For This Lent, May Christians Repent Of Trump And The Warmongers He's Unleashed

We’re successful nan early weeks of Lent, nan 40 days erstwhile Christians are called to rededicate themselves to bully — and nan Trump management seems to beryllium having a bully clip making its warfare pinch Iran look for illustration a bunch of tweens playing a crippled of “Call of Duty.”

Where Jesus called connected believers to spell done life arsenic meekly arsenic possible, nan White House keeps pumping retired societal media posts mixing footage of American forces blowing up nan Iranian authorities pinch everything from SpongeBob SquarePants to Iron Man to “Grand Theft Auto.” While Proverbs warned “every 1 that is proud successful bosom is an abomination to nan Lord,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — who loves to flash his bad tattoos that reference nan Crusades — gives superlative-drenched speeches connected nan expected glories of this warfare that make him sound much bloodthirsty than Count Dracula.

Even though Christ mandated that group not loudly believe successful nationalist “like nan hypocrites,” President Trump gladly fto a gaggle of pastors laic hands complete him successful nan Oval Office this week arsenic 1 intoned God “continue to springiness our President nan spot that he needs to lead our federation arsenic we travel backmost to 1 federation nether God.”

Which God: Yahweh aliases Trump?

During past month’s National Prayer Breakfast, nan president bragged that because of him, “religion’s backmost now hotter than ever before.” Perhaps nan astir un-Christian man to ever service arsenic commandant successful main has continually wrapped himself successful nan mantle of Jesus — and excessively galore Christians person ignored nan Good Book’s repeated warnings against mendacious prophets and shouted him on.

Flannery O’Connor could person written an full caller connected Christian hucksters conscionable from Year One of nan 2nd coming of nan Trump administration.

As nan Iran warfare ratchets up pinch nary extremity successful sight, this devotion to Trump is veering into idolatry.

Pastor Greg Laurie — astir celebrated for holding Harvest Crusade revivals successful Southern California for nan past procreation — wrote online that Trump’s Iran run “is origin for america to beryllium up and salary attention” because he feels it lines up pinch End Times prophecy astir nan Middle East descending into warfare conscionable earlier nan Second Coming. The nonprofit Military Religious Freedom Foundation revealed it has received hundreds of complaints from troops astir their superiors claiming that what’s going connected is biblically ordained.

Meanwhile, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters that what’s happening “is a belief war” that “will group nan people of nan Middle East for a 1000 years” — nan nonstop clip play that nan Book of Revelation stated Christ will reign until Satan returns. Some Trump supporters person moreover compared their savior to Cyrus nan Great, nan Persian king who freed nan Israelites from nan yolk of nan Babylonians and of whom nan Book of Isaiah called God’s “anointed” and would “subdue nations earlier him and to portion kings of their armor.”

The Bible is not each kumbaya. But from nan Old Testament to nan New, it consistently preaches for nan religious to humble themselves, to thief nan mediocre and downtrodden. Trump’s type of Christianity alternatively preaches nary mercy for those against him, demands followers exalt him supra everything, celebrates nan gaudy alternatively of nan godly.

This Lent is magnifying his apostasy for illustration ne'er before.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of nan Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speak during a property briefing astatine nan Pentagon connected Wednesday successful Washington.

(Konstantin Toropin / Associated Press)

It’s a clip to accelerated from our excesses; Trump continues to push distant a White House redesign that will make nan Palace of Versailles look arsenic flashy arsenic a mud hut. Those of america who partake successful Lent are asked to repent of our sins; Trump is doubling down connected them for illustration they’re McDonald’s fries. We are expected to bespeak connected our wrongdoings and inquire for forgiveness from nan Almighty and those we wronged — has Trump ever done that?

We’re besides expected to believe almsgiving and assistance those little fortunate than ourselves arsenic a measurement of honoring Christ, who pointed retired that giving truthful it costs you is nan only measurement to give. Trump has ever brayed that he’s yet looking retired for nan communal man — but alternatively of helping nan millions of group whom his system was already leaving down earlier nan Iran campaign, he’s shrugging disconnected their woes and asking Americans to buckle up and upwind value spikes and simply judge successful him.

Or is that Him?

Conservative Christian leaders person continually landed connected nan incorrect broadside of American history, from slavery to imperialism, Jim Crow to women’s rights. That’s why it’s not astonishing — but still disappointing — that a Pew Research Center canvass released earlier this twelvemonth recovered 69% of achromatic evangelicals deliberation Trump has done a bully job. Fifty-two percent of achromatic Catholics consciousness nan same, compared pinch conscionable 23% of Latino Catholics, moreover though Pope Leo XIV has consistently decried American overseas and home policy.

Lent besides is nan clip that Christians retrieve that nan symptom of Christ’s decease leads to nan dream that is Easter. That’s why for this Lent, whitethorn Christians repent of Trump for illustration ne'er before.

War has ever been a clip for propaganda, of demonizing nan force and pumping up your side. It is simply a sad, tragic affair, pinch decease and carnage and endless mourning. Children die. War is not a point to beryllium celebrated, moreover if it were necessary. And there’s a large if astir this latest one, moreover if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei deserved his downfall and Iranians successful their state and overseas rightfully celebrate.

But history’s top warriors cognize — to quote nan conclusion of nan Oscar-winning biopic “Patton” — that glory is fleeting. Trump, Hegseth and their ilk are not them. They are nan men that Psalms asked God to present america from, nan warmongers who “imagine mischiefs successful their heart” and “continually” activity violence. To spot really this management and its supporters are preening correct now reminds maine of what Johnny Cash erstwhile sung: sooner aliases later, God‘s gonna trim you down.

Let’s conscionable dream nan remainder of america are spared erstwhile that happens. If you pray, please do. (And not to Trump).