The Not So Political Protestant Podcast

In this article, we examine a growing tension within modern Christianity:Can believers faithfully follow Christ's commands while praying for the destruction of their enemies?As political and cultural conflicts intensify, many Christians are revisiting Old Testament prayers of judgment and asking whether those prayers are appropriate today. But how do those passages align with the clear commands of Jesus to love, pray for, and forgive our enemies?This piece walks through that tension by exploring:- The difference between Old Testament descriptive events and New Testament prescriptive commands - Why Israel’s wars and imprecatory prayers are not a direct model for Christian behavior - How the story of Israel functions as a type and shadow of the individual Christian life - The New Testament’s consistent teaching that our true battle is spiritual, not physical- What biblical love in 1 Corinthians 13 reveals about how we should view our enemies- Why praying for the destruction of our enemies contradicts both Christ’s commands and God’s revealed characterKey QuestionCan a Christian truly love their enemies while also praying for their death?Central ConclusionA Christian cannot faithfully do both.To pray for the destruction of our enemies is not an act of righteousness—it is a misunderstanding of both the nature of love and the mission of the Gospel. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode/article, Lee examines the message presented at the Charlie Kirk memorial and the widespread claim that it was a revival moment for the church.While many celebrated the renewed attention on Jesus and the gospel, this piece asks a critical question: Which gospel was actually proclaimed?Lee breaks down the tension between two competing messages—one rooted in the biblical call to repentance, grace, and sacrificial love, and another shaped by political identity, vengeance, and power.This episode challenges believers to: Discern between the true gospel and a distorted version of it Examine whether political influence has reshaped their understanding of Christ Reflect on how mixed messages can impact those seeking truthIt also offers a pastoral word to those who felt excluded or harmed by what they heard, pointing them back to the true message of Jesus.Key Themes The danger of mixing the gospel with politics “Two gospels” | grace vs power The importance of doctrinal clarity The difference between revival and emotional response A call to repentance within the churchKey QuestionWhich gospel are we placing first—and which Jesus are we pointing people to?Call to ActionIf this message challenged or encouraged you, consider sharing it with someone who needs clarity on this issue.Subscribe for more content focused on keeping the gospel central in a politically divided culture. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

🎙️ Cyrus or Nebuchadnezzar? What Kind of Leader Are We Following?What if the question isn’t whether God raised Donald Trump up… but why?In this episode, we examine the growing claim that Donald Trump is a modern-day Cyrus—and challenge it by looking at two biblical rulers God used for very different purposes: Cyrus (restoration) and Nebuchadnezzar (judgment).Scripture shows that God raises leaders both to bless and to judge. So how can we tell the difference?By their character.We walk through the defining traits of each king—justice, mercy, and humility versus pride, power, and self-exaltation—and apply that framework to what we’re seeing today. But this conversation goes deeper than politics.It confronts a harder truth:What if the real issue isn’t the leader… but the Church?🔑 In This Episode: The difference between leaders raised for blessing vs. judgment Why character—not claims—reveals God’s purpose How political Christianity has reshaped the Church’s mission The danger of elevating political power over the gospel A call back to Micah 6:8 and 2 Chronicles 7:14📖 Scripture Referenced:Daniel 2:21 | Proverbs 21:1 | Isaiah 44:28 | Micah 6:8 | Philippians 2:7–8 | 2 Chronicles 7:14🎯 Call to Action:Examine where your allegiance truly lies.Is it in a political leader—or in Christ?Because it’s not who sits behind the desk that matters…it’s who sits on the throne of your heart. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

Hey guys, it’s Lee. Thanks for stopping by The Not So Political Protestant, a publication dedicated to correcting the course of the American church in regard to politics and its place in the lives of Christians. The Not So Political Protestant is here to call God’s people back to sanity and repentance because, as citizens of another world, we should live KINGDOM FIRST—COUNTRY SECOND.Now without further ado, let’s get into today’s podcast.I posted a question yesterday—What words and commands of Jesus is the MAGA movement fighting for? Since MAGA is so passionate about the gospel these days, one would think I would have gotten a flood of responses with verses and examples of Jesus’ words they are passionate about.I did not.I received only three comments:* One said: “school prayer, anti-trans, and the fight against Christian persecution.”