Tag: president
Pastor Says it is “Bordering on Heresy” to Pray for the President?
Posted on August 10, 2017 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom, Theology by Nathan Cherry
These comments were made on an MSNBC show by the pastor and NAACP leader much to the surprise of many that saw the photo as something to be encouraged by. After all, many presidents in history have asked for prayer for wisdom and courage during their time as president. Apparently Barber is not one of those that is encouraged.
I’m trying to figure out why a “pastor” is so vocally opposed to the world’s most powerful leader being prayed over by faith leaders. What could possibly be so offensive to a “pastor” about our president seeking and receiving spiritual direction? What am I missing about this image of the President of the United States and his Vice President seeking prayer and wisdom from God that is so problematic?
President Trump Starts Strong by Supporting Life and the Mexico City Policy
Posted on February 8, 2017 in Life, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
One of the very first actions of President Trump surprised me, in a good way. If more actions like this follow I am very hopeful for the unborn in our country.
I will admit that I am cautiously optimistic concerning the “pro-life” claims of President Trump. He has supported abortion in various ways throughout his lifetime and never been considered a pro-life advocate. So when he claimed, on the campaign trail, to be pro-life, I was skeptical.
But you know what they say: actions speak louder than words.
Within the first few hours of his administration, President Trump reinstated the Mexico City policy, much to my surprised and the delight of many pro-life Americans. In case you are not familiar with this policy, it is a policy that prohibits the federal government from sending any taxpayer money to a foreign organization that performs abortions. In other words, not one penny of your hard-earned money, or mine, will be used to perform abortions overseas.
Elections Have Consequences – Just Ask Unborn Children in Texas
Posted on July 6, 2016 in Life by Nathan Cherry
If you don’t think elections have consequences you haven’t been paying attention for the past 8 years. If you think the upcoming election won’t have consequences, you simply have no grasp on our current cultural position.
The most pro-abortion president in American history has had 8 years in the White House. His tenure has produced two staunch abortion advocates on the Supreme Court. With these allies firmly in place for the rest of their lives the high court of our country currently stands firmly with the abortion industry. That realty has had a devastating effect on the efforts of individual states to pass common sense laws to protect women and unborn children from the barbarism of abortion.
The most recent setback to efforts of pro-life advocates came from the Supreme Court ruling in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case. The court decided that requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges to local hospitals and requiring abortion clinics to adhere to the same building standards as ambulatory surgical centers were unconstitutional and “not medically necessary.”
To break this down, which will help understand the absurdity of the pro-abortion position and the court’s ruling, let’s make sure we understand exactly what these two laws were seeking to accomplish.
VIDEO: When People See Abortion They Change Their Mind About Supporting Abortion
Posted on June 21, 2016 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The video below has been circulating social media for a couple of weeks now. The video shows people being asked if they are pro-choice or pro-life. When they answer that they are pro-choice, they are shown a video of what a typical first trimester abortion looks like. Their reactions are recorded as they watch the video. Once the video is finished they are asked if their opinions have changed concerning abortion.
Everyone changes their mind.
Years ago Fr. Frank Pavone said “America won’t reject abortion until it sees abortion.” Maybe he knew how preceisely accurate his words were, maybe not. But watching this video makes it clear that many people simply don’t understand just how human the unborn are, and what terrible torture abortion really is.
I hope this video continues to circulate social media and that many more minds will be changed because of it. There is no doubt that more people are pro-life today than ever before. We need to continue to educate people on the atrocity of abortion and reject the culture of death that Planned Parenthood and its partners want us to accept.
And, let’s not forget the unborn when we vote for a president in November.
Most Evangelical Voters Won’t Vote for Trump. Here’s Why That Is Good and Scary
Posted on June 8, 2016 in Uncategorized by Nathan Cherry
For the first time in several election cycles, and certainly in my lifetime, there is no clear choice for evangelical voters in the upcoming presidential election.
I’m going to lay all my cards on the table and say what I think has been going on, and what will happen in November if Trump and Clinton are the nominees.
