America’s Pharisee Max Lucado and Trump
© 2016 Hadassah Shabnam Lal
As “Super Tuesday” in the American elections approaches, America is becoming increasingly ‘polarized’ particularly amongst Evangelicals, and other Christian voters. The candidate that is the subject of much division is the GOP frontrunner Mr. Donald J. Trump, as self-made American businessman and Patriot, who also happens to be outspoken and fearless.
The most recent attack on Mr. Trump came from a well-known Christian author, writer and preacher named Max Lucado at Oak Hills Church from San Antonio. According to Lucado, Trump does not pass the decency test.
While the line of people standing with Mr. Trump appears to be getting longer, and his supporters continue to grow, there is no shortage of people lining up to take potshots at Mr. Trump and ride his coattails to gain their share of the spotlight in America’s political scene.
As a 4th generation Christian from Pakistan I am appalled at Mr. Lucado’s comments. Last time I looked, Mr. Lucado is neither God Jr. nor God. He has made millions from his 32 books and has a net worth of $10 million, which by the way is a paltry sum compared to Mr. Trump’s of $8 billion dollars as of June 30, 2014. However, the difference is how that money was acquired. Mr. Lucado acquired his wealth by feeding on the spiritual needs and hungers of people, and in short, prostituting of the Gospel. Mr. Trump on the other hand, has acquired his wealth through, building, buying, wise business decisions, and investments, not to mention the thousands of jobs he has created in America and overseas. Mr. Lucado has made his millions on the weakness and needs of people who are hurting, while Mr. Trump has made his billions by strengthening the economy and empowering people with jobs.
Mr. Lucado is the true epitome of the Pharisees and the Pharisee spirit that is afflicting America today. He stands in his pulpit, casting stones at Mr. Trump while acting as a self-righteous cad.
Why was Mr. Trump singled out? Because he tells, it like it is. Alternatively, because he does not utilize flowery bull crap like the other candidates? I noticed in his self-righteous attack at Mr. Trump and about self-restraint of the tongue etc. Mr. Lucado even went so far as to score “Brownie Points” with President Obama, by saying he appreciates the manner in which he has maintained the comportment of the office. I don’t know which Ivory Tower Mr. Lucado lives in while casting his verbal stones at someone who he deems inferior to himself, but I do know this.
Obama is a disgrace to America, he is the most biblically hostile President in American history, and Lucado is kissing his feet? This is the same President whose immigration policies and enforcements have forced America’s benevolent Christian Homeless shelters to house displaced Muslim Syrian refugees who are so troublesome that their own governments don’t even want them. I know of two instances in which Middle-Eastern refugees came in through the Mexican border with false papers. Currently, one of these self-funded Homeless Shelters for men is housing 20 Middle Easterners who laughed and made fun, when the “Passion of the Christ” was shown. They have demanded the same Christian Shelter to provide a separate prayer area so they can worship their Allah who sanctions murder, rape, pedophilia and death of anyone who does not acquiesce to their brand of religious hatred. These are the people that Mr. Trump wants to stop, and Obama has enabled to squirm into our cities with his liberal policies and agenda. Shame on you Mr. Lucado for kissing the feet of a man, who for all intense purposes has proven himself to be the archenemy of America. In your comments, who went so far as to compliment Obama? Whose side are you on, and what kind of a Christian are you? Do you not know that our nation was founded upon the Jude-Christian principles of the Bible? This brings me to my next point.
Grace for the Moment by Lucado
I just happen to have Mr. Lucado’s devotional book, which was on special for $5.00 at Family Christian. As I opened it, I realize now that Mr. Lucado is a hypocrite as well.
I will cite three examples of his devotionals.
Packed for a Purpose. “He has filled them with skill. Exodus. 35:35. He elaborates on the importance of how “you were born prepacked. God looked at your entire life, determined your assignment, and gave you the tools to do the job. Well, considering Lucado’s criticism of Mr. Trump, and his holier than thou attitude, did he ever stop to consider that God did not feel it necessary to consult him, when he created Mr. Trump and laid out his path in life? Not everyone is a smooth talking individual whose words “drip with honey” as did Obama’s words of Hope and Change. Well America, Hope came and went, and Change never came.
Know Your Knack
Lucado quotes from the Message Bible “Make careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Gal. 6:4.
God never prefabs or mass-produces people. No slapdash shaping. “I make all things new,” he declares (Rev. 21:5). He didn’t hand you your grandad’s bag or your aunt’s life; he personally and deliberately packed you…you can do something no one else can do in a fashion no one else can do it. Exploring and extracting your uniqueness excites you, honors God, and expands his kingdom. So “make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.” Discover and deploy your knacks… When you do the most what you do the best, you put a smile on God’s face. What could be better than that?
Well Mr. Lucado, was this written to some person out there? Someone from whom you could extract money? They buy your book? Help make you $10 million dollars richer? It appears to me that Mr. Trump has done exactly that, and with wisdom, tenacity, hard work and even some failures and setbacks, he has amassed wealth, put thousands to work, managed to keep his children on his side through divorces (is a Christian perfect?) I believe that Mr. Trump has done precisely that and more, and now he is willing to risk it all for the sake of his country, he certainly doesn’t need the money, or the risk. What are you willing to risk? Sit in your ivory tower and throw stones, well Mr. Trump has come out of his Gold Tower, and is tirelessly flying all over the country to campaign to restore some pride to Old Glory and America.
I’m glad that Mr. Lucado preaches that Love Accepts All Things, but he himself wants a smooth talking, perfectly speaking individual like himself. He speaks of love being so not so easy, and not being painless and peaceful, yet he is not affording that to others. He is in his Ivory Tower, but grossly out of touch with those of us Americans. We Christian Americans are tired of the promises, rhetoric, economic woes, and lack of security for our children, and their children, our arms being taken away, our rights as Christians being trodden upon, we are tired. At least Mr. Trump has made an effort to study what has crippled America so much, and is proposing some solutions.
It is Mr. Lucado who is filled with a lot of Christianese terms and rhetoric but does not practice what he preaches, but hey, at least he has made $10 million doing so. Moreover, I conclude with his devotional regarding work.
Our Work is God’s Work
“Jesus got into one of the boats, …that belonged to [Peter}, and asked him to push off a little form the land. Luke. 5:3. Jesus claims Peter’s boat. He doesn’t request use of it. Christ doesn’t fill out an application or ask permission; he simply boards the boat and begins to preach. All boats belong to Christ. Your boat is where you spend your day, make your living, and to a large degree live your life. Perhaps Mr. Trumps boat is his fleet of cars, a private jet, helicopters, and the plethora of Towers, and other businesses that he has built worldwide employing thousands, who are you to say? Maybe in this season, God is calling Mr. Trump to be a Trump. To express the anger of the American people with a system that has repeatedly let them down, politicians who are nothing short of liars/lawyer. These very people who have allowed the murders of thousands, the maiming of thousands of troops, and continue to cut away at the benefits they need not to mention endangering the lives of Americans by infiltration of illegal refugees. Maybe, just maybe Trump is what America needs, and not another Metro sexual, pro-Islamic, Anti-American not to mention the most biblically hostile President who is hell bent on the destruction of America. Well at least his speech is descent. I also believe that Mr. Lucado needs to revisit the definition of the word “Grace.” I believe that if Mr. Lucado claims to be a Christian, then he should apologize to Mr. Trump for his behavior as a self-righteous judgmental Pharisee.
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