* Another tried to play gotcha by saying “theology based only on the words of Jesus is dangerous.”* The third, also attempting a gotcha moment said: “Jesus is the Word; therefore all of the Bible is Jesus’ words.”However, when pressed, not a single one provided any words of Jesus from the gospels which the MAGA movement is passionate about. The only one who responded further told me he doesn’t like to give “boxed answers.”We must ask ourselves why this is. Why would they not proudly post examples of the words of Jesus they stand for? Sadly, the answer is because they don’t fight for the words of Jesus. That is, unless they appear to support their agenda.The few verses from the gospels I do hear proclaimed by MAGA Christians are generally those that align with a militant Christianity narrative such as:* “I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34)* The flipping of the tables in the temple (Matthew 21:12–13)* Jesus telling His disciples to go “Buy a sword” (Luke 22:36)* The overarching call to repent or perishOccasionally I will see verses used to rebuke critics like myself who speak out against the movement such as:* “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7)* Jesus’ “mote in the eye” rebuke (Matthew 7:3)Other than these, I cannot think of a single verse from the gospels that MAGA is passionate about. If I’m missing anything, please let me know. But no one can deny that the words of Jesus are not the bulk of their message and are largely missing from it.Think of how excited they were when the gospel was spoken at Charlie Kirk’s memorial. They flooded social media proclaiming a “great revival.” They celebrated full churches and people coming to Christ because of it. Now, I’m not denying any of that happened—but I would ask two questions:* If MAGA is truly a Christian movement, why is it so unusual that the gospel be proclaimed at one of its rallies and people get this excited when it does?* And if the gospel message spoken that day is bringing souls to Christ, should that not convict us that our focus has been more on politics than the gospel?Yes, they say things like “Jesus saves” and warn people about hell. But much of the teachings of Jesus—the ones that challenge our flesh and our pride—are ignored:* Mercy, grace, forgiveness, love, compassion, kindness* Loving and praying for our enemies* Rejoicing exceedingly when persecuted (Matthew 5:11–12)* Do not resist an evil person but turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39)* “Those who live by the sword die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52)You see, these commandments from Jesus are inconvenient for our flesh. They go against what our hearts want us to do—that is fight back, be angry, and take vengeance. The MAGA agenda and message is one of strength, retribution, and getting even which is why MAGA Christians put these commandments of Christ on the back shelf.To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Now, I am not saying there is not a true Christian in the MAGA movement. There are many good, godly Christians who love God with all their heart, some have given their lives to ministry, while others volunteer at food shelters, and I believe most love their fellow man. Whether you support Donald Trump or not is not a pass-fail for being a Christian—though I personally believe it’s unwise given what he stands for. What I am saying is far too many Christians have divorced much of the Bible from their political views. This is rather ironic considering they say they are fighting for the Bible and godly morality. Yes, they believe we should be loving, gracious, compassionate, etc. They just don’t care if their government isn’t.Now, there is one more thing Jesus spoke in the gospels which I do hear from MAGA Christians often. That is His statement, “If you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father” (Matthew 10:33).They quote this to warn the lost not to reject Christ and to support their standing up for the faith. They are correct on both of these. However, we don’t only deny Jesus when we reject Him but also when we ignore or deny the authority of His commands. This verse should cause us to tremble at the possibility of our denying Christ by lessening part of His message, not emboldening us to use it as a weapon against the world.But the Christian Confirmation Bias doesn’t end with the gospels. If we open the question up to include the entire New Testament, the MAGA go-to verses are few: • Romans 1 (which speaks about homosexuality)* Romans 13:1 (Trump is God’s man and we should support him unconditionally)* Acts 25 (Paul appealing to Caesar to support standing up for our rights)* Ephesians 6:12 (the battle against principalities and powers)* 2 Timothy 4:3 (men won’t endure sound doctrine)* 2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 (the coming apostasy)* Jesus as Lion/Conqueror in the book of RevelationEven if we move to the Old Testament, the same narrow lens confirmation bias appears. The bulk of their message is based on:* The creation narrative* Israel’s war stories* The verses that call homosexuality an