To this point I think there has been a deliberate effort to prop Trump up as the presumptive nominee for Republicans. The media has done a fantastic job of propping Trump up by giving him far more coverage than any other candidate; when there were more candidates in the race. When you look at some of the outlandish things Trump has said it is hard to believe he is still in the race. That is, unless that was the plan all along.
What is this was the goal: to make Trump the nominee over all the other serious candidates. Standing next to Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio, Trump is a caricature that is hard to take seriously. And somehow, he ended up as the last man standing. And while some would have us believe that Trump can beat Clinton, I think that is a serious error in judgment.
Why would the media pay so much attention to a caricature like Trump?
Reason #1 for Not Supporting Donald Trump: He is Clueless About Religious Freedom
Posted on May 17, 2016 in Public Policy, Religious Freedom by Nathan Cherry
It seems Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential election. While many are extremely happy about that possibility, I am more concerned than ever about the future of our country.
First of all, let me say that I believe God is alive and well and continuing to be sovereign over all that takes place. As the Bible clearly indicates, God uses rulers (presidents) to bless and to punish nations. How Donald Trump will be used by God should he become president is not for me to prophesy about; I’ll leave that in God’s hands.
However, statements by Trump from a few months ago give me little reason to be excited by his nomination and possible presidency.
It was reported a few months ago that Trump wanted a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” until elected officials can “figure out what is going on.”
Trump went on to say that he would like to stop all Muslims from entering the country
The Evangelical Theology of Donald Trump…or…Lack Thereof.
Posted on April 20, 2016 in Public Policy, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I’ve written several times about the concerning reality that any self-identified “evangelicals” are supporting Donald Trump for president. This curious truth says less about Trump and more about the people supporting him; especially the theology of those people.
Michael Horton is a brilliant scholar of biblical theology. He is a professor and author whose books are often used as text books in many college classes. Horton has penned an article analyzing the connection between Trump and his Christian following. In particular Horton highlights the theological implications behind the strong support for Trump from America’s believers.
After sharing a brief history of the shallow extent of Trumps religious upbringing in a controversial church setting, Horton recounts the support from well-known evangelical sources:
Is Voting for “The Lesser of Two Evils” a Biblical Position for Christians?
Posted on March 23, 2016 in Public Policy, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Is it appropriate for Christians to vote for the “lesser of two evils” in an election where there is not a good candidate?
I was in a discussion with some friends recently in which the question was raised of who Christians should vote for if the candidate choices were Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. On one hand, Clinton is pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality and same-sex “marriage” and pro- many other things that Christians oppose. She is not a fit candidate for any Christian to support.
But on the other hand is Donald Trump. Trump claims to be a Christian but says he has never asked God for forgiveness and doesn’t need to, he is belligerent, insulting, and proud of his own sins. His brand of “Christian” is false and has the potential to drive people away from Jesus rather than to Him. Overall he is not an expression of Christianity or an example of Christ that a Christian should endorse.
The conversation turned to the idea of voting for the “lesser of two evils” and it was quickly decided that Trump is that choice. This bothered me. I knew I could not vote for Trump just because he was a little less “evil” than Clinton but I wasn’t sure how to articulate why. Then I read an article by Dr. Albert Mohler on the subject and it made perfect sense.
If You’re a Christian and Supporting Donald Trump: Read This
Posted on March 2, 2016 in Public Policy, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I liked watching the Celebrity Apprentice. I thought it was fun to watch these celebrities get told off by Donald Trump because I was pretty sure most of them hated him and would be the first to break a bottle over his head in a bar fight. So of course it made for entertaining television; come on, you were just as intrigued by Dennis Rodman as I was.
However, watching Trump rise politically has been the most confusing and bewildering experience. How can a man say the things Trump says and still be in the race? I’ve seen local politicians be mercilessly attacked and forced from office for less. (I have a theory that the media secretly wants Trump elected, but I’ll save that for another time.)
I’ve been voting for many years and am generally enthused in some way to go to the polls and cast my vote. However, my biggest fear is that when I step into that ballot box in 2016 that I will be faced with the choice between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders for President. If that is the choice we may see more write-in ballots this year than any election in history. (Don’t be afraid to write my name in there, I’ll go to Washington for you.)
The reason I say this article is for Christians supporting Trump is two-fold: