Mark Galli, an editor at Christianity Today, wrote the following about Pres. Trump in an article that took the internet by storm and received hundreds of responses from evangelical writers, including me:
That [Trump] should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments.
According to Galli, there is a God, and the Ten Commandments are a summary of His moral standard. Why did Galli only apply the Ten Commandments to Pres. Trump when there is a political party that has been in constant violation of them for decades? In fact, the secular moral worldview that inspires the Democrat Party has no use for the Ten Commandments or the God of the Bible.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that a monument to the Ten Commandments must be removed from the state’s Capitol in Oklahoma City.
I don’t know where Christianity Today was on this topic or how it responded to Pres. Obama turning the White House into a rainbow flag celebrating same-sex sexuality, a clear violation of the Seventh Commandment. I’m almost certain that Christianity Today didn’t call for the impeachment of Pres. Obama.
I did find this from Ed Stetzer, a contributing editor at Christianity Today:
On the second anniversary [of 9/11], we need to reflect on our response. Most of the initial unity has passed. Democrats and Republicans are not singing “God Bless America” on the capitol steps. Instead, we have moved on to Ten Commandment monuments and political campaigns.
He says the nation “needs Jesus.” I agree, but we also need God’s law since the law tells us why we need Jesus.
Why hasn’t Christianity Today been critical of the Democrats if the Ten Commandments are the standard? It’s an irritating puzzle that demands an answer. Trump is by no means a perfect man, but to claim that he’s somehow different from other politicians—including Democrats—is preposterous.
John F. Kennedy had his sexual conquests. Ted Kennedy left a woman to drown in the backseat of his car while he met with his political advisers on how to handle the incident. He was honored as “the Lion of the Senate.” Former Pres. Bill Clinton has been accused of numerous sexual indiscretions. These are just some of what we know. Joe Biden has been accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade, a former staff member when Biden was a U.S. Senator. The media have been complicit in keeping Democrat sins off the front page. How long would a Republican governor last if nine women had accused him of sexual assault, and yet Democrat Andrew Cuomo remains governor of New York.
I’m for equality when it comes to pointing out the sins of politicians. For every sin of Trump or any Republican, the media should expose a sin of a Democrat. But the question remains — by what standard? —since Democrats no longer have any standards.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) recently said: “What any religious tradition describes as God’s will is no concern of this Congress.” Nadler was responding to Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., who criticized the Equality Act during the House debate, saying it violates Christian beliefs.
“The gender confusion that exists in our culture today is a clear rejection of God’s good design,” he said. “Whenever a nation’s laws no longer reflect the standards of God, that nation is in rebellion against him and will inevitably bear the consequences.”
It would be helpful if Christianity Today would evaluate the Biden administration and Democrat policies by the standard of the Ten Commandments:
- The First Commandment states that there is only one God, and only He can save us. Democrats believe “the State is as God walking on Earth,” as Hegel put it, and they are its ministers and only they can save us.
2. The Second Commandment forbids idolatry. The State has become an idol and is worshipped as a god when the Bible declares that civil government is limited, decentralized, and serves as a “minister [servant] of God to [us] for good” (Rom. 13:4). The standard of good is not what politicians or judges say it is. The State continues to grow and pass more laws that make more people dependent on the idol State.
3. The Third Commandment forbids taking God’s name in vain. Politicians appeal to God all the time and yet violate His commandments in the same breath. President Obama referenced God — even singing “Amazing Grace” — in his eulogy for Rev. Pinckney and soon after celebrated the Supreme Court’s ruling making same-sex marriage the law of the land. Supposed Roman Catholics Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden have done the same. This is taking God’s name in vain.
4. The Fourth Commandment sets one day a week aside for rest. That day is Sunday. Not Friday or Saturday. The interesting thing about this commandment is that it’s written into the Constitution at Article I, Section 7, Clause 2. a document that Democrats say is religiously neutral.
- The Fifth Commandment defines the family. As we’ve seen, the courts have redefined the family, and by redefining the family they can now rewrite all laws in terms of that new definition. Joe Biden has made the support for “body dysmorphia” and gender reassignment surgery a centerpiece of his administration. Biden selected transgender doctor Rachel Levine as assistant health secretary, the first openly LGBTQ person nominated to a Cabinet position.
- The Sixth Commandment was legislated out of existence decades ago by the sanctioning of perpetual war and the legalization of abortion. Pro-life evangelicals who supported pro-abortion Biden “are not happy that the new White House administration under President Biden has included a change to taxpayer funding of abortions as part of the American Rescue Plan.”
- The Seventh Commandment in its prohibition of adultery is a summary statement about all marital relationships. The law prohibiting adultery rests on the creation mandate of marriage being between a man and a woman (Gen. 1:27–28; 2:20–25). The complement of man and woman is what’s “suitable,” not two men or two women. Jesus confirmed the creation mandate that marriage is between a man and a woman (Matt. 19:1–6). Democrats have been a the forefront of supporting same-sex marriage.
- The Eighth Commandment prohibits stealing. Our nation’s outrageous taxing system is based on theft when people are given the right to vote to take money from some people so it can be given to other people. The same is true for creating money out of thin air. This is worse than counterfeiting because it devalues the dollar and results in higher prices as the flood of new money chases a limited number of goods. It’s one of the reasons home prices have skyrocketed.
- The Ninth Commandment prohibits bearing false witness. Politicians bear false witness with almost every word they speak. Consider the following statement from presidential candidate Barack Obama that he gave on April 17, 2008, when he was campaigning for the presidency: “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian, it’s also a sacred union God’s in the mix.” Hillary Clinton said something similar.
- The Tenth Commandment indicts the modern State and those who support it because it covets everything: power, property, authority, money, prestige, privilege, and our souls. Covetousness leads to envy.
It would be a great help if the folks at Christianity Today would be an equal opportunity judge of both Republicans and Democrats.
God’s Law and Government in America
The three sermons presented in this book exemplify the full-orbed worldview of early American Christianity we need to recover today. They remind us of a time not too far gone in which preachers were highly and broadly educated men who brought biblical worldview to bear in full force to every area of life. In these sermons, we see this especially in regard to the application of biblical law to civil government.
Author: Gary DeMar
Gary—who served as President of American Vision for thirty-five years—is a graduate of Western Michigan University (1973) and earned his M.Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary in 1979. Author of countless essays, news articles, and more than 27 book titles, he has been featured by nearly every major news media outlet. Gary also has hosted The Gary DeMar Show, History Unwrapped, and the Gary DeMar’s Vantage Point Webshow and is a regular contributor to AmericanVision.org. Gary has lived in the Atlanta area since 1979 with his wife, Carol. They have two married sons and are enjoying being grandparents. Gary and Carol are members of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA).