abomination* The Psalmist’s ‘You knew me in my mother’s womb’ and child sacrifice verses* 2 Chronicles 7:14 calling the nation to repentance* Jeremiah 29:7 which they believe calls us to push for a theocratic government* The story of Cyrus whom they believe Trump is a modern-day example ofBeyond these, you will hear little else. Also, if you look closely many of those are used incorrectly, such as the verses in second Chronicles and second Thessalonians which are speaking to God’s people, not the world. And the verse in Jeremiah which actually is part of God telling the people to get comfortable being in bondage because they’re gonna be there a while.Let me stop here and say this because I know it will come up. I am not blind to the fact that the progressive Christian democrats do the same thing. So, please don’t pull out the “But they did it too” argument. I am a conservative and am speaking to my people right now, not the progressive democrats. Also, the Democrats—while they do cherry-pick Jesus’ love and compassion scriptures—do not claim to a Christian political movement. Only MAGA does that.As I said, I believe a large portion of MAGA followers are good Christian people who truly love God and desire to see the lost saved. The problem is they’ve been swept up in a movement which calls itself Christian while denying or ignoring the overwhelming substance of Christ’s words and the Word of God itself. That is how Satan operates; he sprinkles in just enough truth in to make it look legitimate. Things like;· “We are fighting for Christian liberty”· “We’re bring God back to the Whitehouse”· “We are restoring godly morals”But, once he has us onboard, he relegates these Christian causes take a back seat as he inflames anger, fear, and fleshly passions. This makes the fight come not from a place that is godly, but from the flesh. And when this happens, a person will only use biblical proofs when they seem to agree with their agenda.At this point, Satan has won. He has deceived them and has them thinking they are fighting the good fight, when in actuality they are distracted from the true fight Christians must have—the fight for the souls of men.And that breaks my heart which is why I am so passionate about this.Well, I hope you have enjoyed this edition of The Not So Political Protestant. I would love to hear your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree. Just keep it civil and know you will be pressed to give scriptural proofs for your stance, so search the scriptures because without those, we have no footing to take a stand.The Not So Political Protestant is a user funded publication. While all subscribers, free and paid, currently have access to all features, I would greatly appreciate your support both financially and prayerfully.Until next time, have a great day and don’t forget to live KINGDOM FIRST – COUNTRY SECOND Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

Recently a Christian brother of mine who disagrees with my stance against political Christianity and Christian Nationalism sent me a video of Charlie Kirk and ask me what my thoughts were. I felt like my response is worth posting here.Let me first say, I have no desire to trash Charlie Kirk here. He was a brilliant man and arguably one of the best debaters of our time. He also was passionate about his faith and politics, and I respect and admire his bravery. The horrible act that was committed was uncalled for and I take no pleasure in it. My reason for posting this is because it reveals an issue in today’s Christian circles which needs to be addressed. Honestly, while I am using a video of Kirk for this post, it is not really about him. I could go to YouTube and find thousands of videos of political Christian leaders who make these same errors. This just happens to be the one I was asked to give my thoughts on.While Kirk was a brilliant man with an uncanny ability to pull facts, examples, and scripture out his mind at the drop of a hat, I took issue with his theology and the way he interpreted scripture. But you can’t blame him. His error was the result of the evangelical movement which taught him. A movement which has been warping the truth of scripture for decades to excuse its anti-biblical actions and beliefs. So, I don’t look down on Kirk. How could I when for many years I believed the same things he says in this video. Instead, I am saddened that such a charismatic man who stood up for his faith and reached millions of people never learned how to truly interpret scripture.PLEASE NOTE: If you read the above statement and were angered by it, please remember these words before commenting; disagree and disrespect are not synonyms. My stating what I disagree with him on is not disrespecting him, nor do I have that intention. However, there are some flaws in his biblical ecclesiology and hermeneutics that need to be addressed because they are rampant in today’s evangelical world.Please take a few moments and watch this video before continuing:Right out the gate Charlie revealed how his worldview shaped his biblical interpretation rather than the Bible shaping his worldview. The young man at the mic asks