Robert Jeffress Praises Trump

Donald Trump cultivated ties to the Religious Right during his presidential campaign, and Religious Right figures prayed for him before his inauguration. One such prayer event caught my attention because of how it exalted a not-so-holy man.

On January 20th, Trump attended a religious service that featured a flattering speech. According to Time, Donald Trump attended a private religious service at St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington D.C. before the inauguration ceremony. Leading the service was Rev. Robert Jeffress, a Trump supporter with a history of homophobic, anti-Catholic, anti-Mormon statements.

Judging from his talk at the service, Jeffress viewed Trump as a man exalted by God for a noble purpose. In a transcript posted at Time, Jeffress claimed that God raised up Trump and Pence for "a great, eternal purpose".

"President-elect Trump, I remember that it was exactly one year ago this weekend that I was with you on your Citation jet flying around Iowa before the first caucus or primary vote was cast. After our Wendy’s cheeseburgers, I said that I believed that you would be the next President of the United States. And if that happened, it would be because God had placed you there.

As the prophet Daniel said, it is God who removes and establishes leaders.

Today─one year later─God has raised you and Vice-President-elect Pence up for a great, eternal purpose."

Later, Jeffress compared Trump to the biblical leader Nehemiah and spoke approvingly of building walls. I can only imagine immigrants, especially those of Mexican heritage, felt about this approving reference to Trump's promise to build a southern border wall.

"When I think of you, President-elect Trump, I am reminded of another great leader God chose thousands of years ago in Israel. The nation had been in bondage for decades, the infrastructure of the country was in shambles, and God raised up a powerful leader to restore the nation. And the man God chose was neither a politician nor a priest. Instead, God chose a builder whose name was Nehemiah.

And the first step of rebuilding the nation was the building of a great wall. God instructed Nehemiah to build a wall around Jerusalem to protect its citizens from enemy attack. You see, God is NOT against building walls!"

To believe that a power-hungry, morally bankrupt man was chosen by the Almighty for an "eternal purpose" is to be willfully obtuse. Jeffress, like many figures from the Religious Right, ignores Trump's flaws in order to promote him as a godly, anointed man. Whether Jeffress and his ilk say these things to flatter Trump, to justify their support of Trump to themselves, or to convince evangelical voters to support Trump, I cannot say.