Jesus, in the image of Donald Trump? Absolutely not

Published on Facebook by the Anglican Bishop of Edmonton, Stephen London – with many thanks to you bishop

Just a year ago, we all probably would have been appalled at the blasphemy of the President of the United States posting on his own website that he is Jesus. Now it seems normal. That is a problem.

Am I surprised that Trump would post on his own site that he is Jesus? I am not. It is clear that he is an extreme egomaniac. It is beyond appalling, but it is also true that there is a long history of authoritarian governments making Jesus in their image. They use Jesus to legitimize violence and suppress dissent. Trump is no different.

In the Mainline churches, we reject this hijacking of the good name of Jesus Christ. We are committed to the truth that Jesus is not cruel or awful as Trump would believe he is. Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of God has a completely different set of values. Jesus reached out to the poor and to the least of these. He said that the peacemakers are the ones who are blessed. He called on us to love our enemies, not attack them or be vengeful. He responded to hatred with love and forgave those who abused him. He is the incarnate revelation of God’s love for every human being.

We continue to live out these values in the Mainline churches because we believe they are the values of God. It is why we are committed to being an open church where all are welcome. It is why we commit to women being in every level of leadership. It is why we commit to full inclusion of our LGBTQ siblings. It is why we are committed to reconciliation with the First Nations of this land. It is why we are committed to rebuilding broken bridges with other Christian groups. It is why we are commited to peace and dialogue. It is why we’re opposed to hatred disguised as Christian nationalism.

We are committed to being kind and generous, but we will not back down or compromise on this vision of God’s goodness and loving mercy. We will strive for justice and equality at every level because we believe this is the way of Jesus. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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