The imminent revival, part 14 — leaving the cult of Donald Trump

I recognize that the very title of this entry will by definition upset a number of people because I’m suggesting that many folks who are followers of Donald Trump belong to a de facto cult. But, myself having been tangentially involved in one about two decades ago — just one conversation back then kept me from crossing over — I do believe that, following several recently-published articles and recent comments by such disparate entities as Dan Rather and George Conway, that’s the case.

In my case, a then-future, now-former girlfriend living in Chicago had gotten caught up in a local branch of the International Church of Christ. Normally I can spot spiritual frauds from a mile away, but racial diversity, which this church did have, in a church was and since has become important to me so I was initially intrigued. The church wasn’t yet in Pittsburgh, so a male friend of this friend wanted to recruit me long-distance, and I became suspicious when I challenged him and he retorted, “We're the only ones who teach [baptismal salvation],” which I knew to be false and I told him so. It's my conviction that any one group that claims to have ultimate truth to the exclusion of all others is by definition false.

This is part of what we’ve always seen with Trump. And he has never made any bones about that, saying during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, “I alone can fix it” — which, frankly, horrified me and should have been a warning to every Christian out there. In essence, with that line Trump tried to set himself up as God, which is essentially what cult leaders do. Too many believers, having gotten caught up in the culture war — which, ironically, was introduced into the church by non-believers — took the side of anyone, regardless of faith or moral stance or even the lack thereof, who would support “family values,” most notably an anti-abortion position as supported by God Himself.

The trouble is, of course, that God never actually says these things; in fact, He’s not remotely interested in having temporal political power so that Christians can operate unmolested (indeed, the Word of God indicates just the opposite, that true believers will eventually undergo persecution). If anything, the small but growing number of believers who are recognizing this danger to the faith are themselves being ostracized.

One thing about cults, however, is their leaders, often held above suspicion or even the law, eventually are taken down from their pedestals. Remember that God refuses to be mocked or take even second place in people’s hearts and thus such leaders, including the guy at the top of the ICC, always subject themselves to some type of scandal or utter collapse — which is what the current impeachment hearings are about. (No, Trump isn’t at all being “persecuted”; if anything, he’s finally being held accountable for the things he’s done and said over the time of his administration.)

So what does this have to do with “revival?” Well, one thing that it entails is the renunciation of other, false gods — and let’s be honest in saying that Trump has become one. Once he has been purged from our collective psyches we can get to the business of seeking the True and Living God.

My friend’s story does have a happy ending. I knew from the start not to inundate her with all the information I had, so I waited for her to discover the truth on her own about what she had allowed to take over her life, and she ended up leaving the ICC after three years. People later told me that I had done the perfect “exit counseling,” but it was small consolation to me that I was proven right because I knew that she would continue to suffer for a while longer.

We will need that kind of compassion toward Trump supporters who are now being led around by the nose but, once he goes down, will feel lost. This is where spiritual growth can start, with a renewed commitment to the will, plan and purpose of God.