Folks, this isn’t politics. In our firecracker, hyper-sensitive, reactive/radioactive, hostile, everyone-is-an-enemy culture, it is nearly impossible to talk about a politician without it being viewed as a partisan rant/attack/character assassination. This is too bad, especially when our politicians hold absolutely no qualms about passing themselves off as experts in fields they have never studied, (and YouTube proves), never come close to understanding. Should we look to the three branches of our government to legislate, adjudicate, regulate, and protect the fundamental rights of a republic trying to pass itself off as a democracy? Yes, this is what they are designed for, and this is what we elect people to provide for us. Should members of these functionary positions tell us what to believe, what is moral, what is ethical, what is medically reliable, what is genetically relevant, what is the best way to treat a virus, and if we should all think it is okay to shoot people we don’t like? No, and we must reject the role thrust upon us of credulous sheep listening to the vile verbal bowel movements of pseudo-scientists, pseudo-Christians, pseudo-ethicists, pseudo-academics, pseudo-celebrities, who are nothing more than gas pains in a compromised digestive system. Let’s let politicians be politicians, remembering that these are not wolves in sheep’s clothing, but clueless and misdirected sheep dressed up as wolves.

Here is my completely non-politically motivated critical attack on Donald Trump. As difficult as it might be, erase the notions of democrat and republican, progressive and traditional, liberal and conservative from the screen. This is a theological rant pure and simple. Here is my gripe: Donald J. Trump in absolutely no way, in no regard, in no worldview, in no reality, by no measure is anything like Jesus Christ. The so-called “persecution” of a rapist, misogynistic, hate-rhetoric spreading, lying, indicted, convicted fraud is not easily identified in the gospels. Oh, certainly, Jesus the Christ forgave people for their crimes and breaches of common decency, but a genital-grabbing, insult-spewing, anger-fostering opponent of the Sermon on the Mount and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, but he was not a poster child himself for such behaviors. If we wish to insert any of our politicians in the position of the demon possessed, the evilly intended, the violent, and the hypocritical, that works pretty well. Comparing them to Christ? No, not so much.

This is not about personality; it is about character. We vote not just for individuals but who they are and what they represent. Sadly, we don’t really have many options of candidates whose faith grounds their values. To love enemies, to lay down arms, to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, to welcome the refugee and the immigrant, to make sure the sick are cared for regardless of social status or background, to be meek, and just, and kind, and forgiving. These are just a handful of the standards to which we should be holding our political leaders. So-called Evangelicals who say none of what Trump says or does matters to them have abdicated their faith for folly. One of my colleagues told me during the last election cycle, “I would definitely NEVER want Donald Trump to teach a Sunday school class, but president of the United States? I have no problem with that.”

See, this isn’t even about politics. Anyone who compares themselves to Jesus Christ had better be able to provide some substantial and compelling evidence. Holding a Bible upside down during a police-state response to public protest is not a good image. Telling people that our courts are doing exactly the same thing to them that was done to Jesus Christ is nothing short of sacrilege. Hawking a $60 dollar Bible — “The God Bless The USA Bible – at $59.99 – includes the U.S. Constitution, the amendments that make up the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and a “handwritten chorus” to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA.” – to help pay legal fees in cases where the verdict has already been found against the accused, should make every disciple of Jesus Christ cry out in protest.

It is so unfortunate that this is Trump because as a culture we cannot discuss the man apart from his myth, his stature, his achievement, and his transgressions. No other former president holds or held such media visibility and hegemony. There is virtually no neutral way to discuss how lying, sexual misconduct, divorce, gambling, financial fraud, bigotry, treason, pandering to big business, denial of individual rights (reproductive, identity, security) and punishing the poor and marginalized have become hallmarks of Christianity in the United States without talking about Donald Trump.

From an objective level, this says so much more about our country and our culture than it does about any one individual. Donald Trump has merely done, and continues to do, so many things condemned by our scripture writers and God’s own Son; it is the American public that allows it, including incredibly and indefensibly, a significant part of conservative Christianity. We are the ones who have created this bog. Politicians promising to drain the swamp have wallowed in the filth and stench, then told us it isn’t them benefiting from the miasma, but a “deep state” conspiracy (of a government that cannot even monitor the abusive behavior in their own ranks, narrowly averting shutdown again and again) trying to destroy what the “Founding Fathers” intended.

Continuously wrapping all rhetoric in political posturing and positioning makes it difficult to talk about any topic in clear, objective, concise, verifiable, and easily understandable terms. For Christians, our standards are not political, but spiritual. We exist as the body of Christ to take care of each other. Mercy, justice, compassion, peace, and reconciliation are our stock in trade. These things are why we are here, and collectively Christians work toward a reality on earth that closely resembles the kingdom of God, where every tear is wiped away, death is not the final word, where people have food to eat, medical care when needed, are adequately clothed and housed, where refugees and immigrants and asylum seekers can find safe welcome, where we rehabilitate prisoners rather than seek to punish them or put them to death, where we love our enemies. When we do these things, the evidence is clear for all to see – we become a culture of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (according to the Apostle Paul in Galatians). We don’t attack each other. We don’t make fun of each other. We don’t threaten each other. We don’t exploit fear to stir up hate and judgment and violence.

Obviously, I have problems with Donald Trump, and it does impact my politics. But I am a person of faith first and foremost. I cannot support anyone who is antithetical and adversarial to God’s Holy Spirit. Trump is an easy target, but not the real problem – he is merely a symptom. The real problem is my bishop friend who explained it to me this way: “Donald Trump is an awful human being, but a great politician. What this country needs right now is a good politician, not a good man.” I hope and pray that no one is hearing me say “this/these candidates are preferable to Donald Trump.” My deep concerns with the ignorance of, and contemptuous dismissal of, the core values of mercy, justice, peace, grace, hope, love, unity and solidarity extend across all party lines and the large majority of candidates. Am I in favor of a Christian nationalism? Well, no, since it is being framed by everything opposite and unacceptable to the gospel. What I am in favor of is integrity. What I am in favor of is honesty. What I am in favor of is a moral compass reflecting the very best of gospel visioning. What I am in favor of is a Christianity that shapes people rather than a people constantly shaping their faith to meet their own selfish needs.

I will engage with comments about whether our political leaders provide evidence and proof that they are just like Jesus. All the rest can just sit. I’m not interested in a political debate at this time; as I said before, this is theological. This is serious for all people who share in a communion that prays and professes that the Holy Spirit makes us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.