As a staunch conservative, many believe I am a Trump supporter. I am not and did not vote for him. I support many of his policies, however, his persona, behavior, rhetoric and general demeanor are not deserving of the highest office in the greatest nation in the world. More importantly, these bad traits have bled over into the psyche of our country, bringing on divisive tribalism which has significantly contributed to the silos of isolated citizens, refusing or unwilling to have respectful discussions or open minds on important issues. Trump, in my view, has done more damage than good, looking at his overall impact over the last eight years.

I was never, and could never be, in support of either Biden or Harris. In this recent election, even with all the underlying distaste of Trump, the country demonstrated in historic terms how much the Democratic platform has been rejected.

As an Independent (details from 2021 here), I fully understand the need to decide between the “lesser of evils” in a sin-cursed world. However, in this presidential race, in my view, no candidate rose to the level of being acceptable under the “lesser of evils”.

Where We Stand

In his first term, Trump clearly demonstrated his support for the interests of conservative Christians. And, one would expect the same in the next four years. However, this time around there are major differences that hold the potential for massive upheavals within our government, the nation, and the world. Some of these changes could have a positive impact, and others could be disastrous. The following are some of those differences between his first term and his second.

Trump is coming into office with a much better understanding of how the government runs… the ins and outs of politics… who the power brokers are that he will have to deal with, etc.

Trump made some very bad hiring mistakes in his first term. He left some in place, but hired others who he subsequently had to fire because they were undermining his decisions. Finally, he left some in place because they effectively hid their true allegiance.

Trump has had eight-plus years to see who his allies are and who his foes are. So his new cabinet should be more loyal, as will other appointees. He also has garnered some very strong potential operatives to head major parts of his government, such as Musk.

The Supreme Court has perhaps two members very close to retirement. Likely, Trump will have the opportunity to add at least one more conservative to the court during his term.

Both the House and Senate stand to have a strong majority of Republican supporters, and with Tom Cotton wishing to remain in the Senate, Trump will have a strong ally to push his agenda forward. He will not have to pander to either the Democrats or wayward Republicans.

This term, Trump will likely not be distracted by a pandemic and opposition persecution (impeachment, civil suites and general law-fare) to the degree he did during his first term in office.

Finally, Trump’s main objective, knowing he cannot seek a second consecutive term, will be to shake up the system at all costs. His only constraint, to give Vance the ability to run on his coattails, unless Vance becomes a “Pence” at some point, in which case, no restraint.

As Trump supporters bask in the glow of the shackles being released for of all that can be accomplished over the next four years, consider a quote in 1877 often attributed to Lord Action (details here):

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

In point of fact, the actual quote was originally offered by an English politician, William Pitt, the former Prime Minister of England sometime around 1750. He announced in the parliament that, “Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it.”

Where Are We Going

These next few years will be historic; as the majority of America seems to be lined up in one direction → Trump.

• The Electoral College in excess of the 270 needed to win (currently at 295).
• The Popular vote of over 73 million vs. Harris at 68.
• The House and Senate under Republican control.
• An already conservative Supreme Court is set to potentially pick up one or two new conservative members.
• Trump’s new appointees will be aggressive and supportive of massive change (for example, Musk and Kennedy).

At the same time, the world is in upheaval while we are in a weakened state as a nation. This reality further presses power into the hands of a single individual as president.

• Our main adversaries – China, Russia, North Korea, Iran,
• Global hot spots – Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, etc.
• We are a weakened nation with a depleted military in woke disarray.
• Our border is porous, and our populace is resisting assimilation with its recent influx of illegal immigrants.
• American has a massive debt amounting to $273k per taxpayer (details here).

We Are at a Crossroads from a Biblical Christian Worldview

Will Trump continue on a path that supports Christian values? Will his unrestrained rhetoric and largely unchallenged power lead America out of its present issues of divisiveness, inflation, immigration, military weakness, gender confusion, etc. or will he instead inflame some of these issues? Is the world ready for a “Make America Great Again” slogan or are our enemies going to test Trump’s resolve? And, if so, how will he, fully in control, respond?

President-elect Donald Trump has been given a mandate to implement his desired changes with an historically clear path to do so. How he implements that power remains to be seen. As Biblical Christians breathe a sigh of relief, we need to keep our lamps full of oil (Matthew 25:1-13), we need to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). We need to be ready for whatever happens (Matthew 24:24).

POSTSCRIPT: Here (post link) is an earlier post that is a transcription of Trump’s response to the question, “What is your relationship with God and prayer,” by Fox News.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words

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