Politics is an ever-going rollercoaster, and even your political nerds of the world can’t even begin to learn everything that happens in them in one day, much less a whole week. However, with this mass of stories each day comes the inevitability of forgetfulness in the medium. Gone are the days of “infamy” that persisted in newspaper headlines for weeks on end, and in are the days of a pseudo-infinite field of stories to read and be forcibly moved to another on a whim. But one man has been able to seemingly conquer this wave of stories, and that man is Donald Trump.
As the political campaign really begins and a summer of confusion and excitement and horror and amazement has gone by, it’s easy to forget a lot of the stories that occurred. From Biden’s debate performance sending an earthquake through the Democratic Party to Donald Trump surviving an assassination attempt and Biden dropping out leading to the surprising rise in popularity of Vice President Kamala Harris, it’s easy to understand how one could forget many other stories that seem miniscule in comparison from this campaign. However, one story many people may have forgotten regarding the former President is where I would like to shine a light: the “Trump Bible.”
In late March of this year, the Presidential hopeful went to X (formerly Twitter) to tweet about new merchandise he was releasing. Instead of being an item of clothing or memorabilia, he announced the release of the “God Bless the U.S.A. Bible,” a King James version of scripture that included not only texts of the scripture, but the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and it could be yours for just $60. While most of his critics spoke harshly of the move like many of his actions, most simply understood this as a political tactic and moved on.
This passage is not to criticize the Republican nominee, since using scripture for political clout is not something Trump started. For many politicians over the decades, the Bible has not been used as a book of morals and stories to apply to their roles as leaders but instead has been used as a long-lasting campaign move to “out Jesus” their opponent. Politicians no longer live by scripture but, instead, wear it as a pin on clothing for all to see.
Is your race for office neck-and-neck? Claim that your opponent is ungodly. Want to boost morale for your candidacy and political party? Make sure to pray at every stop and quote a line of scripture in your speeches. Politicians have used the facts of scripture for Christians and turned it into a political talking point to peddle whatever political movement is going on that election cycle, and millions of Christians have allowed it.
In an era of divisiveness in our political landscape, we have allowed scripture to be thrown in as ammunition for the war of politics instead of allowing it to be what it is: the document that could end the war. In a time where Christian persecution abroad is prolific and where, even in the free world, the faith is in a significant decline, many believers are left wondering what happened. Most fail to realize the missing line between our religious values and political beliefs that we sacrificed to the most secular and worldly people.
I can understand how religion slipped into people’s political beliefs, especially as the world becomes more complex. I also recognize that politics is a very important part of society, but politics in its very nature is divisive. It is an art that consists of men and women coming together, all with different ideas, who have to find the fine circle that connects the many ideas together. Scripture is supposed to be different from that.
Scripture is not writings of opinions wrestling to find the same ground. Instead, it is the writings of a guide higher than all, who, despite this, loves all. Christ did not suffer for a single political party, figure or political point, but instead died so he could overcome death and in the process, forgive us all of our sins.
While many study politics, including myself, it is important to never put it above or even on the same level as faith. I disagree heavily with many people, and especially many politicians. However, despite this it is important to always see them as people. Just as Christ died for us, Christ also died for politicians just the same.
It is the author’s belief that, in a time of much division and growing partisanship in the country, Christians should not use scripture for their political battle. Instead, it should be viewed as a prime time for Christianity to become independent from politics once again. It is time to try to mend the divide instead of perpetuating the hate of man-made lines.
Photo courtesy of The State Press Politics.
