Perhaps you think the Liberty administrators would have been embarrassed about Trump’s unbiblical and unethical comments. But no, Liberty’s director of Spiritual Development Johnnie Moore defended Trump—explaining that “the bible is filled with stories of God getting even with his enemies, and that Jesus got even with the Pharisees and Satan by rising from the dead.”
That the Resurrection was God’s way of “getting even” with the devil is nearly heretical—reducing God’s eternal plan of salvation to the level of a school yard brawl (the kind of thing Donald Trump thrives on). The blatant ignorance of Christian ethics ('blessed are the poor in spirit, the merciful, etc.') and the misrepresentation of God’s character is horrifying.
Hi Dr. Greg,
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! If Liberty would have said, "you are like sheep, but are being sent into the forest full of wolves, and this is what a wolf thinks" as a context for understanding Trump's comments, it would have aligned with some of the teaching that Jesus said about going out in the world. But Moore's comments and the use of Romney makes the school look only a little more than celebrity pandering for the convocation speakers. Disconcerting indeed!
The desire to "get even" (hold a grudge) says that the speaker does not understand either the destructive nature of holding a grudge, nor the blessings of forgiveness. Affected areas include mental, spiritual, physical, and mental health. As has been noted, bitterness once rooted, springs up and defiles many. This suggests (and what I have personally experienced), that one cannot control the consequences of holding back forgiveness.
In addition, to use one's past retribution acts as an unspoken threat means that all relationships are based on fear and greed. This creates another set of unintended, unmanageable yet highly destructive consequences.
There are other business leaders who would NOT ascribe these retribution principles as maxims for business success.
Sad that this was paraded to students who hopefully have the discernment to determine what is best and the wisdom to exercise that discernment so that they can be pure and blameless.
Godspeed! Larry Q
Let's hope the students were given a different message by their professors. if not, shame on them.
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