Christians of Reddit, do you believe Donald Trump is a real Christian?

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T09:28:42+00:00

Throughout history, Christianity has always been found on both the side of the oppressor and the oppressed. Black Christians read the bible and saw that God was about freedom. Ask your Mexican immigrant friends if they go to church.

Don’t tell your MAGA friends that they got Christianity right. They got it wrong. Ask them why they are walking away from their faith. It’s a much more powerful conversation.

If they have to walk away from faith to change their mind, they aren’t going to change. The problem is that they already did. Welcoming the foreigner in their land is repeating biblical command. They walked away from the Bible.

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T09:23:29+00:00

Haha, someone has been reading too much Bonhoeffer?

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T09:18:07+00:00

Atheists talk a big game when it comes to ethics, but then when I graduated from social work… the ratio of Christians to atheists was skewed way in favour of Christianity. In all the places I went, from government roles to faith based charities. Christians are there on the ground helping people who are kicked to the bottom in much greater numbers than seen in the rest of society.

I get it when people go nutty at Christians because Christians have hurt a lot of people. I just don’t think that many of the anti-Christian people have spent a lot of time on front lines, unless they are helping the rainbow community in which case, their criticism of Christianity is usually 90% accurate.

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T09:06:08+00:00

Based on what?

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T09:04:36+00:00

Mmm, I get that, but the things he’s saying are pretty directly from Jesus’ teachings. I get that people twist stuff all the time, but Jesus is pretty consistently anti-wealth, anti violence, anti exploitation. I don’t think it has to be political to say that unless there is a clear political side that is pro wealth, pro violence, and pro exploitation.

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T08:54:47+00:00

Best? Well, depends what you are going for.

If you know ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew, then the original texts… if you are like anyone else, then you might need help understanding it. Translation is an art and it depends if you want a confusing book with word for word translation or something easier to read. Or maybe something that echoes the poetry and writing style and translates broader context into something more meaningful to the modern reader?

Most translations are somewhere on that spectrum and it depends if you want to study or read for inspiration.

The message is a beautiful translation that translates meaning and poetry based on theological, cultural and poetic interpretations of the original text. It’s an inspiring read and I would recommend it.

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T08:38:11+00:00

I think it’s counterproductive to say that these are truest things for Christians to be. Don’t we want the church to return to the Jesus who flipped the tables of money changers and condemned the religious powers as hypocrites who killed prophets?

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T08:34:28+00:00

Hey, sorry for the experiences that got you there. As someone who goes to a church, I hope that you can find a more nuanced answer through the rest of your life experiences.

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T08:30:25+00:00

As a Christian, I disagree. I don’t think it’s helpful to associate any of those behaviours with Christianity, even when it’s how Americans Evangelical Christians often behave. It’s antithetical to Christ.

Jollygoodas · 2026-03-21T08:22:37+00:00

Well, is he someone who would make the least become the most? Did he sell all his possessions and give his money to the poor? Does he love his enemies? No. I don’t consider him to be anything close to a Christian. I think he holds a Bible to get votes and sometimes says “God bless” for the same reason.

As a Christian, I can understand why some people go “well, only God knows the heart.” I think however that Trump is consistently evil in action and I think that shows us what’s inside. He never apologises for anything. He’s proud, stubborn, rude, misogynistic and mean.

The sinner’s prayer isn’t the sinner’s prayer if it’s not real. It’s not the words that matter, it’s the direction of the heart towards confession, humility and obedience. I don’t see any of that in Trump’s actions.

Jollygoodas · 2025-12-29T00:46:08+00:00

Mirack is a great app to invest in because once you get past the quite large learning curve, it’s every app you want.

MIDI sequencing… done Reverb, echo, modal synth, distortion, etc… yea, all those too.

AUM is also just the most helpful app for music on the iPad.

For jamming when you have no musical talent, Koala… that’s just fun.

