Whether you're religious or not, you'll have to decide for yourself if the Evangelicals of this day and age have a handle on what's decent and healthy for us all.
On February 2, 2020, Franklin Graham tweeted out during the Superbowl halftime show which showcased the talents of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, that America was headed for the basement of Superbowl performances because he claimed that " our country has had a sense of moral decency on prime TV in order to protect our children. We see that disappearing from our very eyes." No one was nude or partially nude. Both J Lo and Shakira moved and bounced to the music which seemed to electrify stadium goers. So chalk it up to a minister's preference of the good old days of marching bands and cheer leading pom-pom girls.
My non-religious friends may not give a flying fig about Franklin Graham’s opinion of J-Lo and Shakira's half time show moves or any religious person's critique. (Some either had gone to the fridge or sat there small talking about the 1st half of the game.) But it's interesting to point out that this same Franklin Graham who was a sex police for the Superbowl half time show, gave approval to Donald Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Watching this President sit in a brooding position with his eyes closed as the words of Jesus filled the room through Harvard Kennedy School Professor Arthur Brooks, we wouldn't have long to hear of what Trump thought of the teachings of Jesus who said to love your enemies. (Matthew 5 43-45) Brooks expounded on the text by imploring:
“Ask God to Give you the strength to do this hard thing, to go against your human nature--- to follow Jesus teaching. You believe Jesus teaching, act like it. Me too--- to love your enemies. Ask God to take political contempt from your heart. And sometimes when it’s just too hard, ask God to help you to fake it.” Washington Post
The President would then denounce the speech as though Brooks had made this concept up himself. This was supposed to be a "leave your politics at the door event," but some of the Republican conservative base was on hand to chortle as Trump cracked wise by saying, "Arthur I don't know if you're going to like what I have to say, but---." Trump was there to tell the Christians in the room that this love your enemy idea was ridiculous. I doubt that you could convince him that this was first level Christian teaching, and if Mr. Trump had ever attempted to read a Bible, he would have understood the implications of that passage.
This President would stand there like a wounded animal striking out verbally at those who he called his enemies such as Nancy Pelosi, Adam Shift, and Mitt Romney who did his Gary Cooper /High Noon imitation and crossed party lines to vote guilty to impeach him.
"I don't like people who use their faith for justification for doing what they know is wrong." Trump remarked. The wrong which he spoke about was the fact that Pelosi and Shift had the audacity to call for his impeachment and removal. It was apparent that he wanted everyone to know that he was a victim and he was going to clutch on to his contempt for those responsible like an infant with their favorite teddy bear. His Gospel is his own will and personal agenda as he also remarked before an Evangelical crowd in 2015 that He's a Christian but he has never felt the need to ask God for forgiveness. His arrogance seems to know no bounds as he mocks and laughs at those who proclaim their faith; a faith which is a meaningful faith but stands its grounds on tough matters on issues such as a President’s disrespect for people and country.
He doesn’t understand in either secular human terms, or religious terms, that you can like a person, and say “no” to what they’re doing. It was obvious that Trump wasn’t going to go high on this impeachment issue as he held a press conference after the prayer breakfast and continued to brag and berate Nancy Pelosi, Adam Shift and others. He smirked to reporters later and groused, “when I got up to speak, “there was Nancy Pelosi, four seats away. I said things a lot of people wouldn’t have said, but I meant every word of it.”
Nothing that Brooks said earlier that day, had touched his heart or made him think. When you’re a bully, break the law, violate the oath of your office, when you wreck other’s lives, you don’t want to hear that people who oppose your actions don’t hate you. So, it’s natural for Trump to gag at the thought that his political opponent prays for him. Trump has surrounded himself with “yes people” for so long, he forgets that the toughest thing a person can do is to tell you the truth at the risk of everything else. His answer has always been to point and say, “you’re fired.” No doubt that has been the case with a great deal of his staff and others who displayed the courage of their convictions.
After the National Prayer event was over. Franklin Graham “Yes tweeted” to Trump his approval of the words to his adversaries and thanked him for keeping America safe. This is the same Franklin Graham who has excused this President’s threat’s to others, his hatred of non-white countries, (calling them shit holes) Trumps bragging about shooting someone on 5th Avenue and getting away with it, not to mention his persistent un-presidential name calling of people in general of whom he doesn’t like.
I wonder how a so-called evangelist can click his tongue at one thing he calls immoral, while co-signing off on a President whose words were not fitting for an event that was a call to better ourselves?
Joe Scarborough who calls himself a backslid Baptist asks: Where are the religious leaders of the day to talk about the Good Samaritan, or to talk about why it’s un-Christlike to put children in cages, or to talk about why it’s un-Christlike to reward the richest of the rich while hurting the poorest of the poor? Where are these men?
My guess is that they were not at that prayer breakfast.
After the National Prayer event was over. Franklin Graham “Yes tweeted” to Trump his approval of the words to his adversaries and thanked him for keeping America safe. This is the same Franklin Graham who has excused this President’s threat’s to others, his hatred of non-white countries, (calling them shit holes) Trumps bragging about shooting someone on 5th Avenue and getting away with it, not to mention his persistent un-presidential name calling of people in general of whom he doesn’t like.
I wonder how a so-called evangelist can click his tongue at one thing he calls immoral, while co-signing off on a President whose words were not fitting for an event that was a call to better ourselves?
Joe Scarborough who calls himself a backslid Baptist asks: Where are the religious leaders of the day to talk about the Good Samaritan, or to talk about why it’s un-Christlike to put children in cages, or to talk about why it’s un-Christlike to reward the richest of the rich while hurting the poorest of the poor? Where are these men?
My guess is that they were not at that prayer breakfast.
