Over the weekend, Donald Trump sent out a series of tweets
weighing in on the current Ebola crisis.
The U.S. cannot allow EBOLA infected people
back. People that go to far away places to help out are great-but must suffer
the consequences!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August
2, 2014
"@BigBoie7531: To
all the liberal do gooders, this is the Plague you idiots! No cure! @ You may
have confidence in the CDC, but I don't!"
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August
2, 2014
Suffer the consequences?
Liberal do gooders? This is
morally outrageous. Mr. Trump would do
well to educate himself on the facts concerning Ebola before opening his mouth
or striking his keyboard again. Facts
aside, the very idea that there should be "consequences" for doing
what we all know in our hearts to be right is extremely disturbing.
While Trump's tweets sadden me, my concern here is not
ultimately with this morally bankrupt man.
I just prayed while typing this that he would experience the heart
transformation that only comes through the gospel of Christ.
My concern is more for Christians who may be led astray by
this kind of thinking. This is the kind
of Darwinian evolutionary thinking that is completely foreign to the gospel of
Christ. This is the kind of thinking that says, "I must focus first and foremost
on myself. If I don't watch out for
myself, no one else will."
The gospel of Christ says…
Matthew 25:40
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
You see, the gospel of Christ is not just something you
believe in once and then move on with your life. No, the gospel of Christ IS the way of
life. It is one of laying down our
lives. It is one of counting others more
significant than ourselves.
It is one of following the example of Jesus.
Philippians 2:8
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
The Christian life is difficult. Jesus never promised that it would be
easy.
While our flesh calls us to watch out for ourselves, may we walk by the Spirit, and not according to the
flesh. And when we fail, may we lean upon the grace and
forgiveness available to us in Christ Jesus.
Update: Since this post went up, Glenn Beck has weighed in on his radio program. He referred to God's image bearer as a "200-pound bag of Ebola." You can find the article with a short video clip here. Once again, morally reprehensible!
Update 2: Though it was posted before my blog went up, you may be interested to read a poem by John Piper concerning the Ebola crisis and comments made by Donald Trump. Read the poem here.
More Links: Ann Coulter weighs in with despicable comments here. Russell Moore speaks to the Christian response here. Alan Cross presents a gospel centered perspective here.
Update: Since this post went up, Glenn Beck has weighed in on his radio program. He referred to God's image bearer as a "200-pound bag of Ebola." You can find the article with a short video clip here. Once again, morally reprehensible!
Update 2: Though it was posted before my blog went up, you may be interested to read a poem by John Piper concerning the Ebola crisis and comments made by Donald Trump. Read the poem here.
More Links: Ann Coulter weighs in with despicable comments here. Russell Moore speaks to the Christian response here. Alan Cross presents a gospel centered perspective here.
This was interesting!
ReplyDelete'morally bankrupt' is a good term, actually the kindest thing you can say when a human being no longer recognizes his connection to those around him who suffer . . .
ReplyDeleteI suppose a blog like this ought to give me hope, because I thought conservative Christians idolized Republicans like Trump and Beck,
and this post calls them out for their apparent inhumanity, but it's a bit late in the game . . . too many marginalized have been injured by the neglect and contempt of those who sought power, not in Christ, but in the Republican Party. First, they had to abandon the gospels as they are written, and with that, all that was taught about the love of Christ towards the poor and the suffering. Then, they had to embrace a creed of greed and self-sufficiency, where people were 'on their own' and no longer responsible for one another or the common good.
A little late, this post. But welcomed.
Welcomed. And am thankful for the privilege of having read it, even now.
Maybe it all had to go to 'extremes' for good people to recognize the evil in their midst? Maybe that was it.
Last century, the Holocaust;
this century, ebola;
next century, the return to Christ of the Holy Gospels by people who call themselves 'Christian' ??? One can hope.
One must.