Transcription
You were looking at that statue the other day at its unveiling. What does it represent to you, pastor?
>> Well, I mean, it it it represents the miracle of God. That's what it represents.
>> Hey friends, welcome back to the channel. I am Tim Whitaker. I don't even know how to introduce this topic. I mean, every day it feels like there's a new bottom of the barrel with this administration. And it also seems like evangelical leaders continue to sell their soul at an unprecedented rate. And so in this video, I want to talk about the golden Trump statue because it is just, oh my god. I mean, it is shocking but not surprising. I want to, I want to show you first what actually happened. We'll play a clip from Mark Burns, the evangelical pastor who did the dedication service, and then we'll talk about all the other stuff that goes along with Christian nationalism, yada yada yada. You know the drill. Like this video, subscribe, leave a comment. Let's get into it.
Okay, so I guess we'll start here. Um, if you have not seen this picture yet. Boom. Boom. That is a golden image of Trump. That's a statue. It's 22 feet tall. He's giving the fists in the air. I think this is to model after his his assassination attempt. Um, you know, he came out with that iconic picture of the flag behind him and that image of him trying to say, "Fight, fight, fight." So, a bunch of people apparently put money together to erect this statue. And, um, I, I just got to say, guys, like, as a former evangelical, I'm not going to say I'm a Bible scholar, but I am definitely an Awana sword drill champion. And even I know the, the Bible verses that talk about, "I don't know, thou shalt have no other gods before me." Something about a golden calf in the in the book of Exodus. I, I mean, but again, what do I know? I'm just some kind of heretic.
The crazy part though for me is this picture right here. This, first off, this golden statue with, is that a toga wrapped around it? I don't even know what to do with that. The man behind the Trump podium is Pastor Mark Burns. Yeah. This is a right-wing evangelical pastor who has supported Trump since 2016. This is a man claiming to be a leader of Christianity and an expert on the Bible, leading the dedication service to this statue of the statue. I, I, for anyone watching this who grew up in evangelicalism, like, we were taught to be afraid of anything becoming an idol in our life. I mean, literally, like, like, watch how much TV, uh, you, you inhale. That can become an idol. Sports can become an idol. I mean, I'm not trying to be that guy, but literally, when, when my family on Sunday morning would drive by a soccer field full of kids, I was told that's the God that they worship. They worship soccer because they're not going to church on Sunday morning. And now, fast forward to 2026, and this is the state of, of American evangelicalism. An evangelical pastor on behind a podium dedicating a golden statue of his Messiah in chief to God, thanking God for this moment. Oh my gosh. I, I just cannot, I just cannot take it.
So, I, I do want to watch Mark Burns went on a show and tried to defend this. I think it's worth watching. It's only about 11 minutes long. It's not super long. We'll go through it kind of piece by piece. We'll do the typical react and respond thing. But, oh gosh, I, I will say, I'll bring this up more later on. This should not completely shock us. The writing has been on the wall for a long time with Trump. I'll give some examples after we watch Mark Burns's response. But again, is it shocking? Yes. Is it surprising? It really shouldn't be. Evangelicals have been giving Trump a messianic complex really since 2016. It is. It was only a matter of time before they started building statues, golden statues in his honor and then defending it. So, let's watch this video. Uh, I, I, I think it's, it's worth going through. This is Mark Burns, Pastor Mark Burns, and he is, um, he is on a show talking about why he did what he did. Okay, let's watch this clip, kind of go through it piece by piece, and see what Mark Burns has to say. I will say this reporter or journalist does a good job kind of holding his feet to the fire in a very kind way. So I appreciate that. Let's get started. We'll go through it. Brace yourself.
>> Want to bring in Pastor Mark Burns who is Donald Trump's spiritual adviser and presided over the unveiling ceremony for this statue earlier this week. Pastor, really appreciate your time. Thank you for joining us. Um, tell us about this ceremony then earlier this week. It was quite the moment.
>> It was, again, I've said it, uh, you know, very publicly. It was one of, one of the greatest honors of my life to be able to, uh, dedicate this, uh, you know, this wonderful statue that was created by, you know, u Mr. Ash and, you know, Mr. uh, uh, Mr. uh, Dustin Stockton, um, you know, Brock Pierce and Yakov Flinchkin and, you know, Mr. uh, uh, Mr. um, Fryman, um, you know, Hershey Fryman, so many and plus 6,000 plus, uh, patriots, um, from around the United States of America who all came together to raise money to celebrate whom many believe and I believe the greatest president in our lifetime too.
This is Trump derangement syndrome. I know that that that these MAGA sycophants like to throw it in our face and call us deranged, but these people have Trump derangement syndrome. I mean, how do you look around right now and say that Trump is or was the greatest president of our lifetime? How do you claim to be a pastor who reads the red letters, the words of Jesus, and find in any kind of compatibility with Trump on any level? I mean, one question you can ask any MAGA pastor is, please tell me one policy that Jesus preaches on or or or or endorses that that the Trump administration has endorsed. They, they won't be, they won't be able to name one because guess what, guys? Bombing kids in Iran is not a Christian ethic policy. Jesus would not be advocating for that. He just wouldn't. Uh, this is like deranged behavior. And also this guy, this pastor is saying one of the honors of his life was to lead this dedication service of a 22-foot golden statue of a narcissistic, prideful man who is destroying the country and killing people around the world. Gosh, I mean, all you can do is laugh. It's, it's insane. You have to mock these people because what else can you do? It, it is wild. Wild to me.
>> Symbolized patriotism and it symbolized, uh, you know, uh, the will to fight. Remember, he almost died and they tried to assassinate him three times, but this particular statue, uh, was about, um, him actually getting shot in the ear and by the hand of God, barely, barely survived by sheer millimeters, uh, of of the bullet just glazing and grazing his ear. And so these patriots from around the world, um, Sam and everyone who came together from around the world, Jack Daily, um, to, uh, symbolize their love for President Donald Trump. Remember, over 6,000 patriots came together and I was just so blessed to be the president's main point of contact that shared the statue with them as it was brought to me. Uh, and I was able to share it with the president. Um, and, and it took over a year. Uh, but we, we finally got it done.
>> And the president actually called into the ceremony at one point. He gave you a call on your phone. Um, what did he say?
>> Well, I mean, again, it's very well documented. He said that he knew the statue was made with love. Um, because that's exactly what it was made with. It was made with love. People not asking for political favors, people not, uh, asking anything from the president. These are people again, uh, the 6,000 patriots who came together.
He's saying the same thing over and over. But look, guys, make no mistake. This administration is built on favor-making, okay? All these corporations that donated to Trump's ballroom, um, are expecting favors in return. So again, like Mark Burns is trying to make it seem like, like this is all altruistic. There's no strings attached. I don't believe that for a second. And, and, and Trump, the, the thing that, that kills me, especially about Pastor Mark Burns, as we watched the Tennessee legislature completely gut, uh, black voting rights in Tennessee instantly the second the Supreme Court, uh, ruled, uh, in a way that gutted the Voting Rights Act. I just don't know how Pastor Mark Burns stands behind this man on, on many levels, including that one. Like, I, I just, like, I don't think he realizes that if Christian nationalists get what they want, he's one of the first to go. If Joel Webbin or Doug Wilson or Pete Hegseth, if they continue to get what they want, he's the first to go. Pete Hegseth has gutted the military of so many top-ranking black military leaders. This administration has erased the jobs of hundreds of thousands of black women. Why does Pastor Mark think that somehow he'll be protected from this? Why? It's just a matter of time. And here he is singing for a man who is actively working to in, to, um, ingrain or, or to pass policies and legislation that actively harms his own right to vote. I, I don't understand it. Oh my gosh.
>> And some pitched a lot, some pitched little, but they all very important patriots. And the president wanted to show and share his love and appreciation. Again, the president had nothing to do with the statue. It is so baffling. As I'm reading throughout social media, people are saying, you know, President Trump dedicated a statue to himself. That has nothing, that is so—
>> He loves the statue, though, doesn't he?
>> Well, of course he loves the stat. Who wouldn't love a statue of themselves? I mean, again, um, again, Michael Jordan loves the statue of himself. Uh, Allen Iverson loved the statue of himself. Shakira the singer loved the statue of herself. Elton John, um, you know, who wouldn't love a statue, uh, you know, dedicated by people who love, uh, their art, their ability, um, to, uh, while they're alive. And so—
>> The, the difference here that he's not mentioning is that Michael Jordan and Shakira and, um, Elton John, they did not, they don't have pastors and prophets declaring that they are anointed by God for a divine purpose. None of them have posted pictures of themselves being depicted as Jesus Christ. Now, of course, I think you can say that celebrities, maybe to a fault, have, you know, uh, have, uh, god complexes. Sure. But even Michael Jordan, who is, you know, and rightfully so, right? Like, stands pretty proud of what he's accomplished. Even he doesn't think that he's Jesus Christ. And also, President Trump is the most powerful man, arguably on the planet. So, it just shows his own narcissism, right? Aren't government officials supposed to be servants of the people? But Trump loves the praise. Trump loves the adoration. Trump thrives on it. He needs it. He needs it. The, the, the arrogance here is, is off the charts for Trump. And again, Pastor Mark, the man claiming to know the Bible is like, "Oh, well, it's no big deal. Of course, who doesn't like their own statue?" I mean, the way he defends this is, is wild to me. I, I've always preached the word, you know, let's give the flowers while you are alive instead of a bed full of roses when you're dead. And so now it's time for the president to smell the roses while he's alive. And when the man has people worshiping him hand and feet, he, hand, he, he tosses anyone out who doesn't like him. He fires people at, at will. His own vice president couldn't even endorse him because he was so corrupt. Mark, like, the, the dude posted an AI video of himself featuring a Trump statue in the middle of Gaza. Come on. Like, the man is obviously egotistical. He's obviously prideful. Where's the prophetic critique? Aren't you a man of God, Pastor Mark? Like, guys, this is why so many of us have left this evangelical space because we were told that because we couldn't support a man like Donald Trump, somehow we were the heretics. But these are the people who have sold their souls for earthly power and you're watching how they justify it in real time.
>> You were looking at that statue the other day at its unveiling and it, it is enormous. It's 22 feet high, all in gold. What does it mean to you? What does it represent to you, pastor?
>> Well, I mean, it, it, it represents the miracle of God. That's what it represents. Not, uh, you know, the, the statue stuff because we all know that this is not some, you know, again, you see it cross social media that this is some idol and that, you know, people are quoting Exodus and it is so true and I'm very happy that people are quoting Exodus that we should have no false gods before or no graven image created and no false god that is a, that, for me, that's a mission accomplished because so many around the world are repeating that scripture and I pray that those who are repeating it will take it to—
How can you be this thick-headed? Like, Pastor Mark, look in the mirror, my guy. You oversaw the dedication of a gold statue of a man who thinks he is Jesus Christ. A man who has said, "I am the chosen one." A man that other pastors have declared has a special anointing by God. A miracle, right? Was saved by God for a divine purpose. Like, that is idolatry. Because guess what? Trump is just a man. Trump is not God. Trump is not special. He is just a man. This is the epitome of idolatry. This is the epitome of idol worship. And Mark Burns is like, "No, no, no. We're all above board here, guys. Nothing else to see." No, we're told, "Hey, I'm glad people are quoting Exodus. The more, the more people quote the, the Bible, the better. Maybe it will change their hearts." Meanwhile, case in point, come on, dude. Come on. What is your response to that that this is somehow a false idol? You know, because people talk about the golden calf. Well, is this the golden Trump?
