I’m intrigued by the theology of Paula White, President Trump’s new spiritual adviser. Let me give you a couple snippets of her belief system and then contrast them with Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest and author.
Most striking about White is that she knows what God wants for us politically. If you don’t support Trump, she tells us, “You’re gonna have to stand accountable before God one day.” And why would that be? Well, because “Trump has a relationship with God. He is a Christian, he accepts Jesus as his Lord and savior … God is not new to Mr. Trump. He absolutely has a heart and a hunger and a relationship with God.” Who knew?
And because of Trump’s relationship with God, Trump has “been raised up by God because God says that he raises up and places all people in places of authority. It is God that raises up a king, it is God that sets one down, and so when you fight against the plan of God, you’re fighting against the hand of God.”
And all this time I thought Trump won the election because the Democrats ran a flawed candidate and the Russians interfered with the election. Again, who knew?
Because she has a direct line to God, White knows what it takes to curry God’s favor. White recently declared that everyone should give the “first fruits” of the new year—that would be your monthly income—to God. In turn, you will receive blessings and promises and, if you don’t, “whether through ignorance or direct disobedience, there are consequences.” That’s scary. To ensure you receive your share of God’s blessing, send a check to—no surprise here—White’s ministry.
In contrast, here’s a passage from one of Richard Rohr’s daily meditations, where he borrows from a Quaker pastor and talks about how we should conduct our lives on a daily basis:
“Quaker pastor Philip Gulley superbly summarizes how we must rebuild spirituality from the bottom up in his book, If the Church Were Christian. Here I take the liberty of using my own words to restate his message, which offers a rather excellent description of what is emerging in Christianity today:
1. Jesus is a model for living more than an object of worship.
2. Affirming people’s potential is more important than reminding them of their brokenness.
3. The work of reconciliation should be valued over making judgments.
4. Gracious behavior is more important than right belief.
5. Inviting questions is more valuable than supplying answers.
6. Encouraging the personal search is more important than group uniformity.
7. Meeting actual needs is more important than maintaining institutions.
8. Peacemaking is more important than power.
9. We should care more about love and less about sex.
10. Life in this world is more important than the afterlife (Eternity is God’s work anyway).”
Nothing from Rohr about God having a role in who gets into the White House or about money. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t selected to be Trump’s spiritual adviser.
___________________________________
Jack D’Aurora writes for Considerthisbyjd.com
___________________________________________________
ShareNOV
About the Author: