Jamin Bradley

I’ve been told I have Trump Derangement Syndrome several times in the past few months, which is actually a pretty good term for the kind of thing I’m trying to invite Christians out of, for there’s this bizarre thing that happens whenever Trump does anything: the American mindset changes in a moment.

After Vance and Trump yelled at Zelensky last week, I have seen the most unapologetically bold critiques of Ukraine on social media. Never once in the last few years have I heard anyone bash Ukraine. Never once have I heard anyone speak against them in the slightest. Indeed, if any American were to do so in a public space, they would have been shut down immediately.

But now that Trump has done it, the world has changed in the blink of an eye. A few weeks ago, no American could have spoken against them, but now it’s considered an allowable opinion. Indeed, now support of Ukraine is suddenly considered by some to be controversial!

For some Americans, Trump is God. They heard him speak ill of Ukraine and they renewed their minds to his in a moment. Others were confused by his actions, but rather than call him to account, they spoke as though Trump moves in mysterious ways. And lately, every time Trump does something baffling, people talk about him as though he’s secretly a genius and probably had some really smart hidden reason for doing what he did. And if supporters do recognize his flaws, they remind us that we’re all flawed and that God uses flawed people, ignoring the fact that some people are far more flawed than others. And if you remind Christians of Jesus, they remind you that they were never going to be able to elect Jesus. And if they can’t agree with anything Trump is doing, they tell us to pray for the president because God put him there, even though the whole point of democracy is that the people are the god who choose their leader.

Friends: there is no need to save face. I know many people who voted for Biden in the last election who couldn’t have cared less to support any of his actions and openly spoke against his decisions. Why is Trump so different? Of all the presidents that Christians could have chosen to exalt as the Christian hero, why on earth is it this one? Why do all of the crazy Revelation conspiracy theorists suddenly stop making stuff up when Trump’s around? There are so many things Trump has done and continues to do that you would have called any other president out on. Indeed, you would have called them the antichrist! Why does Trump get a free pass over and over? What is the obsession?

This is a derangement of Christianity as it renews its mind to Trump as god rather than Jesus as God. Whenever we find an idol in our life, we must repent of it, lest we get swept up in its energy.