The Dog, The Lion and
the Falcon
by Troy Cady
Turning and turning in the widening
gyre
The falcon cannot hear the
falconer;
Things fall apart; the center
cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the
world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,
and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is
drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while
the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
-excerpt from The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats
Yesterday, a man who holds a PhD in theological studies and
is a distinguished professor at a Christian college, put forth a view as to why
Christians should vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
He likened Ronald Reagan to a lion and Donald Trump to a
dog. He said that, as Christians, we should vote for Trump while praying the
dog becomes a lion. Here is what he wrote:
“…I am a Christian, a man who
believes that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ pleads with us to
petition him to bring about change, transformation of our leaders. As I have
done so more than once in this thread, I cite the apostle Paul who writes to
us, Christ's body, ‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers,
intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in
authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and
holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be
saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth’ (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
“I also believe that Ecclesiastes
9:2 speaks truth: ‘Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is
better off than a dead lion!’ Ronald Reagan, our Republican Lion, is dead and
gone, sad as it is. Right now, we have a Republican Dog, Donald Trump. Is there
hope for such a Republican Dog? Yes, but the hope does not reside in the Dog;
our hope resides in God, who can transform the Dog into a Lion.
“I am not a fatalist. Hence, I
refuse to expend my energies in pointing out all the flaws and foibles and
foolishness and foundering of the Republican Dog, Donald Trump. I refuse to
participate in contributing to Democrat Jezebel's victory. Instead, I am
calling upon fellow Christians to join with me in praying that our God will
convert our Republican Dog into an authentic Christian Man, that he might also
become a Republican Lion.
“Donald Trump's character flaws and
faults have been on full display for a year. What's the point of my continuing
to point them out by trashing the man? Do I believe in the power of the gospel?
Do I believe that God is our redeemer? Do I believe that God is delighted by my
trashing the man or by my praying for the man? I choose to pray for him rather
than trash him; he's done enough trashing of himself. In God's providence
Donald Trump is the candidate of the party that advances those ideals and
principles most in common with all things Christian. Therefore, I will expend
my energies in praying earnestly that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
will move mightily with regard to the Man and the Party that ‘we may live
peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’"
I will just say it: I am deeply troubled by this rhetoric.
First, “Donald Trump is the candidate of the party that
advances those ideals and principles most in common with all things Christian.”
This is a flawed view of Christ’s relationship to culture. The Jesus of the
Gospels would have a thing or two to say about either political platform,
Republican or Democrat. If Jesus were on the speaking schedule, his
words to the Republican National Convention would not be: “You’re the party most
in common with all things Christian. Way to go! I’m proud of you!”
This is a call for us to do some serious soul-searching. It
is not a time for political posturing in defense of a way of life we’ve always
idealized. It is time for us to admit we don’t have all the answers, to humble
ourselves and pray, to ask God’s forgiveness for the ways we (yes, as
Christians) have exacerbated the mess. It is time to humble ourselves.
Christ cannot be co-opted, held captive to any political
philosophy. This cuts both ways, right or left. The way of Jesus is, in fact,
counter-cultural. The first Christians did not spend their time debating
political philosophy. They dedicated their time, their energy, their physical
resources and, in many instances, their very lives to healing the infirm,
feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and proclaiming that there is only one
way to be saved, by faith in Jesus whom they proclaimed as the Christ.
That word Christ carries
a world of meaning; he is the Anointed One, the true King. Christians have no
other King. Ronald Reagan is not our Lion. Only Jesus can be our Lion. Besides,
Jesus is both Lion and Lamb—that’s what makes him such a wonderful Lion. In my
mind, Trump needs much more lamb and a lot less lion in him. That is why the
professor is right; Trump is a mere dog, rabid and dangerous. This is important
to keep in mind because Christians today come dangerously close to enthroning
persons who are not the King, who do not embody what the King teaches.
True, no one who is elected will be perfect. And, true, we
need to pray for our leaders. This means we need to pray and believe equally as
much for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as we do for our Republican Ideal
darlings. Do we do that? If Trump is a dog and we pray for him, maybe he will
become someone worthy of leadership. But, isn’t the same true of Ms. Clinton?
Is she beyond redemption? Can’t God transform “Jezebel” and make her a “Mary”?
Yes. Yes, he can.
Well, maybe it is wise to vote for neither of the two
candidates, and many Christians will choose a “third way.” Other Christians
feel this is foolish: “Anyone but Hillary,” they say—even if he is a dog.
Yes, it may be true that voting for a third option
strengthens the case of your opponent. But consider: the character flaws we see
in Donald Trump prior to taking office will only undergo increased pressure
once he is in office. Have we not learned? Even evangelicalism’s own Billy
Graham writes how shocked he was when he found out what Richard Nixon and his
administration had done.
And that was just the beginning. I think of the scandal that
has eaten away at the Oval Office, steadily eroding our confidence, betraying
the trust of the People. Even Ronald Reagan, the Lion, did things in office
that cannot be called “Christian” with a clean conscience. It is noteworthy
that America’s politicians use phrases that lure evangelical voters to bite
their line but that doesn’t change the fact that their mastery of political
verbiage is nothing more than a worm on a hook.
We are all culpable. All of us are responsible for the
violence. All of us are responsible for the racism. All of us are responsible
for the greed, the consumerism, the individualism. Yes, our political leaders,
all of them (left or right) are responsible. And, yes, our business leaders
(including Donald Trump) are responsible. We have made the world what it is. We
are responsible for the world’s wars. We are guilty of the hatred and vitriol.
Because of that, now
is not a time to lead merely “quiet lives.” As a start, we should be weeping
loudly. We should be anything but “quiet.”
Now is a time to cry out from the depths of our souls.
We should cry out because…in this country’s history the
subjugation of our black brothers and sisters was allowed to continue because
of those very “Christians” who led “quiet lives”. “Quiet Christians”
perpetuated slavery in the abolitionist era and “quiet Christians” turned a
blind eye to systemic discrimination in the Civil Rights era. Such “quiet life Christians” stood by and
watched as Native Americans were robbed of their land. Such “quiet life
Christians” stand up for one set of issues but do not stand up for another.
The fact is, both the political right and left fail to
nurture God’s whole sense of justice and peace in the world. If we think that
is not true, we are deluded. If that were the case, changing the world would be
as simple as convincing everyone to side with your political persuasion. But,
even if everyone became a Republican or Democrat, we have to face a sobering
truth: the world would still be a big, hot mess. We would trade one set of
imperfections for another set, and neither set would be any better or worse
than the other, qualitatively speaking. They would both fall short of God’s
whole sense of justice and peace. We need to admit that.
Besides, we follow in the footsteps of the first Christians—and
the early Christians were anything but “quiet.” That is why they were martyred.
They spoke up. They troubled the waters. Their message, their way of life was
subversive to the power structures, whether political or religious. Peter was
not imprisoned for being “quiet.” James
was not killed by king Herod because he was “quiet.”
That is why it is important for us to keep in mind that we
are to lead peaceful lives, just as
much as we are to lead “quiet” lives. Christians are to work to make the world
a better place, to embody the peace of Christ that puts an end to war,
violence, and discrimination. There is no lust or greed in a peaceful world.
Life, all life, is revered in a peaceful world.
A peaceful world is a world that enjoys all the colors God made. A
peaceful world is a place where those who are naturally quiet can be quiet but
those who are naturally vocal can speak up. Everyone does not have to be the
same in a peaceful world. The biblical idea of peace is a sense of holistic
well-being; “all is right with the world.” It is a place where justice is done.
It is a place of honesty and generosity. It is a place of mercy, concern for
the down-and-out. A peaceful world is gentle and humble.
And a peaceful world is led by peaceful people.
I am not saying, “Vote for so-and-so” or “don’t vote for
so-and-so.” Vote your conscience and do not insist every person needs to vote your conscience. Let them vote theirs,
judgement aside.
In either case, I can’t help but feel these words by William
Butler Yeats describe well what we see today. In quoting these words I do not
mean to paint a “doom and gloom” picture, but I do hope these words can remind
us of our need for something true, good and innocent:
Turning and turning in the widening
gyre
The falcon cannot hear the
falconer;
Things fall apart; the center
cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the
world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,
and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is
drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while
the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
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