[I know this may look like a boring old article but I do believe that what is stated here is seminal to how disciples of Christ should be behaving in this world. For your information, it is just a 15-minute read]

AS YOU KNOW, I have written quite a bit in the last year or so about the illusions, delusions and deceptions surrounding the Trump administration as so many Christians have been deceptively infatuated by it. It has cost me many fairweather friends and my readership has diminished. That is a good thing, by the way. It keeps things real. I don’t want or need hangers-on and am only interested in those who share a love of the truth and a willingness to face up to falsehood even when (especially when) they have been personally taken in by it. I have the greatest admiration for such people. Frankly, we are comparatively few in the visible “church”, but that doesn’t bother me either. It is how it is meant to be.

Apart from those who have jumped ship (walked the plank) — sometimes in a hail of bullets (blanks) — there have been those who have tried to reason with me and those responses have mostly covered the same ground. Thus, a conglomerate response which I have received from Christian folks anytime that I write or speak about the Trump regime in the USA has been something like this:

“Well I know Trump isn’t perfect but at least he is running undesirables and degenerates out of town. It’s great to see prayer restored in schools, drag queens removed from our libraries and classrooms, illegal wetbacks and anti-Israel foreign students snatched from our streets and impounded, ungrateful unpatriotic rock ‘stars’ humiliated, and the difference between male and female clearly asserted. Wouldn’t you rather have a Christian president than sleepy Joe Biden and his corrupt bunch of demoncrats?”

In many ways, it is only to be expected that a number of the Lord’s people will feel attracted to a political regime which exercises Christian dominion over the civil powers and the restructuring of society along supposedly ‘Christian’ lines. They rightly feel disturbed by the corrupted world they observe around them, and they would seek to influence the civil authorities to adopt laws which are compatible with biblical morality and the demands of purity which are expected within the body of Christ. Yet, it is here that the greatest tension occurs. Many believers — in order to cope with this dilemma — take a nostalgic, rose-coloured look at what they imagine to be former times of ‘blessing and revival’ (‘Make America Great Again’); or they eagerly anticipate a similarly imaginary ‘golden age’ of global grace ahead. However, such romanticised nostalgia and millennial longings are more a response of believers who are unable to handle adequately the inevitable tension of being part of a suffering church in a predominantly godless world rather than being a serious exegesis of Holy Scripture.

You see, my friends, no matter what you want to see in the world, there is not the slightest hint in the New Testament that the function of the state includes the enforcement by law of so-called ‘Christian values’ on society. Our purpose as disciples of Christ here on earth in the present evil age is not to try to take over government in order to make the world adopt those values by force. That is Old Covenant thinking and its current practice involves a theological worldview known as “Christian Reconstructionism” (which many of Trump’s “faith advisors” espouse). “Christian Reconstructionism” involves working towards a kind of “Christianising” of the entire planet through the tactics of “dominion” — taking over government and all key federal or local government appointments. This is why it is also known as “Dominion Theology”. It is their considered opinion that if the Cross is to be seen by the world as being ‘successful’ in terms of numbers and the outlawing of evil by law, then we should be building up to a scenario involving an almost wholly converted world. What a fleshly delusion that is!

This notion has been carried on today in Charismatic and Pentecostal circles by the ‘Latter Rain’ and ‘New Apostolic Reformation’ people and is known as “Kingdom Now Theology”, which claims that all those who submit to the self-styled apostles and prophets which proliferate today (which are actually false apostles and false prophets) are to take dominion of key institutions in this world to prepare it for the return of Christ. Donald Trump is pastored by one such false apostle and prophet called Paula White. Trump was and is seen to be a part of the Church seizing dominion over state control, even though he is in reality a false ‘Christian’. This just shows what a mess the entire Dominionist/Reconstructionist movement actually is, and how deluded is the entire Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, which is plainly a satanic distraction from the real work of the people of God.

