Word Weld

Amicus meus, inimicus inimici mei

The above is the original Latin phrase translated into what we know today as the ancient proverb: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” This can a useful concept in war, and it goes hand-in-hand with the another martial/political philosophy: the lesser of two evils. As Aristotle wrote:

“…for the lesser evil is reckoned a good in comparison with the greater evil, since the lesser evil is rather to be chosen than the greater, and what is worthy of choice is good, and what is worthier of choice a greater good.”

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

These two sayings work in geo-political ethics and in human warfare and conflicts. But let me state up front that while we may sometimes operate this way, God does not.

Prior to 1941, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany had signed pacts and agreements stating that they would respect each other’s “spheres of influence.” Their leaders shared similar ideologies and their pacts even agreed that when Germany invaded Poland that they would literally split the country between them, with the USSR taking the eastern half of Poland and Germany taking the western half. The USSR also used the opportunity to invade Finland, Estonia, Latvia and a region known as Bessarabia. The USSR and Germany also had a trade pact signed in 1940 that benefitted both nations financially and allowed Germany to circumvent British naval blockades. Hitler and Stalin both believed in domination of their own people and others by force, and Germany even offered the USSR membership in the Axis Pact along with Italy and Japan, though it was not agreed to. However, despite all of this political maneuvering, Hitler and Stalin viewed each other as rivals, so what eventually did occur, in June of 1941, was not a surprise. Germany invaded Poland and began a brutal conquest of the Russian “union” which would ultimately reach as far as Stalingrad and almost to Moscow itself, but was stopped.

As a result of these events, the main allied leaders, Churchill and Roosevelt, sought an alliance with the USSR, despite the fact that Stalin was essentially equal with Hitler in evil. He had starved and murdered his own people and purged his own political party to consolidate his power and prevent threats to his rule, and he had literally sided with Hitler earlier in the war, using Hitler and Germany as a diversion while he invaded, enslaved, and slaughtered other Slavic states in Eastern Europe. While Stalin was a vile Communist dictator and mass-murderer cut from the same cloth as Hitler, he was fighting against Hitler, and having his help could weaken Hitler. They decided to use the two principles above: in this case, Stalin was the “enemy of my enemy” and the “lesser of two evils,” so siding with him was justified politically and militarily, to combat a mutual and seemingly greater threat. The famed British Prime Minister and champion of freedom even made the following remark:

“If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”

Winston Churchill

If you find this statement, from a world leader fighting on the side of freedom and justice, to be even a little bit concerning; if it makes you crease your brow for a moment and consider; if you perhaps think that maybe there is something wrong with this philosophy; then you might understand what I am getting at. And that is the problem with siding with the Devil against your current enemy (who you view as worse): the Devil never really stopped being your enemy, he was just waiting for the right moment to come at you again.

Now, I confess this article is about Trump, and that makes it one of my rare political articles. And no, I’m not comparing Trump to Stalin because they are the same ideologically or because I am saying Trump is a Communist dictator. Trump is not Hitler or Stalin or anyone like that. He has not murdered tens of thousands of people, no matter what the rabid news media says. But he is still no one to praise morally speaking. And this article is really not about Trump’s politics or policies, it is about his ideology. After all, Stalin was willing to put aside his politics somewhat in order to maintain his alliance with the Americans and British, at least until the Nazis were driven from his soil. But as soon as Germany fell, he was back to his old self, even invading and conquering half of Germany and indeed, half of Europe, and plunging the world into a Cold War. So, what is Trump’s ideology then? Is it conservative? Is it Republican? Is it Christian? No. Trump has shown repeatedly (though many Christians in particular are singularly and utterly blind to it) that his ideology is simply himself. That is his political philosophy: he is the greatest and should be in charge. That is his economic philosophy: he’s a great businessman and should lead the economy. That is his religious philosophy: whatever god you serve is probably on his side, because of how great he is. His ideology is humanist and more specifically Trumpist.