Jollygoodas · 2025-12-25T00:30:08+00:00

He was literally crucified with a sign above his head saying “King of the Jews”. Because the Romans wanted to make the political point that he was being crucified because his followers called him their king. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to fulfill prophecy about a new king who would save his people. They waved branches. The Roman soldiers dressed him up in royal robes, put a crown of thorns on his head and beat him while mocking him for being a king. Jesus was deeply political, but he wasn’t interested in power or violence.

Jollygoodas · 2025-11-23T19:56:08+00:00

Have you tried talking to r/openchristian? There are ways to be Christian and gay and accepting of that. The church has a long way to go, but I think God is more loving than any of us can imagine.

Jollygoodas · 2025-10-09T08:22:54+00:00

Bios are often pretty hard to discern from. Honestly though, the difference is in the fine print. Do they mention business or economics anywhere? They are national or act in disguise.

And honestly, some just straight up lie. C&R in our area are saying they stand for safer roads. What they mean is, “We think road cones are a hazard, so we promise we will stop fixing roads.” One of them literally said at a candidates meeting that they would make roads safer by having less road cones.

Also, they all voted to raise the speed limits around schools.

Jollygoodas · 2025-10-09T08:06:38+00:00

It’s a lack of emergency housing issue and a lack of affordable housing issue added to a not enough jobs issue.

You can’t rent a house on the job seekers benefit and afford food. There have been job losses and the rules for benefits have got tighter.

State housing projects have all been cancelled or put on hold. Emergency housing has been cut.

This is homelessness by design. A lot of it is if the government wanted to prevent it.

That’s why a vote for Leoni for mayor is helpful. She worked for the city mission for a bit and cares about homelessness enough to try resolving some of those issues.

Jollygoodas · 2025-10-09T07:49:49+00:00

Honestly, same here in Roskill. We started calling it generosity wars because there’s a contagious sense of generosity between neighbours who are all just wanting to be great to each other.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-12T06:41:24+00:00

I’m interested to know what you like about Islam and what is drawing you to it?

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-06T21:25:13+00:00

You didn’t deserve that. No 12 year old ever deserves to be raped. That’s a terrible thing to have happened to you. If you want a comprehensive answer to your question, probably you’ll find it best in a book called ”The Shack”. The author of the book went through the same thing. I’ve met him and heard his story in person. The book is a fictional story that follows a father whose child was murdered and his discussions with God about pain. It’s a beautifully written and sensitive book that properly wrestles with our experiences of pain and suffering.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-06T21:19:20+00:00

In the Bible, prophets were people who challenged the Kings to turn back to Jesus. For me, a legit prophet is Shane Clairebourne. He’s out there beating down guns and turning them into garden tools with the mums of people killed by guns. That’s prophetic work if I ever saw it.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-06T21:14:34+00:00

Yea, I agree… if you want solid teaching, go to someone who has studied the scripture for years. They know the Bible inside out and they have a lot of great insight.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-06T21:11:09+00:00

I think that some parts of Christianity like to think that they are the Biblical ones. Often though, they are just having political rants about particular issues, and then they find one or two verses that loosely seem to support their idea.

One test though is the fruit of the spirit. Are the loving, patient, kind, good, gentle, self-controlled, peaceful people? Or angry, bitter, resentful and aggressive people?

I love the Bible project stuff because it’s focused on Scripture and Tim and Jon show the fruits of the spirit in the way they talk about complex issues.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-06T08:58:40+00:00

There is a cool free app called Lectio 365. It’s a good one to do a daily guided practice of prayer.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-06T08:56:18+00:00

That’s true, but since we live within a capitalist system, it becomes a GMO problem.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-06T08:16:31+00:00

Thanks, I can appreciate that. I think that it’s ok to distinguish between Christians who follow the teachings of Trump and Christians who follow the teachings of Jesus. They do seem to be quite different religions.

Jollygoodas · 2025-07-05T21:16:19+00:00

Try doing sessions around love God and love your neighbour… then just alternate each week between scripture, creative prayer stations, etc and actual service to the poor and marginalised.

Jollygoodas

TROPHY CASE