As the news of a recording of Trump surfaced recently in which he was heard saying derogatory and sexist comments about a woman I scoured different stories looking at the facts. Naturally, as well as reading articles related to this event, I also browsed over the comment sections to see the pulse of the American voter, and one man’s comment stuck out to me.
He said, “surely this does not reflect a man of faith!”
I am a Christian, and I am a woman. I’m also a registered voter. Trump’s captured audio said a lot about the type of man he may be, but it also related importantly to his self-proclaimed status as a Christian, and that’s what I want to talk about today. After all it does bring to question are his remarks something a Christ-follower would say?
As I looked into the situation I noticed the recording was obtained in 2005, and that was pretty significant to me. It brought to mind where I was in 2005, and I quickly thanked the Lord that smart phones with built-in cameras weren’t in everyone’s back pocket at that time. It was bad enough that I worried I might be included on a Girls Gone Wild New Orleans addition from a 2001 trip that went bad.
At this point and time in my life I’m as straight an arrow as they come, and though I don’t think anything of friends who do, I currently don’t partake in alcohol or any other addictive substance beyond caffeine. But if a recording of me from 2005 popped up it would show a woman far different from the one people see now. Although I now share my open-book-life with no amount of shame, if a video were to surface of 2005 I would probably be hanging my head in deep regret. You would likely see something like a drunk woman on stage at a strip club lifting her shirt to flash the crowd, or perhaps something worse since I had a tendency to black out. But do you know what?
I’m a Christian.
In fact, I hate to admit it, but I knew Christ as my savior then; I just wasn’t following him like my friend. But fast-forward a few years and my life turned around, my sin was erased, and my shameful past was redeemed. Thank God for that.
I’m not the person I was back in 2005, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Donald Trump was either. In my own path of self-destruction a lot of people were hurt in my wake, and I had to humbly seek forgiveness for my wrongs. Isn’t that what Christianity entails?
Being a Christian, in fact, means that you are far from perfect, but you are able to admit it. You’re able to seek forgiveness, learn from your mistakes, accept grace, and strive to be more Christ-like as you go. Heck, I’m still a work in progress.
So what does Donald Trump’s remarks from 2005 say about him as a Christian? It says he’s human, he’s fallible, but he’s capable of saying “I’m sorry.” It says he’s got a past, but he has a future too. It says he’s imperfect, but I’d like to think he’s learning from his prior mistakes.
So if you want to judge someone on things they did over a decade ago then I’ll be first in line to raise my hand high and say, “I messed up big time.” But I would also say, “I have been made new.” Thankfully that’s what being a Christian is all about. From what I saw of Trump’s response to this recording he is regretful, apologetic, and quick to say he is not the person he used to be.
I can relate.
A lot of people will hate this post saying that I’m defending a sexist, womanizer. I’m not. I don’t know Donald Trump’s heart. Only the good Lord can see inside a man, but I do know I won’t judge someone for their past transgressions. If it says anything about him as a Christian then it says he is forgiven. And what does this new recording suggest about Trump to me overall? Not much, really. I think I’ll focus on the issues on the table that more readily affect the future of our country, but that’s just me.
amy says
Amen
Ljones says
You are exactly right.
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you.
Cindi says
But you weren’t running for president either
Sabrina Whitfield says
I think you missing the whole point by even saying that. We are imperfect even those who are running for president..
I love this post Brie! I am going to share it
Michelle LaFever Canten says
Absolutely agree………………….!
Karl says
Brie so very well said, you are an amazing woman and a great influence to those of us that are fortunate enough to follow you. Keep up the good work.
Karl
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you so much!
Dave Parsons says
Praise God for His work in your life Brie! The Potter took a willing piece of clay and is making you into a vessel he is now using and will further use as you go along! God wants to use all His pieces of clay He has created and Donald Trump is no more or no less than you and I in the eyes of God! He loves us all & I have no way of knowing where the hunk of clay named Donald Trump stood with the Lord in 2005 but I trust now that God is currently working in his life to mold him! I do know for sure, there are millions of us out here praying for him & Hillary that God will touch their hearts with the truth of His word! We pray also that many of these evangelical leaders can reach him & speak truth into his mind and heart! I pray also that Hillary would truly sit down and listen to those like Franklin Graham, David Jeremiah, Robert Morris, Joyce Myer and others whom I believe could help her! It might not even take a well known evangelical! God could put a staff member there with her or Donald to influence them! I, like them, also so needed the prayers (& still do) of those who knew and loved me at a time when I would deny my Lord to fit in! Like Peter who denied Him, I have cried bitter tears at my actions! I went along to get along & alcohol did nothing to help my situation! I like you Brie cannot judge those who do partake but I know it does alter the mind and emotions and many times it is not for good so I leave it alone! The temptations for a man like Trump must be horrendous! You can’t go anywhere without it staring you in the face! As I started reading your blog there was a scantily clad young lady in an ad on the side advertising something & the flesh always wants to go there if you know what I mean! It’s through drawing closer to God and out of my pure love for Jesus that I want to please Him that is teaching me to look away! Don’t go there as I am just as susceptible as any other Christian to doing or thinking something that will draw me away from my fellowship with God! Being a man I can relate to how men think and many times it ain’t good but God has given me the Holy Spirit to help me along my journey! Robert Morris, pastor of a Dallas church, has an awesome testimony of how he was a sex addict and God got ahold of him! The things Donald Trump said were awful and I do pray now that he as I are on a journey that leads to a deeper relationship with Jesus and all those old things are put away and all things become new in Jesus Christ who is our ultimate example!