Charlie to explain why he supports Christian nationalism and Kirk referred to Jeremiah 29:7 which he quoted as saying, “Demand the welfare of your nation that you are in because your welfare is tied to your nation’s welfare” but that’s not a good proof text for his argument, neither is that the correct quote.I cannot find a single translation that reads, “Demand the welfare”. The overwhelming majority of them say, “Seek” while a few say, “Pursue”, “work for”, or “pray for”. You can look for yourself here. There is a big difference between demanding something, which is aggressive and assumes authority, and seeking, pursuing, or praying for something. These are much gentler words, more of a cooperation than a demand and they certainly don’t imply we should force change. (If anyone knows of a translation that does read ‘demand’ please let me know.)Now, in full disclosure, the Hebrew word used here can also be translated as “require” which could be used to argue that Kirk is right, but in context of the chapter that would be wrong as I will lay out here.First a little backgroundKirk opens his response using the prophet Jeremiah which is interesting to me. Jeremiah was a prophet who was despised by the people of Israel because he regularly spoke out against their sin and gave prophecies of God’s judgment on them. That is why when God called Jeremiah, he warned him the people would despise him (Jeremiah 1:19). He faced opposition so much that at one point he swore he would never speak God’s words again but eventually found it was “like a fire shut up in my bones” and he could not keep quiet (Jeremiah 20:9). That is why I do not believe Christian Nationalists and political Christians would have an accepting ear for Jeremiah’s message if he were alive today and Jeremiah chapter 29 is a good example why.You see, Jeremiah 29:7 was part of a prophecy given to the Jews during Babylonian captivity. It was written to comfort God’s people letting them know He is in control and they would one day be delivered. The thing is, God took credit for their exile. We see that in verse four when God opens his statement with, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who whom I caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon". It is notable here that when Kirk quoted the verse, he left out part of it which also credits God for their captivity. The full verse reads, “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” You see, God makes it clear that the nation is in exile because He put them there. It is His will, and this does not sit well with the Christian Nationalist ideology. If God was the architect of Israel Babylonian exile, then why would he have said these words which Kirk interprets to mean we should fight for a Christian nation? He didn’t and that is why this verse was a pour choice but there are more reasons.Donate Through Buy Me CoffeeGet ComfortablePrior to God speaking Jeremiah 29:7, he said, "build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands so that they may bear sons and daughters that you may be increased there and not diminish.” (verses 5-6). It is with this foundation; God then says, “Seek the welfare of the city”. This is the nation that brutally attacked Israel, killed thousands of people, overthrew their government, and instead of calling for the people to revolt, God is saying to seek its peace.However, as there are in every generation, there were false prophets who told the people what they wanted to hear. Some of them were saying to fight against Babylon, but God’s response to that was, “Do not let your prophets and your diviners deceive you…For they prophesy falsely to you in my name” (Jeremiah 29:8-9). This chapter does not contain those prophesies but in Jeremiah 28 we find one of the prophets named Hananiah who claimed within two years the people would be restored to their land. God sets the record straight in chapter 29 when he declares, “After seventy years are completed in Babylon” He will perform His “Good word toward you and cause you to return” (Jeremiah 29:10). In other words, get comfortable and enjoy your time here because it’s gonna be a while.Jeremiah chapter 29 also contains a rebuke and warning to those who try to revolt. To understand this, you must first know a little background of the captivity. When Nebuchadnezzar overtook Israel, he removed king Jehoiachin and placed Zedekiah on the thrown of Judah as a puppet king. Despite Jeremiah’s warning to Zedekiah to submit to the bondage of Babylon (Jeremiah 27:12) he listened to the false prophets and rebelled. God expresses his anger toward this when He promises “I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and I will trouble them…because they have not heeded My words” (verses 18,19). I want to be sure you don’t miss that God said if they try to revolt, He will punish them.The biblical truth that God occasionally brings persecution and oppression upon His people does not sit well with the Christian Nationalism belief we should fight for our rights and against persecution. That is why you will never hear those verses in their mouths. This is the problem with Christian Nationalism