump Doesn’t Quite Know the Difference Between the ‘Kurds’ and the ‘Quds’
  8. Putin endorses Trump
  9. Donald Trump lavishes praise on ‘leader’ Putin — Trump on Putin’s alleged killing of journalists: ‘At least he’s a leader’
  10. Trump Tax Plan Would Increase Deficit By Over $10 Trillion
  11. TRUMP: Let’s slap a 45% tariff on Chinese imports
  12. Trump proposes massive one-time tax on the rich (in 1999)Donald Trump Once Proposed the Biggest Tax Hike Ever
  13. Trump Pushes Single Payer Healthcare, Tax Increase on Wealthy
  14. On Meet The Press in 1999, Trump said “I’m pro-choice in every respect” and supported partial birth abortion
  15. Trump says his pro-abortion sister would make ‘phenomenal’ Supreme Court justice
  16. Donald Trump Defends Planned Parenthood
  17. Donald Trump waffles on totally defunding Planned Parenthood
  18. Anti-Abortion Leaders To Iowa Republicans: ‘Anyone But Trump’
  19. Of Course Donald Trump Is the Most Pro-Gay Republican Presidential Candidate (Slate)
  20. Trump gave at least $100K to Clinton Foundation
  21. Donald Trump Donated Heavily To Democrats, Especially During Election Which Put Reid And Pelosi In Power
  22. Trump: If Ivanka weren’t my daughter, I’d be dating her (The View)
  23. Trump says his own personal ‘indiscretions’ – including cheating on his first wife – are fair game in politics (UK Daily Mail)
  24. GOP senator: ‘Weird’ that Trump brags about affairs (CNN)
  25. Trump casino in Atlantic City to open strip club
  26. 18 Real Things Donald Trump Has Said About Women
  27. The Real Donald: Excerpts from Trump’s books on women, marriage, sex and more. (Huffington Post)
  28. Donald Trump: Ban all Muslim travel to U.S. [NOTE: What about peaceful Muslims? What about our Muslim allies like Jordan’s King Abdullah II or Egypt’s President el-Sisi? What about Muslims who are providing the U.S. with intelligence on our enemies?]
  29. Rick Perry: Donald Trump Is Disrespectful To Mexicans & Mexican Americans.
  30. Glenn Beck Slams Donald Trump For Joking About Killing Journalists
God have mercy on each of us, and on this great country of ours.
[This column is based on my personal beliefs and opinions. I share them in my personal capacity as an American citizen and an author. They do not reflect the views of The Joshua Fund, which is a non-profit organization and takes no political or legislative positions.]

————————–

Discover more from Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading