I noticed a couple of things in today’s roundup:
- Only a few MAGA evangelicals I cover are saying positive things about the pick of Matt Gaetz as attorney general: Eric Metaxas, Gary Bauer, and Charlie Kirk. Everyone else is silent. None of the MAGA evangelicals are opposing the pick. They just remain silent.
- Some MAGA evangelicals seem more excited that Trump’s picks are getting liberals and progressives upset than the quality and character of the actual nominations.
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Jackson Posey, a writer for the Baylor Lariat, encourages his fellow students not to be anxious about the election results. Here is a taste:
Donald Trump is soon to be sworn in again as president of the U.S. That decision by the electorate may have temporary repercussions in gas prices, immigration or international affairs. But for Christians, who are citizens of another kingdom, the ultimate government has not changed. āThe Lord sits enthroned over the flood,ā the Psalmist writes. āThe Lord sits enthroned as king forever.ā
That assurance in the things unseen allows us to breathe deeply. To trust that, whether the next four years bring harvest or famine, sunshine or rain, God is still on the throne. He always has been and always will be. And every time we find anxiety prowling in the corner, we can return to that promise. We can rest in Godās faithfulness to always follow through.
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Over at The Christian Post, Michael Brown thinks it is possible that the MAGA prophets who said Trump would be re-elected in 2020 just misunderstood what God meant. Here is a taste:
You might say, āBut what if God did show these prophets that Trump would be reelected, but they just misinterpreted what they saw?ā
Thatās actually a valid question, and itās in keeping with biblical prophecy, in which the prophets did not always understand the timing of the revelations they received.
As Peter wrote, āConcerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven. Even angels long to look into these thingsā (1 Peter 1:10ā13).
Thatās why we have no business setting dates and putting time frames on prophetic words we claim to receive unless God Himself gives us those dates.
Given that the whole story of Trumpās reelection is almost impossible to believe ā whether youāre for him or against, it seems almost miraculous ā I have no problem believing that God showed people in 2020 that he would serve two terms.
If He did, the failure was in speaking prematurely and giving false hopes and expectations, rather than praying secretly for Godās will to come to pass based on prophecies received. It would also have been fine if they had said, āGod showed me Trump will serve two terms, but I have no idea if theyāll be consecutive or not.ā Today, weād be shaking our heads and marveling.
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The Gospel Coalition sees wins and losses for the pro-life movement. Here is a taste of Sara Eekhoff Zylstra’s piece:
…It was harder to tell how the pro-life movement did. Three states that voted for Kamala Harris also voted to amend their constitutions to protect abortion, as you might expect. Two states that voted for Donald Trump rejected measures to expand abortion. One state that voted for TrumpāNebraskaāvoted to keep the current 12-week ban and not to legalize through viability.
And four states that voted for TrumpāArizona, Missouri, Montana, and Nevadaāalso chose to expand or maintain access to abortion, though Nevada needs another vote in 2026 before it takes effect. Missouri had the smallest passing margin of the nightā51.6 percent to 48.4 percentāand was the toughest pro-life loss, erasing all restrictions the state had put in place during the Roe years.
Those disappointing losses suggest a further decoupling of pro-life issues from Republican values. This summer, the GOP rewrote its platform. For the first time in 40 years, it didnāt affirm that āthe unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.ā Instead, Republicans wrote that āstates are, therefore, free to pass laws protecting those Rights.ā
āThatās the platform that just won,ā said Care Net CEO Roland Warren. āHereās the problem: itās going to be incredibly difficult to get Republicans to go back to the old position.ā
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Russell Moore offers evangelicals some advice on how to get through the next four years. Here is a taste of his piece at Christianity Today:
The stakes are too high for us to see our country as a reality television show. You canāt opt out of the country, but you can opt out of the show. In some ways, you get there by subtraction. Donāt rely on social media for your news, for instance. Donāt fall into the trap of every-ten-minute hits of dopamine about how your side is losing something or winning something.
But maybe an even more important factor is not subtraction but addition. You are meant to have a life of drama and adventure and excitement. Politicsāof the left, right, or centerācanāt deliver it. News cycles canāt replicate it.
For those of us who are Christians, we already have it. We need no Jungian heroās journey. We are joined to the life of Jesus of Nazareth. His story is our story. Our lives are hidden in him (Col. 3:3). We are crucified under Pontius Pilate. We are raised out of the grave. We are seated at the right hand of the Father.
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Let’s see what is going on at X:
Some evangelicals love the pick of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense:
Charlie and the “next AG” will be at a megachurch near you this weekend:
Charlie believes Gaetz will “fix it”:
I am assuming here that Kenneth Copeland is casting non-Trump voters to hell:
Apparently women in combat is not biblical:
Denny Burk appears to agree:
Charlie likes the Hegseth pic because the current Secretary of Defense is overweight and is a “DEI pick”:
Christianity Today podcaster Mike Cosper is a never-Gaetzer:
Esau McCalley seems pretty optimistic that the Trump administration will do something “humane and just”:
“Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better” (And how much longer is Trump going to share the spotlight with Musk?):
Justin Giboney offers a simple response to Trump’s pick of Matt Gaetz:
The president of Biola University is proud of John Thune:
Ed Stetzer is also happy with the new Senate Majority Leader:
This Southern Baptist theobro likes the pick of Rubio because he will not fly Pride flags at U.S. embassies:
“The plan is coming together nicely.” Care to elaborate Andrew?
“I really don’t mean this for the sake of opposition defiance.” I wonder if he is on board with Gaetz?:
Andrew with another quote from Kevin Roberts of the Heritage Foundation of Project 2025 fame. Perhaps this is what he means by the plan coming together nicely:
Owen makes a case against women in combat:
Franklin likes the pick of Tulsi Gabbard. No word yet on Gaetz:
“Four more years for the church to turn around.” The new Christian calendar is now geared to Trump’s term in office:
God places Trump in office:
Gary Bauer likes the pick of Gaetz as AG:
Rubio makes people nervous:
Jeffress likes the Hegseth pick:
God bless America!:
The mainstream media is the devil:
Is Eric lobbying to be press secretary?:
Praise the Lord for an accused sex trafficker:
Hegseth’s great, but owning the libs is better:
Indeed they do, David. Indeed they do:
Christian Zionist Joel Rosenberg is happy with the Rubio pick:
Mike Huckabee on Israel:
Thanks to Emma Bell for her assistance with this roundup