and people who believe the Christian’s job is to be political; they look for scripture to prove their viewpoint while ignoring those that disagree with it. As a result, they hear a verse that seems to support their argument and rather than reading it in context, they blast it out to the world as proof.Sadly, most of the American church hears them and believe it at face value without doing their due diligence to be sure it is correct. This is partly because we do a lousy job of teaching our members how to study and interpret the Bible. This is dangerous and leads to error and heresy in the Church which is why millions of Christians have fallen for the Christian Nationalism heresy. We must do better. The Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah ArgumentThe next thing we hear Kirk use to justify his nationalist beliefs is when he says, “Daniel prayed for his nation, Esther and Mordecai were counselors to their king, Nehemiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Joseph, Jacob, I could go on”. The thing is none of those actually support the Christian Nationalist belief we should have a theocracy. Yes, they prayed, they fasted, they counseled, as we too should do for our nation, but they did not overtake the government and run it as a theocracy. That is because Babylon was not their land, Israel was. On a side note, America is not our land either, we are just passing through on our way to the promised land.Kirk continues by saying the Bible is an “explicitly political book” because Moses wrote a book about how to set up a government. However, that book was for the nation of Israel, not America or any other nation. America is not the new Israel and nowhere in the New Testament are Christians called to set up a government under those laws. That is because Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Instead, we are called to submit to governing authorities (Romans 13:1) because they are appointed by God. New flash, this included Biden and Obama as well, not only Trump. But I digress.The stories of the nation of Israel’s birth, establishment, and wars are not prescriptive but descriptive. Think about this, if we are to run our country the way the Israelites ran theirs then we need to be fighting Democrats with a sling and a perfectly placed stone in their forehead. Then each election season we must march around the Capital building for seven days straight, so the walls fall. Or, maybe we need to grab the jawbone of an ass and slay a few liberal activists. It’s absurd, right? But, if you are going to say we have to do it the way the Israelites did it, that is what we must do.The truth is, you will not find a single proof in the New Testament where Jesus, the Apostles, or the early church took up the mantle of political change. It was not until the fourth century Christianity began gaining influence and became the official religion of Rome. It is interesting to note here that the Roman empire fell in the fifth century, a little over 100 years after becoming a Christian government.ShareNew Testament vs Old TestamentAs we move on in the video, the young man pointed out that all of Kirk’s references were Old Testament. Kirk responded by asking the gentleman if he believed the New Testament was greater than the Old Testament to which he replied by saying, “It is because the revelation of Christ dictates how we interpret the Old Testament” and that the Old testament is a “type and shadow of things to come and now we live in the full revelation of Christ”. Kirk’s response to this was, “That is such a dangerous theology”. So, which one is correct? What the young man was saying is correct. The New Testament is greater in the sense that it is the completion of what began in the Old Testament. Romans 10:4 tells us, “Christ is the end of the law in order to bring righteousness to everyone who believes”. Notice the word end is used here. It does not say Christ came to continue the law. This does not mean we are to ignore the Old Testament, as Kirk implied the young man meant though. Instead, it means we can’t fully understand the Old Testament until we have the New Testament which brings the truth of the Old Testament into full revelation.But Kirk disagrees and quotes Jesus’ words, ‘I have not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it” here to debunk the gentleman, so let’s dive into that scripture.The word for fulfill Jesus used means ‘to make full’. It implies that something was missing or incomplete. Unfinished is better word here because the Old Testament showed us the problem – we are sinners and can never be righteous enough to enter heaven – while Christ’s death completed it by ushering in God’s righteousness and imparting it to us. This is what Christ meant on the Cross when He said, “It is finished”. He was not simply saying, I’m dead, but saying the completion of God’s salvation of His people is complete.As the gentleman said, the Old Testament is a type and shadow of Christ. When it is read properly, it is read with the story of Christ in mind. For instance, take the exodus of Israel out of Egypt;They were in bondage to EgyptGod called them out through MosesThey crossed the Red SeaThey wandered in the wildernessThey crossed over JordanThen entered the promised land. Now, how is that an example of Christ? Let’s look at it in terms of salvation and the life a believer; We were in bondage to sin (Egypt)God sent a messenger to call us out (Moses)We crossed through the blood of Christ’s (the Red Sea)We go through life being continually sanctified (the wilderness)One day we will cross through the river of death (the Jordan)Then we will enter heaven (the promised land).These type of foreshadows are throughout the Old Testament, but we must read it with the end in mind, meaning Christ. Far too often, we read it with our beliefs in mind and not with the desire to see Christ. This is what is dangerous and leads to the misapplication and incorrect interpretation of scripture which is so rampant in the Christian Nationalist ideology.Subscribe nowBuild My Church or Build My GovernmentNext, we see Charlie ask the gentleman to complete a verse, and says, “Christ our Lord said, on this rock build my what?” to which the gentleman responded “church” to which Kirk said, “Wrong”. According to Kirk, the word used by Christ does not mean church but government structure. However, when we look at the different interpretations of the Bible, not a single one uses the word government or anything like it. (You can verify this here.) As best I can tell, with the exception of four translations, every one of them uses the word ‘church’. Are we to believe that 2000 years of biblical scholars got it wrong, but Kirk got it right? Absolutely not.The failure of Kirk here, as it was quite often, is he did not apply the biblical law of hermeneutics which says that scripture interprets scripture, meaning to find out what Jesus meant, we must look at how it was used in other scripture.Throughout the New Testament, when this word is applied to the people of God, with the exception of few verses which are speaking of the children of Israel being separate from the other nations, it is interpreted as church (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor 6:4; Phil 3:6) Church of God (1 Cor 10:32; Gal 1:13; 1 Tim 3:5) or the Body of Christ (Eph 1:22; Col 1:18). The only times it is used in a political or legal sense is when it is not referring to God’s people but an actual legal assembly (Acts 19:39) or to refer to a group of people rioting (Acts 19:32,41).The New Testament is filled with examples where secular words which were applied to a spiritual truth. Paul used a soldier’s armor (Phil 6:11), said we are slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:15-23) and compared our work for Christ to the slave/master relationship (Col 3:23). But we don’t have to look any further than the end of the verse Kirk used to see this. Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell won’t prevail against it”. He used gates of hell because that phrase was popular in Greek mythology so he knew it would drive the point home.Why Should We Not?The last statement Kirk made was, “Why should we not care about changing government to be more Christlike?” The answer is we should, but we should do it not through theocracy but by leading our nation to salvation on soul at a time. If we do that then God promises He will write His laws upon our hearts, and they will be His people (Jeremiah 31:33). The great thing about God writing his law on our hearts as opposed to our government compelling us to obey laws is God’s law on the hearts of His people is permanent. It is not based on the whims of wicked hearts and an easily swayed populous. And no, I am not saying we should not pass laws, so please don’t ask that. I am saying that should not be the ultimate goal. After all, God himself set the Mosaic governmental laws Kirk boasts is proof for Christian Nationalism. How did that work out? It didn’t fix the problem. The people were still wicked and deceitful. That’s why Christ had to die for our salvation. Governmental laws don’t change hearts, the gospel does.A Call to Proper StudyUnfortunately, when you look at Charlie Kirk’s ecclesiology and hermeneutics, they come up severely lacking and fall apart under scrutiny. Again, I am not discounting his brilliance. He was a very smart man and an excellent debater. However, he looked to the Bible for the wrong purposes. While the Bible certainly should be used as a guide to daily living, it not so much written for us as it is written to reveal God’s plan of salvation and His attributes.Charlie Kirk’s failure to rightly divide the Word of God allowed him to fall for the Christian Nationalist heresy. I pray that you will dig deeper and do some serious word studies and contextual readings of biblical text. Invest in a Strongs Concordance, a Thompson Chain Reference Bible, and any other time proven study helps to let you get past the ‘milk of the Word’ and start eating the meat of serious Biblical learning. But most importantly, do this while asking yourself “what you should I believe?” instead of making Kirk’s mistake and looking to it to prove what you already believe. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

