We are gathered here today to worship our Creator. God made each of us in his image. Psalm 139 describes him knitting us together in our mothers' wombs. That same psalm teaches that God knew us, and had a relationship with us, even before we were born.

“The old alliances are dead."

 – Theoden

 

"The world is changed…
I feel it in the water…
I feel it in the Earth…
I smell it in the air….

Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it.”

                                        -- Galadriel

 

“Our list of allies grows thin.”

                                        -- Elrond

 

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

                                        -- Gandalf

 

“The West has failed.”

-- Denethor

 

Now that the Trump era is over, at least as far as his Presidency is concerned, it's worth taking a look back at what happened in the 4+ years that he dominated the political and cultural landscape. I am convinced that Trump himself is nowhere near the most important thing that has happened. Rather, Trump exposed and accelerated trends that were already in motion. The Trump era brought to the surface and revealed many things that had been hidden from view. This has been an apocalyptic moment in American history.

A few bullet points in light of yesterday's events:

  • As I have preached from the book of James more than once, man's anger can never accomplish God's righteousness. This is true no matter where that anger comes from along the political spectrum. Anger, and the violence that comes from it, are not conservative or productive forces; they are destructive.

In case no one has told you, we have election coming up next Tuesday. Some people think it's a pretty big deal, so here are my pastoral guidelines for Christian citizens this time around.

Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
    and do not reveal another's secret,
lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
    and your ill repute have no end.

-- Proverbs 25:9-10

 

Last week, the Atlantic published a story which claimed Trump made disparaging comments about American soldiers according to four anonymous sources. Not surprisingly, the story quickly fell apart as many sources were willing to go on record by name disputing the account and the story's author gave a pretty pathetic excuse for why his sources wanted to remain unnamed. What is disappointing is that some Christians who should know better (such as David French) decided to traffic in this anonymous story. My point in this post is not political and has nothing to do with Trump. It has to do with personal relationships, unsubstantiated rumor/gossip, due process, and our obligation to rely on multiple named trustworthy sources when passing along potentially damaging reports. Anonymous reports can be used to damage presidential candidates, but they can also be used to damage relationships and communities. They are a form of gossip, and thus forbidden by biblical law.