I don’t really want to get into proving that Trump is not really a conservative (let alone a Christian), not because it can’t be proven, but because it can. Easily. Quickly. I wrote an article about Trump before, when he won the election in 2016, and another about the state of the Republican party and the controversy with Ted Cruz. Trump is clearly a mercenary who cares only about money and popularity, and since he has more money than he’ll ever need, fame is his primary desire. This is why he angers the leftists, as well as fellow Republicans and conservatives: because doing so gets him attention and that is what he craves more than anything. Originally, he was a Democrat, for up until the exact moment that he decided to run for President in 2016, and honestly it was a clever move. He realized that Hilary was the Democratic front-runner and that she was extremist and unlikeable, and that Republicans and conservatives who were aware of her criminal activities were afraid of her and would turn out against her. So he decided to change party affiliations (again, because his ideology is self) because he knew he wouldn’t win the Democratic nomination, and betray his old friends the Clintons (yes, he donated to their foundation and was buddies with them for years, all of which is easily verifiable). So he gave the conservative base in the US a big, bold, loud name to rally behind. He said everything they wanted to hear: that he would build a wall along the southern border, fight for religious freedom, lower taxes, lower gas prices, make America a respected force internationally once more, prosecute Hilary for her numerous but completely ignored crimes, turn the clock back to the 50s, and numerous other promises that proved to be largely that: promises, the political currency and bread-and-butter, which always turns out to be just white paste and margarine. He did none of these things, and of the things that he did do, they were mere executive orders which were immediately overturned by similar orders as soon as Biden took office, effectively meaning that everything he was praised for doing during his term was almost completely overturned immediately after he left office.

In the beginning, in 2016, I refused to vote for Trump on principal, and held to that. I was, I suppose, in the “never Trump” movement, though I just call it voting your convictions. I voted for him when he ran against Biden the first time, because there was no one else to vote for, no Ted Cruz or literally anyone else. And I did this fully realizing that I was employing the “lesser of two evils” philosophy. But that is the time to employ such tactics, when there are no other choices, and you have a responsibility to try to slow the evil down, even though you know you can’t stop it. After all, the alternative was not voting at all, and I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I knew full well it was a vote for Stalin over Hitler, figuratively speaking, but I was surely not voting for Hitler, and Stalin was less of a threat. I will do so again this year, in all likelihood, unless the Lord puts on my heart something different. And if I do, I won’t be doing it in ignorance, singing Trump’s praises all the way to the ballot box, and ignoring what he really is. I won’t convince myself, like many Christians have, that Trump “has rough edges, but is really God’s medicine for this country’s sickness.”

Gag.

Forgive my uncharacteristic departure in tone, but I incorrectly assumed that after four years Trump’s open narcissism, mercenary behavior, and typical reneging on all of his promises, Christians at least would begin to distance themselves from this kind of Trump-savior rhetoric. And yet, Christians have consistently claimed that Trump is some kind of God-sanctioned pagan ruler akin to Cyrus or Darius in the Old Testament, even to this day, or even more astoundingly, a mini-Christ who is directly a servant of God, akin to King David. And Christians in America continue to view him that way, even in the face of Trump sharing a campaign video alleging that he is God’s man, specifically called by God to save America. Trump has observed all of the social media memes about him. He even shared that video on his social media platform. He knows how many Christians and conservatives perceive him, and the video only reinforced that mini-savior idea that Christians seem to have. The video, as appalling as it is, is merely the culmination of these ideas about Trump. In case you don’t believe that, remember these?

Many of you have seen these appalling creations, in all likelihood. But there are more, and not just memes on the internet. There are also bumper stickers and t-shirts with the same message: God and Trump are on the same team! Note that many of these pieces of merchandise are created by conservatives and Christians themselves. In other words, we have not only accepted Stalin as a necessary evil, we have gone a step further and claimed him as one of our own, as a representative of our beliefs, and in doing so we have undermined our own moral footing. After all, Christians today continue to excuse all of Trump’s worst behaviors in the most flimsy ways, and continue to put out the memes and merch, which are one breath short of blasphemy, despite all of the things he continues to unashamedly do. No, Trump does not share our ideology and I do not think for a minute he shares our faith: those are means to an end. Nor do I feel, again, betrayed by this. Trump is a politician (another word for “professional liar”) and he is only remarkable because Christians in particular have begun to all but worship him as some sort of political and even religious savior.

It should go without saying that no politician, no leader, no man, should ever be regarded in this way by Christians, be he a pastor, teacher, evangelist, apologist, theologian, author, senator, representative, governor, or the President of the United States of America. The Bible states very clearly that God does not regard the person of men.

“For there is no respect of persons with God.”

Romans 2:11

No Christian in this country should behave the way that American Christians behave and believe about Donald Trump. Trump is a godless man who has lived his entire life in lasciviousness, ostensibly believing in and supporting the very people who he claims now to oppose. And are we to believe that he got saved? Are we to understand that he had a “road to Damascus” experience and was converted? No. His supposed “change of heart” came only when he decided to run for President, and his entire campaign and four year presidency were covered in narcissism and self-aggrandizement. He has consistently used and invoked the name of God only to egg on his supporters, and so Americans are fooled by this.

Many have and will doubtless called me a “Trump-hater,” but let me be clear: Trump is nothing more than he actually is. He is a corrupt man, a humanist, and a liar, (which is as much to say he is just a politician). I expect nothing more from him than anyone else who has run for President of the U.S., and thus he is of little interest to me beyond any other politician. What I actually “hate,” if you wish to call it that, is the response to Trump among American Christianity, but it’s less of hate and more of dismay. It shows that Christians in this country are so earth-bound and materialistic that they are no different from the Jews in Jesus’ day, looking not for God, but for an earthly hero. They are not looking for the King of Kings, but for an earthly king, another Saul. They are not interested in growing closer to God through whatever difficulties and hardships may be necessary for that to come about, but they are interested in a man to give them temporal prosperity.

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”

John 18:36

What has happened to Christians in America? We have conflated God’s blessings with God Himself. We think that in order to be blessed by God in this country, we must have temporal prosperity. It is no wonder that so many have flocked to false teachers such as Joel Osteen and his ilk, for what people want most out of Christianity is what God can bless them with. We forget that God poured out His blessings upon the apostles, even though they were nearly all martyred. God blessed the most persecuted churches, and continues to do so. The Chinese Christians today are not looking for or praying for a political ruler to overthrow the CCP and usher in an era of prosperity… they have no hope for such things. Rather, they are looking for Christ Himself, and they are not looking to Beijing, but to the Bible. And that is what we should be doing. There is no hope whatsoever in any man in this country, not in Ted Cruz, not in Ron DeSantis, not in John MacArthur, not in Ben Shapiro, not in Donald Trump, and not in me or you. Our hope is in Christ alone, as the song says:

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Isaiah says it very well too, when the Jews were distressed and trusted in the might of Egypt and her armies to save them from God’s judgment:

Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!
Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.
Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.

Isaiah 31:1-3

Oh, Christian, I could easily replace the words “Egypt” and “horsemen” with Donald Trump, or Ron DeSantis, or Ron Paul, or Ted Cruz, or anyone you like . We don’t trust in the Lord alone, as the Jews did not in Isaiah’s day. We think God needs a righteous President to do His will in this country, and I submit to you that He does not. He is the Lord, and He is good: He needs no lesser evil to accomplish His will. And God is a jealous God. He will not share His glory or His honor with any man, save Jesus His son:

Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

Isaiah 31:1-3

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

Psalm 118:8-9

Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

Psalm 146:3

We must turn away from this hero worship, from this lie that tells us God has “His man” or that God “has Trump’s back.” Can and does God use Trump? Yes, but no more or less than any secular ruler, president, or king. Darius and Cyrus were both used by God, but they were both pagan men who did not follow God or His Word, and the Jews did not worship or elevate these men simply because God used them to do His will. God used Hitler to bring about His judgment upon the Jews, among many other evil men, and Trump may not be as evil as Hitler or Nebuchadnezzar, but he is no more “God’s man” than either of them. There were many rulers over the course of history who claimed to be divinely supported, from Charlemagne (who claimed to be “crowned by God”) to Henry VIII and Luis XIV (who each subscribed to the doctrine of the “divine right of kings”). Nowadays, when secularism is a more popular religion than Christianity, claiming God’s blessing on your rule is not so common, but Trump has uniquely resurrected the idea and Christians seem to have swallowed it in large part.

It is, I think, an unhappy testament to the fact that Western Christianity is so affluent and bloated that it has conflated God’s blessings with material wealth, prosperity, happiness, and security, none of which are concepts that God promises to the believer, and the opposite is often more the rule than the exception. God is not some genie or some lucky talisman that we call upon to bless our harvest, or increase our business, or to protect our homes and our investments from the random calamities of life. He is God Almighty, our Creator, our benefactor, who will complete the good work He began in us, to make us holy, and wholly dependent upon Him. That is why I will not be subscribing to Donald Trump’s idea of himself. The enemy of my enemy, is, in the end, still my enemy.

I am aware that the pervading thought will cause many to reject this outright as “Trump hate.” Some may even lump me in with the Left for attacking Trump. That is inevitable, I suppose, for those who have bought into these ideas about him. But it is both sad and a complete reinforcement of what I am saying that such things are true: that Christians will turn on other Christians for pointing out what is true based on God’s Word. Trump is not a good man, no matter what policies he pursues, and while he is better than the alternatives, the bar is so low that it is difficult to see how truly bad Trump is, even for Christians. It is as Aristotle said, “…for the lesser evil is reckoned a good in comparison with the greater evil, since the lesser evil is rather to be chosen than the greater, and what is worthy of choice is good, and what is worthier of choice a greater good.” What is worthy of choice is good. That is the problem. Not that we must vote for Trump because he is the lesser of two evils, but that we will of necessity paint him as a good. We will call him pure and white because there is less dirt and muck upon him than other politicians, even though it is not much less. I do not reckon the lesser of two evils to be good. I understand the Trump and Biden are both bad, one is simply much worse.