Recently, something has weighed heavily on my heart. Perhaps you saw President Trump’s interview where he said, “I want to try and get to heaven” and suggested that ending the war in Ukraine might be his way there. Soon after, his campaign sent an email with the subject line “Help President Trump Get to Heaven”—followed, of course, by a request for donations.As you might expect, his opponents mocked the statement, while many of his supporters celebrated it. But my reaction was different: I was both heartbroken and deeply concerned. Not because I am angry with him—I am not. Instead, I feel compassion for him. I do not want to see him deceived about eternity. His remarks revealed that, after all these years, he still does not understand the true way of salvation.That reality should grieve every believer. What does it say about the evangelical leaders who have surrounded him for a decade—Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, Paula White, and others—that President Trump still believes heaven is earned by good works or fundraising? Especially considering Paula White supposedly led him to Christ in 2014. How is it possible that after all the access, the prayers, the public praise, the declarations of him as “God’s man”—he still does not know the simplicity of the gospel?These leaders have spent years evangelizing his name, defending his reputation, and cloaking his campaigns in spiritual language, praying grand prayers at his inauguration. Yet they have failed miserably in their most basic responsibility: to clearly share the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. That realization broke me. And it moved me to say, “Here am I, Lord. Send me.”So last weekend, I wrote President Trump an email explaining what salvation truly is and how one receives eternal life. Will he ever read it? Perhaps not. But that’s not the point. My obedience is. And I pray that if he does read it—or even if this post reaches him—the Spirit of God will open his eyes to the truth of the gospel: not the politicized version promoted by some evangelical leaders, but the reality of a repentant faith and humble dependence on Jesus Christ.I invite you to join me. Read the email below. Then, if you feel led, send your own message to him—or share mine. Encourage others to do the same. Imagine the impact if Christians spent as much energy witnessing to President Trump as we do debating about him. Who knows what God might do in our nation if His truth reached the heart of even one man?So with that, here is the letter I sent.Mr. President,Recently you expressed your concern about whether you would make it to heaven and said you hoped stopping the war in Ukraine would get you there. This morning, in an email to your supporters, you expressed that desire again while asking for donations to help you get to heaven. As a Christian, this broke my heart because you have been surrounded by evangelical leaders since 2014, yet these men and women have failed miserably at speaking the truth of the gospel to you. I truly hope you will read this email, because it is written from a heart to longs to see you find the peace of knowing you will spend eternity in heaven.The bad news is our attempts at being righteous are worthless (Isaiah 64:6). Sir, there is no amount of good work, power, or political capital that will get you into heaven. You could end every war in the world, and your donors could donate $100 trillion dollars each to your campaign, but you would still spend eternity in hell.What your ‘spiritual advisers’ have failed to tell you is you are dying and going to hell, not because you haven’t brought peace to the world or you don’t have enough money, you are dying and going to hell because you are a sinner, just as I and every other human being on earth is. And, contrary to popular belief, it is not merely the sins people consider ‘big’ such as murder, abortion, etc. that make us sinners. The frightening truth is, no matter how good of a person we think we are, we could never measure up to God’s standard of holiness. One lustful thought, one act of greed, one failure to show love to or wish harm to someone else would condemn us to an eternity in hell. The Bible says that God hates those who lie, those who are full of pride, and who sow discord among others (Proverbs 6:16-19). That is why Romans 3:23 says, ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ because not a single soul has lived without sin, except Jesus Christ.But it goes deeper than that.You see Mr. President; it is not the act of sin that makes us sinners and condemns us to hell. On the contrary, we commit sin because we are, at our very core, sinful creatures. King David tells us, ‘I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me’ and we read in Mark 7:21, ‘out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, and adulteries”. Jeremiah puts it this way, ‘The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked’. Jesus, Himself asked a man who called Him ‘Good teacher’, “Why do you call me good? There is none good except God the Father”. If Jesus, the perfect and sinless son said that, then we would be foolish to think we