>> Yeah. Well, of course, it's preposterous. It's blasphemy to even think that. I mean, if you knew me, of course. I don't know anybody who worships Donald Trump as a god. But I do.
>> Oh, okay. Hey, no problem. Got you covered. I got a book right here. Christ Trump, Persecution of a Man. This is a real book. There's also another book called Donald Trump, the Son of Man, the Christ. Okay. Again, Pastor Mark either is willfully ignorant or he's lying. Paul the White said that to say no to go, uh, Trump is to say no to God. How much clearer can you get? Paul the White compared the suffering of Jesus Christ during Holy Week to the suffering of Donald Trump, the mega-billionaire pillaging our government for self-gain. I, I am short-circuiting with this. Like, you cannot be this disingenuous, this ignorant. I mean, foolishness. It is. These are the spiritual leaders that we're supposed to take seriously. They know what happens when we die. They have the corner on morality and on the gospel and on, and on God and the only path to salvation. These are the people who can't even see right in what's right in front of them. Give me a break, guys. Give me a freaking break.
You can, you can worship anything as a god. Whether it be your job, whether it be your money, whether it be your relationships, whether it be your career, uh, whatever it is, whether it be a political poll or a politician that you just can't stop supporting, no matter what. Somehow that gets left out. But did I not, did I not tell you earlier that in evangelicalism, we were taught anything can become an idol? And he just rattles off five or six examples and fails to mention politics. Fails to mention worshiping a man thinking that he's saving America is absolutely idolatrous. Especially when you dedicate a golden statue in his honor. Oh my god. Someone did not watch Veggie Tales as a child, Pastor Mark, and does not know the bunny song. If you know, you know.
>> You can put it before the living God. And God is a jealous God. So nothing should ever be, uh, put before the living God. This statue symbolized patriotism of Americans. It represents the will to fight even in the face of opposition, the will to get back up with the blood coming down the president's face. And how he turned to the crowd in Butler, Pennsylvania, and he raised up that fist and he said, "Fight, fight, fight." That, that, that patriotism echoed throughout the world and throughout America, uh, to re-energize Americans to bring us together because I'm grateful Democrats should be just as excited that, that, that Donald Trump survived, 'cause no violence belongs in our, uh, in our politics in America. So this, that—
>> Wait, did he just say no violence belongs in politics in America? And he is singing for a man who incited an insurrection? The first time in American history we did not have a peaceful transfer of power. People brought a noose to hang the vice president with. And then Donald Trump pardoned every single January 6er, one of which is currently serving life in prison for sex abusing two children later on. You're telling me, Mark, that violence has no place when Donald Trump tweeted out that, um, Democrats who are considered traitors should be put to death? Sedicious behavior for what? Because they said you don't have to follow unlawful orders to the military? Like, you got to, again, guys, like, I would love to know your thoughts in the comments. It is just, I mean, it is baffling. I don't know what goes on in their heads. I don't know if they're just willfully lying because they have access to this kind of power. I don't know if they really brainwashed themselves that what they're saying is coherent and logical and makes sense. This is crazy town. Like, this is just so far into Looney Tunes land. What are we even doing? Violence doesn't have any place in politics. I agree, by the way, to be clear. To be clear, but it wasn't Joe Biden that incited insurrection. Wasn't the atheists that stormed the capital with appeal to heaven flags and the Christian flag trying to overturn the lawful certification process of our fair elections. Oh my god.
