A Christian Case Against Donald Trump by Patrick Kahnke - An Ongoing Discussion

 

These two videos used in place of excerpt....

I believe a Messenger of God wrote this book. Not because he claims to be. Nor because he speaks against our past president, as I have done many times as well. I believe he is a Christian because his words speak of what his background was, how he was drawn into a conservative life, often reading only what conservatives spoke or wrote. And, then, that he made his own realization that his opinion(s) might, or did, disagree with his church members--those who he was called to care for in a ministry. He withdrew from all things that he felt might have been influencing him. Shall we simply define it as...uninformed... or narrow thinking? I know of this kind of life--one of my nephews was also a Rush Limbaugh follower and became immersed in condemning all things that were...different... Hearing him condemn certain people while saying he loves Jesus just didn't make sense to me, no matter how many times I tried to talk of love, not hate. Thankfully, Kahnke understood just how easily it could be and chose a different path.

Let me quickly point out that there are many of such individuals who, once becoming aware of this, have decided to continue in such a life. While others, such as myself, explored, studied and learned about those who were...not...so...conservative...

For a lengthy time, Patrick Kahnke worked within his church to teach and minister to his church family. Then it was 2016 and a man was running to become the president of America! I identified with his reaction. He and I were both shocked that this man could ever be a candidate to lead the United States. And, when he, and I, saw that there were many Christians supporting his candidacy, he became uneasy, confused and ultimately concerned enough to begin writing and speaking out in videos about what he saw happening. The result is two books, the first which I just bought. I want to better understand the WHY of what happened. I want to talk and share about what has happened. And, to do that, I want to be as informed as I can to be to understand and explain, even if only for myself, WHY it has happened...

When I first started listening to Kahnke's videos, I remembered my very first pastor, Reverend Babel. We were a community with a small church congregation. My mother, among her many jobs to earn money as a widowed mother of four, cleaned and handled things like opening the church, turning on the heat, etc. I remember that Reverend Babel and his wife were guests of many Sunday dinners at our home where she always served her famous homemade chicken and noodles... My point is that we felt close enough to our pastor that we saw him as a caring friend. As I listen to Patrick, I see the same warmth, concern, and, yet, understanding and intelligence, that makes a man a pastor you'd be grateful for having had in your life.

You will find that he writes the same way he talks. He takes each issue and begins to teach from the Bible about what it says. But he considers how and if those who are in his congregation, actually know what the scripture means... And, so, he starts talking about it as we would in a discussion, a small circle of individuals who freely start to ask questions...

In the very first chapter, he begins with a principle: Integrity means following the way of Jesus as we seek his kingdom, and rejecting the way of the world and its earthly kingdoms. My first thought? That is not Donald Trump. But what does the author say as he talks about the way of Jesus versus the way of the world? He first speaks of his own reason for writing the book. For Love--For Jesus, for his family and for his country. And, that he wanted to preserve the world for the future. That was how conservatism was once defined. Personally, I have a problem of anybody being classified into some stereotypical manner that forces another to mold conduct to what somebody defines. With Jesus as my friend, I already knew that what I was what what he had created before I was born. Without going into the science of genetics, all I mean by that statement is that each of us has a part of God within us if we allow Him to speak. I've refused to be classified all of my life. LOL Even if one of

the vice-presidential candidates would condemn me for being a childless cat lady... Yeah...like Taylor Swift... What I want to know is where republicans find all these weird men... 

But Kahnke goes on and quickly points out that his words are about worshipping God:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.[2] Over the past several years I’ve offered the best of what I have — my time, my focus, my most rigorous thinking — to this labor that many others have also taken on; this ugly, holy work of exposing and defeating the creeping shadow of Trumpism. That shadow has enveloped large swaths of the American church, and many of God’s people now walk in darkness. They scorn the truth tellers and shun those who expose the lies and deception. Sadly, in doing so, they believe they’re offering a service to God. So for myself, this work has become a twofold act of worship. First, I’m working to tear down a deceptive and destructive version of Christianity that slanders God for profit and power; that dares to weaponize God’s name against people he loves — people he created in his own image. And second, I hope to lift up Jesus so people might see him as far more beautiful and worthy of praise than any earthly political leader.

I don't know about you, folks, but I've felt the very same desire... If I were claiming to be a Christian nationalist, as they seem to now be wanting to be called (according to Marjorie Taylor Green, LOL), then I'd be embarrassed to even speak the name of Jesus... who is worthy of praise and NOT Trump! 

Folks, today, I thought I would be writing my review of this book. Yet, I find there is so much to say... So much important information within the book... Am I being led to forget about a review and write about this book on a more in-depth basis? We'll see... Thinking about it, I'll pull parts of this to go on Amazon and then continue as today... Pray for this book. Pray for this time of testing... God is Watching... Listen to Jesus speaking through His Spirit... Turn away from the MAGA world and open yourself to actually listen... to God Speaking...

 God Bless

Gabby