tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post2845573175141194556..comments2024-03-19T00:26:30.753-07:00Comments on The Jesus Blog: Tr*mp as a Topic of Jewish-Christian Dialogue - Part 1 (Larry Behrendt)Anthony Le Donnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01282792648606976883noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-31026911430660889702018-01-12T13:23:14.921-08:002018-01-12T13:23:14.921-08:00Anthony's response to my guest post will appea...Anthony's response to my guest post will appear on my blog, JewishChristianIntersections.com, on Monday morning. I'll have my reply to his response, in the form of a Part II to this post, ready for Anthony later next week.<br />Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08976868079076669453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-39096440592353219052018-01-11T22:33:06.964-08:002018-01-11T22:33:06.964-08:00Chris, thanks for this. I'm going off survey r...Chris, thanks for this. I'm going off survey results from a couple of years ago, but you Brits are described as some of the least religious people on Earth (on average, of course). But you seem to draw your religious borders differently than we do, and your church's relationship to politics seems radically different as well. Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08976868079076669453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-27504420884784393582018-01-11T05:17:30.806-08:002018-01-11T05:17:30.806-08:00Thanks for this, Larry. I want to write more, lot...Thanks for this, Larry. I want to write more, lots more, but I'm still too angry, embarrassed and ashamed of my own kind. Let me say, though, that I very much appreciate your recognition that not all Christians, not even all white Christians, voted for this horrible man. I will gladly stand with you any day, my friend.Chris Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12007521996155910288noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-16766553679222130812018-01-11T00:04:42.204-08:002018-01-11T00:04:42.204-08:00Thanks for that, Larry. From this side of the Atla...Thanks for that, Larry. From this side of the Atlantic, the phenomenon baffles me...<br /><br />One thing which might underly some of your figures comes from my own denomination, which would be labelled "mainstream" for you - Anglican. In the UK, I would estimate that something approaching half the Anglican laity would consider themselves "evangelical" (the current Archbishops of Canterbury and York among them), as would a significant proportion of Catholics and a sizeable majority of Methodists, and if the US mainline denominations follow that, your "mainline" division is going to include a lot of people who identify with the "evangelical" POV, at least theologically.<br /><br />However, I can't see ++Welby or ++Sentamu voting Trump, or even Republican (here, Conservative perhaps), so there's a different dynamic there.<br /><br />Myself, I can't see how any serious thinking Christian could vote for anyone more "conservative" than Bernie Sanders, though, so what do I know? (I have in mind a recent reading of Roman Monteiro's "All Things in Common - the Economic Practices of the Early Christians", which pretty much tells me that the early church interpreted Jesus as I do in terms of economic practice).Chris Eyrehttp://eyrelines.energion.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-7174771038465055402018-01-10T17:38:27.630-08:002018-01-10T17:38:27.630-08:00PrayThroughHistory, I apologize for my tone. As yo...PrayThroughHistory, I apologize for my tone. As you can see, I'm still having difficulty with the whole business. <br /><br />-anthonyAnthony Le Donnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01282792648606976883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-15111265670226908412018-01-10T17:22:27.529-08:002018-01-10T17:22:27.529-08:00Because I don't wan't to discourage dialog...Because I don't wan't to discourage dialogue, I'll leave aside the issue of 45's perceived honesty. This is topic that will make dissertations. Cf. Larry's link: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/donald-trump-lies-liar-effect-brain-214658<br /><br />I only want to correct two points. I don't think that we can speak of "the Church" as an unified seeing and defining entity. Clearly, we're talking about segments of the white, American, voting church. Global Christianity seems to have a much different take on 45. <br /><br />Also, I'm a bit curious about the vocabulary "legalist" in this context? By legalist you seem to have in mind someone of "questionable integrity on legal issues." Do I have this right? I've never seen legalist defined in this way.<br /><br />Finally, 45 is famously unwilling to "own" his sins. He addressed this directly before the election:<br /><br />Moderator Frank Luntz asked Trump whether he has ever asked God for forgiveness for his actions. Trump remarks "I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don't think so," he said. "I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't." Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/18/politics/trump-has-never-sought-forgiveness/index.html<br /><br />I can understand why someone might not want to vote for Clinton. But why not David Evan McMullin or Gary Johnson? Or anyone who is not on the record with the phrase "grab them in the p*ssy"? Anthony Le Donnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01282792648606976883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8637125351921336084.post-51432610502307171582018-01-10T15:14:32.890-08:002018-01-10T15:14:32.890-08:00I think Trump, maybe because of all his warts, was...I think Trump, maybe because of all his warts, was considered more honest than Hillary.<br />She DID backstab Sanders as Brazile proves. She has a track record of questionable integrity on legal issues.<br />Maybe the Church saw the issue defined as a legalist vs someone who will own their sins? Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com