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Letter to the Editor: Poor Advice

I read credible reports last week that evangelical preachers in the U.S. are urging their parishioners to support the president in his hour of need because he is doing God’s work. In light of Trump’s claim, also last week, that he is infallible, I find it necessary as a citizen and a former student of the Bible to speak against such advice. 

We have an elected president in the U.S., not a king with a so-called divine right to his or her office or a direct pipeline to any divinity. Instead, s/he pledges to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution.

In the 18th century, our revolution was fought against the British king. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written to protect us against such rule. The Constitution is remarkably brief and takes less than an hour to read with all 26 amendments. I ask anyone who is advised to give unqualified support to a president to read Article II, Section 1-6 and Section 4, where provisions are made for removing a president from office and impeachment. The framers knew that all people are fallible. 

The preachers in question also seem to have missed the long-term American desire for separation between church and state, and their notion of what it means to do God’s work seems remarkably non-Biblical. The New Testament gives ample evidence of such work, and Christianity has for 2,000 years held Jesus as its model. It seems painfully clear to me that Trump resembles King Herod – the man who signed the order for execution – far better than he resembles Jesus. The New Testament takes way longer than an hour to read, but I recommend doing so nonetheless. The contrast between Trump and Jesus is particularly clear in Matthew 5:3, 5, 7, 9, 28, 44; 6:24; 7:9, 12. 

Estella Lauter

Fish Creek, Wisconsin