>> Is a symbolism of the will to fight to overcome to persevere that we the people of the United States of America to form a more corporate union. We are the people. We hold up Donald J. Trump. Whether you're Democrat, independent or Republican, whether you're gay, whether you're straight, whether you're young or old, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, or Jew, whatever your faith is, if you are bleed the red, the white and blue, you are an American. And so that—
>> Okay, this, this is way off, uh, brand for MAGA. And I, again, I don't know if, if Mark believes this or not, but I would also once again point to the policies of this administration. I mean, his in his first, uh, term, Trump had the Muslim ban. The right routinely denigrates our Muslim neighbors. Look up the words of Ali Stucky or Laura Loomer. Trump hates Democrats. He's literally said, "I hate them." Show me where the, where's the peace building? If you're gay, are you kidding me? This administration is going after queer people at unprecedented rates. In their latest, um, report about terrorism, they labeled radical trans ideology as, as a terrorist cell, essentially. And you're telling me that if it, our gay neighbors should get behind Trump because as long as we bleed red, white, and blue, we're all, we're all under the banner, banner of America when Trump is routinely trying to erase the, or trying to separate who's in and who's out based on certain characteristics, maybe if they're immigrants or not, even if they're here legally. Again, this administration, we've watched legal US citizens get deported because they're brown-skinned or because they're from the South. Like, what are we doing? You, you, you can't, you cannot be this ignorant. There's just no excuse for it. None.
>> Statue is for all of us, not just for Donald Trump. But I just wonder whether, and, and as a man of God himself, pastor, whether Trump is increasingly guilty, some might say he's been guilty for a long time of displaying the sin of pride. You know, this is a man who has renamed Kennedy Center after himself. That was meant to be a memorial to another president who sadly fell victim to an assassination attempt. He's the first sitting president to put a signature on a US banknote. Now he's celebrating the erection of giant gold statues of himself. I, is this a man guilty of the sin of pride?
>> Yes. Well, listen, this is what I do know is this. Uh, whether you like President Donald Trump or dislike President Donald Trump, you cannot argue that this man has done extraordinary things. And millions of Americans here believe that those extraordinary things have made our country stronger, safer, uh, more prosperous, more economical prosper.
>> Okay, pause. First off, he has not answered the question. Again, where is this standing up to culture and speaking truth even when it's uncomfortable? Mark, isn't that the evangelical calling card? We have to speak the truth in love, but we can't shy away from the truth. He's obviously prideful. He's obviously egotistical. I mean, this is like, it's, it's as clear as the sky is blue. And then he goes into a little rant here about how we're better off because of Trump economically. Has he seen the price of gas recently, up a $1.50 on average a gallon because we're in some useless and senseless war because of Bibi Netanyahu? A war that was so ridiculous, even Bush wouldn't entertain the idea of invading Iran. Are you kidding me? Our healthcare is higher than ever. It's harder than ever to make a fair living and to pay your bills. What are you talking about? But again, guys, notice like the rhetoric. If this is all you listen to, if all you listen to is right-wing media pundits and pastors like this guy, this is what you hear all day. This is what you hear all day. How good things are, even as you go to the pump and see your gas price skyrocket. No, don't worry about that. It's fine. It's fine. It's all good. Trump is saving the country. Dulu. Hey, if you're enjoying this video, please make sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel if you want more of this kind of stuff, leave a comment. Love to know your thoughts. I'm trying not to lose it here, but oh my gosh.
>> And so again, these things that are happening, uh, it is the people have to vote it. The people have to make it happen. Not vote, excuse me. The people have to allow it 'cause we the people is the true power of the United States of America. We don't have a dictator. We don't have a king. We have an elected. But with respect to not really an answer, we have a, we have a Congress and we have a president. We have an executive branch, of the judiciary branch, and we have the Senate, and each and every one of them have equal power. And so at any time, of course, the president is, is always been challenged of the things that he made a decree, um, or things. And he defies court orders blatantly, at least 11 of them. 11 court orders he's just defied and ignored. This man is so unaccountable. It, it's almost comical. And it's even funnier that Mark Burns is trying to tell us that somehow Trump is all about checks and balances. Give me a break. Executive orders he may sign. And so, you know, these things that are happening, um, they're also based off of the will of the people. And, and if the people didn't want it to happen, it wouldn't happen in America.
>> Can I be really honest with you, pastor? When I see this statue, I just think it's a bit tacky. I mean, it is, it is wrapped in gold. At best, it looks like an ornament in Liberace's dressing room. At worst, it looks like something out of North Korea.
>> Yes. Can, can you understand why a lot of people would look at this and just go, "This is insane. The, the man has gone mad."
>> Well, first of all, let's be very clear. This is not Donald Trump. Again, you're speaking from the, from the, from the assumption that Donald Trump had anything to do with this statue. If I gifted you something and if I worked really hard, if I spent my own hurt on earned money, uh, to be a blessing to you, to celebrate you, your television station, your, your ability to, to have this wonderful show that goes around the world and if I work hard and then I dedicate something as magnificent as a statue to you, that has—
>> Is it magnificent? No. Or is it a bit tacky with that? This has nothing to do with Donald Trump. He had nothing to do. But people like you keep playing that and you keep pushing that narrative, that's completely false.
>> Well, I mean, Trump did call in to talk about how much he loved the statue. Now, maybe he didn't have anything to do with it behind the scenes, although again, I would really dispute that for many, many reasons. But make no mistake, Trump has depicted himself as a statue many times, and there have been statues before, which I'm going to show after we finish watching Mark over here at CPAC 2021. They wheeled out a golden Trump statue. This is not the first time this has happened. And look, you're smart, guys. You're all smart. You obviously see through this. You see through the BS. I just want to show you the level of, of, of stupidity, frankly, that goes into the, to the rhetoric here. I mean, there's, there's nothing logical or, or, or consistent about it, especially as a supposed Christ follower. He, there's no way to square that circle. You just can't. You can't read the words of Jesus. Just hate to break it to you, Pastor Mark, and justify what you're supporting both on a policy level and on a personal level. It's, it's, it's outrageous, frankly.
>> He loves this, though. He loves all these people who all came together to celebrate the greatest president in our lifetime. And I wasn't even a part of the group that created this. I, I'm getting way too much, uh, way too much television time. People like Brock Pearson, Yaka Fischkin, and Hershey, and, and Ash. This is Ash's baby. Uh, this was Ash's dream, man. He put this thing together. And then you got Dustin Stockton and, and Sam who all came in, uh, and raised money. Jack Daly, all these guys came together and the 6,000 unnamed patriots who all came together to celebrate Donald Trump. So, quit playing the narrative that this was Donald Trump raising a statue to himself. This is not. This has nothing to do with Donald Trump. Tell the truth. Speak the truth. And I was there from the very beginning when it was first brought to my attention and I brought it to the president's attention. Can I ask you one final thing, pastor, because I just make sure that you give the correct narrative. Don't say, well, this has to that Donald—
>> He said out loud the correct narrative. The correct narrative, that's what he wants here.
>> Don't raise the statue to himself.
>> I've never said he raised the stat, but he has celebrated the arrival of the patron that did this. Okay. So, just make sure you echo that message around the world.
>> I genuinely wonder if we are close now to him commissioning a sculptor to carve his face into the side of Mount Rushmore. If someone suggested that, would you support it? Do you think Donald Trump belongs on Mount Rushmore?
>> Well, I'm not here to speak for the president. I'm not here speak on, on Mount Rushmore. I think that's comical. What's more important is the fact that the statue is not a golden calf. Statue is not some, uh, uh, some false idol god. Anything could be an idol. It doesn't have to be some statue. This is, this represents, uh, and let me just say this about the gold. It was first bronze. Uh, the president, again, had nothing to do with this, the statue in the first place. But the patriots came together at the very last minute and they said it would be wonderful so that it don't patina, mean it turns green like the Statue of Liberty, that if we make it gold, that would, that would preserve the statue even longer. So we should be celebrating these people. We should be celebrating the hard-earned taxpayers that put together their own money and they raise it, uh, you know, on their own to celebrate Donald Trump like the man. But you got to appreciate, uh, the, the, the 6,000 plus people who came together to do this for Donald Trump. And, and that's, that's the real story.