could ever be ‘good’.But there is good news! You see, unlike you and me sir, God can be just in His anger and punishment of sin, while still loving those men and women who are His enemies and He did that through the sacrifice of His Son; ‘God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8). It through the blood sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus we have hope, Mr. President.When Christ died on the cross, He took our punishment upon Himself. The wrath and anger of God that you and I deserve were placed upon Him. You see, Mr. President, every act of adultery you’ve committed, every act of greed, every failure to show kindness to others, and every lie or sinful thought you have ever had, has received punishment on the cross. That is why you are able to go to heaven. It is not by your work, but His. It is a gift of God given to underserving men to show God’s love and goodness to the world (Romans 6:23). That is why it is called ‘grace’, because we cannot earn our salvation, it is ‘unmerited favor’ of God toward wicked men.However, for that grace to be applied to our lives, we must accept that gift and that is only done through repentance and this, Mr. President, is where your so-called spiritual advisers failed you. Repentance is not simply praying a cookie cutter prayer and saying you’re sorry. It is a completely transforming decision to walk away from your sinful life and walk toward holiness and righteous living. This is not a decision made out of guilt or fear of eternal punishment, but one made out of a godly sorrow; ‘For it is godly sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).I know the evangelical community has spent the last ten years idolatrously putting you on an almost godlike pedestal, calling you ‘God’s man’, ‘The chosen one’, and blasphemously comparing your felony trial and conviction to Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. But, sir, I love you enough to say, while God has placed you in the position of authority you are in now, you are still an enemy of God unless you fall on your knees in repentance and rise to new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). I encourage you Mr. President to pray to God to give you that godly sorrow, which leads you to repentance and to seek out true Christian leaders, men and women who have no desire to use you for political gain as Franklin Graham, Paula White, and Robert Jefress do, but godly men and women who see you as a creation of God in need of His salvation. They most certainly will say things that anger you and cut you to bone about your sinful actions, but if you truly desire to go to heaven, and without humbling ourselves before God, we will never receive His salvation.Sir, I pray that one day, as we stand before God, I see you standing completely forgiven and justified by His blood because you found the truth of Christianity is not about political power but about surrendering our lives to the will of God and growing in Christ’s likeness. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

Paul tells in Romans 13:1 that we are to respect all authority because it is God who appoints them. This applies whether we agree or disagree with them. That is why today's episode is a prayer for President Trump, as well as our nation and the American Church. Please join me in this prayer, because when God's people pray, change happens. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

In today's episode we discuss the belief that President is a modern-day Cyrus from the Bible. We look at the story of Cyrus from it's context with the rest of scripture to uncover its application to today's political scene. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

Why do some feel the need to defend themselves when I speak against the sins of politically obsessed Christians by saying they are not obsessed with politics? If political obsession and idolatry doesn't apply to them, why would they not simply agree it is wrong instead of getting defensive? Could it be the Shakespearean words, 'Surely thou doest protest too much' apply? Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

Today's episode of The Not So Political Protestant discusses whether or not the phrase, 'speaking the truth in love' is justification to purposely offend the lost and if offending a religious hypocrite is wrong. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe

In today's episode of The Not So Political Protestant we discuss the powerlessness of the political power so many Christians are obsessed with gaining. The staying power of the laws they franticly seek to pass is limited by the whims and wishes of the electorate every election cycle but when God writes His law on the Hearts of men and women, if is eternal and no politician or court can overturn it.Don't forget to visit us on Substack to get a daily dose of The Not So Political Protestant in written form. Also, be sure to visit the Not So Political swag shop for t-shirts to help spread the message of KINGDOM FIRST - COUNTRY SECOND. Get full access to The Not So Political Protestant at thenotsopoliticalprotestant.substack.com/subscribe