This entire ‘Dominionist’ movement believes that the only way for God’s work on earth to be validated is for the vast majority, almost all, to be seen to be saved. However, rather than becoming concerned about how many people will finally be saved — and asserting that it is dishonouring to God to imagine that more will be lost than saved — let us rely on God to do the arithmetic according to His own purposes (Luke 13:23). The Lord Jesus has come to save His own people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), and they most certainly will be saved as He is not a helpless bystander but one whose sheep will hear His voice and no one can snatch them out of His hand (John 10:27-30). It is true that the universal Body of Christ will not, in the end, consist of a mere handful of beleaguered little bigots bailing out a tiny boat in storm-tossed seas. However, the Body of Christ is always a comparatively little flock (Luke 12:32) in the world at any one time — a remnant according to the election of grace — but not such a little flock when cumulatively considered over the entire millennia of human history (Revelation 7:9). After all, “many are called but few are chosen” (Matthew 24:14). “Narrow is the gate and afflicted is the way to life and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). This is just the way it is. That is not indicative of failure but of God’s special purposes which we cannot presume to second guess or to judge according to what we would have done if we were God! I can barely believe the hubris and sheer arrogance — not to mention the idolizing of human free will — of those who try to impose humanistic judgements on the actions of God in matters of salvation.

A particular ‘proof’ text which I have seen twisted by Dominion Theology people and Reconstructionists is Luke 19:13 where the Lord Jesus tells the Parable of the Ten Minas in which “a man of noble birth” “called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return, he said’”. The Dominionists and ‘Christian’ Reconstructionists seize on a dubious translation from the King James Version, which says, “Occupy till I return”, and then claim this means that we should take over everything in the world, like a military occupation. [This is what happens when you make an idol out of the KJV (or any version), as a number of deluded diehards still do today]. But the Greek word dubiously translated there as “occupy” is πραγματεύομαι, pragmateuomai, which means to busy oneself or to do business — literally, to be pragmatic, to do what is the expedient thing to do. In other words, according to the context of the parable, “use rightly what you have been given to use” or, as ‘Helps Word Studies’ puts it “manage profitably the capital at your disposal”. That perfectly expresses what this parable is all about. Thus, this text is about ensuring that you use your talents, abilities, spiritual gifts and strengths, and opportunities for evangelism to their fullness while you are in this world. It has nothing whatsoever to do with seizing occupation of worldly institutions and running the planet like a worldly boss! We operate as Christ’s in the midst of a fallen world which is still permitted to be under the power of Satan (1 John 5:19), despite the fact that the war has already been won by Christ (John 12:31b), and because of that we will be hated by the world (John 15:19; Matthew 10:22), we will be afflicted in the world (John 12:31a), and treated as the world’s scum and offscouring (1 Corinthians 4:13). In God’s wisdom, the power of God is not demonstrated by us taking over the world and ‘Christianising’ it but by us plundering Satan’s pretended kingdom and stealing souls right out from under his nose, and there is not a single thing that he can do about it!

There is no way that a government can “Christianise” this world. It is a doomed fallen world heading for a time of great tribulation when evil will come to its head immediately prior to the Lord’s return to wind up this creation and institute a new one. The great commission given to us in Matthew 28:18-20 is not to force those who are not disciples of Christ to live a life of so-called “Christian values”. That just papers over the gaping cracks in the walls and merely addresses appearances. What is the point of non-Christians being forced to behave like Christians if their souls belong to Satan? Please answer that question honestly! Because that is what the so-called “Christian Right” and “Christian Nationalists” are seeking to achieve. The great commission commands us who are already disciples of Christ to “make disciples” out of people from all nations and after they have become disciples to teach them to obey all that Christ has commanded us. When the text in Matthew 28:20 says, “teaching them to obey all that I have commanded”, it is not referring to people before they have become His disciples but after!

