{"id":134105,"date":"2017-08-10T15:34:25","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T21:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/?p=134105"},"modified":"2017-08-10T15:34:25","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T21:34:25","slug":"apparently-god-thinks-okay-trump-take-kim-jong-un","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/08\/10\/apparently-god-thinks-okay-trump-take-kim-jong-un.html","title":{"rendered":"Apparently God thinks it’s okay for Trump to take out Kim Jong Un"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Trump’s bestest evangelical buddy, Robert Jeffress<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Well, not that God’s made any divine declaration\u00a0on the topic, specifically. But Robert Jeffress, a Texas Baptist megachurch pastor and evangelical confidante of the President, is certain that it’s okay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to how we should deal with evildoers, the Bible, in the book of Romans, is very clear: God has endowed rulers full power to use whatever means necessary \u2014 including war \u2014 to stop evil,\u201d Jeffress said. \u201cIn the case of North Korea, God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

But Pastor Jeffress, one might say, what about all that stuff Jesus said love and turning the other cheek? What about Paul’s Letter to the Romans, where, in ch. 12<\/a>, Paul is quite clear on the subject (bolding mine):<\/p>\n

9\u00a0<\/sup>Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.\u00a0<\/span>10\u00a0<\/sup>Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love<\/strong>; in honour preferring one another;\u00a0<\/span>11\u00a0<\/sup>Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;\u00a0<\/span>12\u00a0<\/sup>Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation<\/strong>; continuing instant in prayer;\u00a0<\/span>13\u00a0<\/sup>Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.\u00a0<\/span>14\u00a0<\/sup>Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>15\u00a0<\/sup>Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.\u00a0<\/span>16\u00a0<\/sup>Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.\u00a0<\/span>17\u00a0<\/sup>Recompense to no man evil for evil<\/strong>. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.\u00a0<\/span>18\u00a0<\/sup>If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>19\u00a0<\/sup>Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>20\u00a0<\/sup>Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>21\u00a0<\/sup>Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No worries, says Jeffress — that only applies to how Christians should act to other Christians<\/em>. Behaving toward those pagan heathen Commie atheists in North Korea is, presumably, another matter.<\/p>\n

Jeffress says that Romans 13<\/a> is the key here. Earthly powers and rulers — you know, kings, dictators for life,\u00a0presidents —\u00a0<\/em>are appointed by God, and therefore are allowed to smite the evil (like other national leaders who, we presume, weren’t appointed by God).<\/p>\n

\n

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers<\/strong>. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.\u00a0<\/span>2\u00a0<\/sup>Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.\u00a0<\/span>3\u00a0<\/sup>For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil<\/strong>. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:\u00a0<\/span>4\u00a0<\/sup>For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>5\u00a0<\/sup>Wherefore ye must needs be subject<\/strong>, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.\u00a0<\/span>6\u00a0<\/sup>For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers<\/strong>, attending continually upon this very thing.\u00a0<\/span>7\u00a0<\/sup>Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So if the President says “jump,” you say, “How high, sir?” If the President says, “We’re going to nuke North Korea!” you salute and cheer. Because Trump acts as God’s agent in the world, it appears (though Jeffress believed quite otherwise about Obama), and to deny him and his saber-rattling at North Korea is to deny God.<\/p>\n

Is it any wonder Trump likes it when Jeffress is around?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, not that God’s made any divine declaration\u00a0on the topic, specifically. But Robert Jeffress, a Texas Baptist megachurch pastor and evangelical confidante of the President, is certain that it’s okay. \u201cWhen it comes to how we should deal with evildoers, the Bible, in the book of Romans, is very clear: God has endowed rulers full … Continue reading “Apparently God thinks it’s okay for Trump to take out Kim Jong Un”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[109,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-state","category-geopolitical-brouhaha"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/060609711.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23082,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/10\/14\/unblogged-bits-fri-14-oct-11-1730.html","url_meta":{"origin":134105,"position":0},"title":"Unblogged Bits (Fri. 14-Oct-11 1730)","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 14-Oct-11 5:30pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Federal Appeals Court Blocks Alabama Assault On Immigrant School Children - Good. House Passes Toxic Coal Ash Bill - \"Toxic\" describes most of the bills the GOP House passes. Fischer: Fornication And Homosexuality Should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Potpourri"","block_context":{"text":"Potpourri","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/potpourri"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23033,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/10\/10\/the-c-word-and-presidential-politics.html","url_meta":{"origin":134105,"position":1},"title":"The “C” Word and Presidential Politics","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 10-Oct-11 12:07pm","format":false,"excerpt":"I am, of course, speaking of cult. As Mitt Romney continues to be a strong contender in the 2012 GOP Primaries, the Right-Wing Christian Fringe is in full-bore assault on Mormonism and the LDS church, of which Romney is a member. For example: The pastor who introduced Texas Gov. Rick\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Elections 2012"","block_context":{"text":"Elections 2012","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/politics-law\/elections-2012"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/romney_ask-mitt-anything-300x199.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23059,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/10\/12\/unblogged-bits-wed-12-oct-11-1130.html","url_meta":{"origin":134105,"position":2},"title":"Unblogged Bits (Wed. 12-Oct-11 1130)","author":"***Dave","date":"Wed 12-Oct-11 11:30am","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Bill Donohue Condemns Jeffress As A \"Poster Boy For Hatred\" - And when Bill Donohue talks about people being \"a poster boy for hatred, not Christianity,\" he's got the experience to back up that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics & Comic Books"","block_context":{"text":"Comics & Comic Books","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/media\/media-comics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":136484,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2018\/05\/18\/the-diplomatically-influential-president.html","url_meta":{"origin":134105,"position":3},"title":"The Diplomatically Influential President","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 18-May-18 12:20am","format":false,"excerpt":"Watching Trump flail about as his much-bragged-of North Korea deal starts to go south would be highly amusing ... if we weren't talking about torquing off an unstable autocrat who is armed with nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Donald Trump's warning to Kim Jong-un: make a deal or suffer same\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/trump-across-the-table.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23075,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/10\/13\/unblogged-bits-thu-13-oct-11-2330.html","url_meta":{"origin":134105,"position":4},"title":"Unblogged Bits (Thu. 13-Oct-11 2330)","author":"***Dave","date":"Thu 13-Oct-11 11:30pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Pedestrians on Streets Designed for Cars - While these seem to be various run-down areas, the same sort of problem can be found in business parks and more upscale commercial streets as well. When\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Potpourri"","block_context":{"text":"Potpourri","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/potpourri"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23047,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2011\/10\/11\/unblogged-bits-tue-11-oct-11-1730.html","url_meta":{"origin":134105,"position":5},"title":"Unblogged Bits (Tue. 11-Oct-11 1730)","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 11-Oct-11 5:30pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries .... Fischer Plays The Victim, Decries Romney's Rude and Insulting Attack On Him - Amusing -- because when Bryan Fischer talks about tacky, impolite and rude language that completely and utterly lacks class, he speaks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogging & Internet"","block_context":{"text":"Blogging & Internet","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134105"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":134107,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134105\/revisions\/134107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}