>> Pastor, really appreciate your time.
>> I, I, I don't know what to say to that. Half, half of that. I mean, wow. Wow. There you go, friends. There's a justification. It's not an, it's not an idol. It's, it's just patriotic. As a pastor, the man who's all over the Epstein files. The man who has bragged about assaulting women. The man who calls women "piggy." Let's make a statue honoring the greatest president in our lifetime. Are you mad, Pastor Mark? Like, are, what is going on here? Wow.
Now, I did want to show you guys. Here is the picture. This is CPAC 2021. Here's the golden statue of Trump that started this. Uh, and by the way, I, I got to say, I've been calling this out for a long time. I've been saying that these evangelical leaders have a messiah-like God complex for Trump. In the beginning, people were like, "Oh, that's so extreme, Tim. That, that's too much." And I saw with this picture, I'm like, "No, no, no. If they're already doing this, this is only the beginning."
Now, here is a clip. I do have this short clip of Pastor Mark Burns on the phone with Donald Trump. And let's see what Trump thought about this statue. It's not long.
>> Want to thank. I know it was done from love. And I want to thank Mark Burns, a pastor. He's a good pastor. He's a good man. I've known him a long time. He's been with me from the beginning. Right from the beginning, maybe about two days later, right?
>> Right, Mr. President.
>> He was, he was right at the—
Okay, so I want to. Here's why I play this clip. All right. The re people often ask me, Tim, I, I don't understand. How do these Christians do this? How do they get behind Trump knowing Trump stands for almost nothing of what they believe? Here's the secret you must know. Power and control. If it gives them power and control, they are going to do it. That's how this world of evangelicalism operates. Okay, Mark Burns, look at this. You think Mark Burns isn't feeling kind of big right now? He has the president on his personal cell phone calling in and praising him, telling people how great he is. Look, I'm not going to lie, friends, okay? One time I was at, uh, a place and someone prominent who I respect shouted me out from the stage. I felt real good. I was like, "Whoa, I feel like people will notice me. I feel like I have some clout." Imagine if the president of the United States is in your contact list and you call him on speaker in front of the whole audience and they're like, "Wow, yeah, I guess he and Mark Burns is getting puffed up by Trump." This is ego. These people love power. They love being next to power. They are obsessed with power and control. The very thing that Jesus warned about selling your soul to gain the world. These men have done over and over and over again. This is what they believe. This is why so many of us left this type of Christianity because again, what do you do with this? You have to leave. There's nothing biblical about it.
Okay, now, before we wrap up, two more things I, two points I want to make briefly. First, I did want to show this other clip. It's a little bit not related to this directly, but I think it's worth showing. Do I have it here? Okay, this is another example. This is very short. I'm not going to respond to it. I'm just going to play. It's about a minute and a half. This clip of Robert Jeff. If you don't know, Robert Jeff is a mega-church pastor in Texas. He is very close to the Trump administration. Has a lot of power with Trump. He's a Baptist minister, allegedly. Listen to him defend Trump. And I listen for the end. He's going to say something that is so deranged, I about fell off my chair when I heard it. Just listen to this. They're talking about the Pope and in, in America and the Pope and Trump and the Pope. Listen to this.
>> Get your take here. The Vatican put out a statement and they said that there was an exchange of views. We don't know what exactly that means, but they exchanged some views. Give me your take about this public criticism from really both sides.
>> Yeah. Look, I think it's commendable that the Trump administration is meeting with the Pope and trying to work with the Pope. The Pope is a good man. He's sincere in his faith, but he is sincerely wrong when it comes to Iran. The Pope ought to know, and I think he does know, God created both the church and government for two distinct purposes. The role of the church is to point people to faith in Jesus Christ. But the role of government is to protect citizens from evildoers according to Romans 13. And look, three days after this conflict began, I was in the Oval Office with President Trump and a few other faith leaders, and he told us that Iran was within weeks of getting a powerful weapon that would destroy Israel, much of the Middle East, and could bring very to America. And he had no choice but to act. And I thanked him then for having the courage to fulfill his God-given responsibility to protect our nation. And you know, the great irony is it looks like President Trump has a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the Pope has. And I'm glad the president hasn't backed down at all.