Sorry to be so wordy! (:-((!!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you as always for sharing. Love your comments.
Dave Parsons says
And thank you!!
Tammy says
Brie, I loved reading this article. I believe God has given you a great gift. Like you I believe that God can change anyone and I certainly am not the same person I was years ago. To me, I don’t think Trump is a Christian (and I am not trying to be judgmental at all 🙂 ) I just don’t think he has much remorse. I watched his apology. I wasn’t impressed. Please know that I do love what you wrote and its given me and I’m sure others something to think about. Love!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you.
Danielle Belliveau says
His comments echo the rape culture that allowed Brock Turner to serve three months for rape. This is not ok, he is not apologetic, a true apology doesn’t have a, “but he did worse than me” statement in it. Throughout his campaign he has been racist, misogynist and condescending. So even if you excuse this tape, you still have to excuse all the reprehethings he has said since. I don’t like Hillary Clinton, but trying to drag her into this to deflect the gravity of his actions is irresponsible and even desperate. I get it that everyone is looking for a rationalization as to why it’s ok to vote for Trump, but there is not one. My 16 year old daughter watches the news and debates with us and she is just horrified at all the things he has said. I have no explanation for him, but worse I have no explanation for all the people making excuses for him. I only pray that he will not succeed and the Republican party can go about rebuilding themselves. The Republican party is not supposed to be a haven for bigotry, sexism and xenophobia.
Stacey Posey says
From my own experience, if there is a sin I haven’t dealt with personally in my own life, I am one of the ones casting the first stones. That is ANOTHER sin that I am trying to overcome. I may be all my life.
So when I heard Trump’s comments I could relate. I wasn’t mad. I just thought that if every vulgar conversation I had, before coming to a relationship with Jesus Christ, had been blasted across t.v. and the internet, that there wasn’t a thing I could do, but say a simple “I am sorry”.
Trump said he was sorry. Yes, it was simple. But that’s really all he or I can do for ANY sin. We say we are sorry and we don’t do it again. We ask God for forgiveness.
But if we do it again, we say we are sorry again.
Praise God for His unending grace and mercy.
Only God knows if Trump, or any of us are truly loyal followers of Him. Only He knows if an apology it sincerely meant. That is not our job to decide. If He forgave like us humans, we all would be so weighted down with grief and pain we wouldn’t be able to carry that load very long.
Again, PRAISE GOD for his unending grace and mercy!
Several years ago my language would have made a sailor blush. I was living a different life and I had a lot of bad habits.
Once I got saved did those habits magically disappear? Honestly, some miraculously did and other hung with me almost like thorns in my side.
So I can relate to Trump. He is a human! You may not have the tendancy to have a “big mouth” like Trump has, but put under a microscope like he has been put under, we all would have A LOT of past and present sin for all to scrutinize.
Does he deserve our forgiveness? Probably not. Do we deserve God’s forgiveness. No. But He gives it and we should be like Him. We should forgive Trump and move on.
We may even should forgive Hillary while we are at it. She hasn’t really said she is sorry for anything. Now that I think about it, I haven’t committed any crimes against my country (that I can recall) so maybe that’s why I am still angry with her. I just can’t relate to the various things she has done.
But I really should forgive her. She didn’t ask. She called me and my friends “deplorable”. Wonder if she asked God? I have no clue. That may not have crossed her mind.
Thank God that all I had to do to have a peace about my real value in life was just to go to Him, be truly sorry for my sins and turn away from them and make Him Lord of my life. If you read through this and got nothing else, I hope you got that part. I can go to sleep each night knowing God will take care of America.
If we wiped away all of Trump and Hillary’s past wrong doings and really forgot about them, Hillary’s platform is all built on ideas and promises that I think are damaging to our country. I still couldn’t vote for her.