I know that it is not pleasant to see all the ways of unholiness and debauchery escalating exponentially in the world, as it is doing. There is certainly a moral case to be made publicly concerning much of the behaviour in the world of unbelievers who are pushing ‘woke’, sexually amoral agendas. Disciples of Christ are called to expose the works of darkness. But they are also called to live a life of Christlike devotion and comportment. That involves seeking to do good to all, regardless of the level of godlessness of that “all”. That is our calling. Certainly we are to prioritize doing good to our fellow disciples. However, that should not be exclusive but must always extend outwards as well (Galatians 6:10).

The presence of a corrupt president who presents himself as squeaky-clean yet who has a very chequered past which he has paid to have silenced is not a good witness to the world. Tell me, in what ways does the Trump regime and its acolytes radiate a message of the Gospel? Really. Forcing unbelievers to outwardly conform to some moral imperatives may make some believers think that justice has been done and life is more visibly comfortable. But that is not what we are called to accomplish. As I said at the outset of this little piece:

“There is not the slightest hint in the New Testament that the function of the state includes the enforcement by law of so-called ‘Christian values’ on society. Our purpose as disciples of Christ here on earth in the present evil age is not to try to take over government in order to make the world adopt those values by force”.

It seems that so many folks who claim to be ‘Christians’ prefer superficial deceptive outward appearances to profound inward spiritual change. They imagine that they can somehow smooth over the cracks in society by making things look better, yet remain unchanged underneath. Do they imagine that all the drag queens and transgender people have now turned their lives around and are reformed? Do they think that just because “Pride” events have been banned that all homosexual and queer folks have become straight? Of course they haven’t. They are just a bit more underground awaiting the next inevitable regime change on the roundabout of politics.

Unless a person has undergone a metanoic repentance before Christ and had their life turned upside down and completely around, they will only be going through the motions under pressure by law yet their hearts will remain in the same corrupted state. In fact, going through the outward motions of “good behaviour” has always been one of the biggest stumbling-blocks to evangelism. Because in the unbeliever’s mind he or she thinks that outward good behaviour is what will get them to heaven (as so many funeral addresses for unbelievers from compromised pastors assert!).

I ask you this: In spite of all the waffle of so many presidential orders — in spite of the setting up of a “White House Faith Office” and a supposedly “Christian” leader of it who Trump describes as “amazing” — has there been the faintest hint of the genuine Gospel of Jesus Christ coming from this allegedly ‘Christian’ regime in the USA? Do the people involved in the cabinet of that regime emanate any hint whatsoever of the aroma of Christ? On the contrary, that regime has merely become a laughing-stock and the object of ridicule. In other words, a terrible witness. If a leader in society claims to be a disciple of Christ, he should “Kiss the Son”, that is, pay homage to Christ as the ruler of the world (Psalm 2:12) and publicly acknowledge that He is that. But I have not seen any hint of that from that source; only a hardness of heart, lip-service (empty photo-ops with a Bible), the appointment of a corrupt heretic as chief “faith advisor”, childish jibes, sneers and taunts which beggar belief.

Like all politicians, Trump is just one more actor on a corrupt stage who can only ever go as far as his handlers want him to. A president does not control the deep recesses of the CIA, NSA, Pentagon, or military establishment. It is the other way round. This regime will bring into being conditions which the cult of MAGA — riding on the euphoria of the mass deportation of foreigners, unconditional support of Israel, and outlawing the trappings of ‘wokeness’ — has not even imagined. For their beloved regime (because of the illusion of democracy) can only ever contribute to the kind of world conditions which will aid apostasy and lead to the eventual revealing of the Antichrist (who I can assure you will NOT be Donald Trump, as many are claiming! And which I wrote about here: https://diakrisis-project.com/2025/03/14/deconstructing-the-man-of-lawlessness-proofs-that-donald-trump-is-not-the-antichrist/ ).

Now, more than ever, disciples of Christ need to be hyper-watchful, deeply discerning, immune to deception, and faithful to the commands of Christ as mentioned in the great commission rather than being blindly ardent devotees of a corrupt, distractionist political regime.

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2025
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]

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