Is wild. Robert Jeff says that Donald Trump has a better understanding of the biblical view of government than the Pope does. Look, I, I don't want to be cruel here. These men are stupid. Like, this is just, this is the, the idiocy. How do you think that? You think 2 Corinthians, Donald Trump understands the government according to the Bible, which is a very loaded phrase anyway, better than the Pope does? The arrogance, the pride, but also the ignorance. These men are so ignorant, but they're so confident in their ignorance. Again, this is why so many of us left evangelicalism. This whole, this whole space, guys, this basement of of fundamentalism, this basement of Christianity is so built upon this illusion that they have the corner on like objective moral truth, the corner on salvation, the corner on God, but they don't. But they act like they do. To the point where a pastor, a major pastor will say on national TV that Donald Trump has a better understanding of the Bible regarding government issues than the Pope does. Look, here's all I want to say. If you're wondering how this works, I already mentioned earlier that power and control is a big piece, but there's another piece. Evangelicals worship a very cruel god, a god based in wrath and punishment and a god that will eventually smite his enemies. And that's why they like Trump because Trump reflects that type of ideology in America. Some of you might not agree, but think about it. I mean, I was taught, guys, that most people are going to burn in hell forever because they were enemies of God. Because they, they didn't repent. They were on the wrong side. That's exactly how Trump behaves. Trump wants to punish every one of his enemies, every single one. He loves the wrath. He loves the retribution. Donald Trump has to be worshiped all the time. He needs statues built of him all the time so he can feel loved and appreciated. And I was taught that God wants us to spend eternity praising and worshiping God. The parallels are so similar. That's why they love Trump. Trump embodies the type of theology that so many evangelicals have around the nature of God. And I, I, I want to end on this note. First off, again, thank you for watching. It really means a lot. If you have any comments, please leave them below. Make sure to like and subscribe. If you're, if you were someone like me who grew up in evangelicalism and you left or maybe you were kicked out, you were right. I, I just want to tell you that. I want to look right at you. You were right. You were not the one who compromised your faith. These people were. You weren't the one who lost your integrity. These people did. You're not the one who was the heretic or who started believing a false gospel. These people did. MAGA Christianity is a false gospel built on power and control. It is antichrist in nature. It goes against the very things that Jesus Christ taught to love one's enemy as yourself, to pick up one's cross. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the merciful. It flies in the face of Jesus and who he reached out to, who he had mercy on. It is a false gospel. So don't let these gatekeepers convince you that somehow you're the one in the wrong because you could not reconcile a god who told you your queer neighbor was going to burn in hell forever just because of who they were. But Donald Trump is somehow saved by grace and doing the work of God as he brags about assaulting women. No, they are the ones who are so out of whack here. are so far removed from Jesus and following Jesus that they can't even see how far they've drifted. But don't let them deceive you. Don't, don't, don't let them gaslight you into thinking that somehow you were the bad Christian. Props to you for standing firm. Props to you for not compromising. Props to you for trusting your intuition and seeing what was right in front of you and not letting these people gaslight you with all their their rhetoric that tries to convince you of things that are absolutely unconscionable. Props to you for sticking it out. Honestly, I, it's not easy. I, I know it's, I know what it's like to lose a community. It happened to me. I know what it's like to get above ground for the first time and be so shell-shocked that there's an entire world beyond what you were taught is down there. I know all those feelings. It's scary. It's, it hurts. It's painful. But you did the right thing. You did the right thing by not compromising your values. Friends, thanks so much for watching this video. I appreciate all of you. Leave a comment. I'll talk to you all next time. See you.