
A sold gold coin of King Cyrus and Donald Trump being sold on the Jim Bakker Show
Those of you who read me know I have written occasionally about religion – or my lack thereof. Most of the ramblings have been historical; how the Vatican became a state or on the “Pope’s Banker.”
Other writing have been more personal; why I am not a believer or my opinion on the mental health of “true believers” such as snake handlers in Appalachia.
While others scurry off to Mass or church services, make Novenas or pray before dinner, I go about my life completely devoid of any religious inclinations. Notwithstanding, I still know right from wrong and try to live an ethical life.
I live as good a life as any Christian. Maybe better. Without the trappings.
Among the religious however, both Catholic and Evangelical Protestant, there are groups of politically active folks – people who would, if given the chance, establish a theocracy in this country. Others actively work to bring on the “end times” – thus the right wing Christian support of anything Israel does. Isreal, you see, is necessary for the comming of Armegeddon and the Messiah. It says so in the Book.
There are Christian groups, whom I would characterize as beyond the fringe, operating all over Washington D.C. One of these is an evangelical Christian organization called The Fellowship Foundation, or “The Family,” as it is referred to internally by its members. It is a group that operates with its own higher purpose — quietly building its influence on global politics “in the name of Jesus.”
“Internally, it is spoken of primarily as a ‘recruiting device’ with which to draw ‘key men’ into smaller prayer cells to ‘meet Jesus man to man.’” “Practically, the Prayer Breakfast has functioned from the very beginning as an unregistered lobbying festival.”
Abraham Vereide started the first edition of the Fellowship in Seattle in 1935 when he hosted 19 business leaders with the aim of crushing organized labor. However, using the National Prayer Breakfast , held each February, as a discreet Christian recruiting platform was perfected under longtime leader Doug Coe, who was considered one of the most powerful influencers in the Beltway before his death in 2017.
One of Doug Coe’s beliefs was that if you lifted up the name of Jesus, that God would draw people in, all sorts of people from all over the world — thus the National Prayer Breakfast — that people would have a desire to learn and embrace the teachings of Jesus and come to Washington to support the breakfast.
“Doug Coe very intentionally took the group underground. There was a recognition that they could do their best work anonymously.”
Citing 2006 documents, it was estimated the number of dedicated organizers who handle recruitment at just 350. Those organizers, however, have built a network of prayer cells that the late Christian Right leader Chuck Colson pegged at 20,000-strong, calling it, “a veritable underground of Christ’s men all through government.”
So a couple of weeks ago on Fox News, Energy Secretary Rick Perry called Donald Trump “The Chosen One” comparing the President to a number of biblical Kings.
“God’s used imperfect people all through history,” Mr Perry told the broadcaster. “King David wasn’t perfect, Saul wasn’t perfect, Solomon wasn’t perfect.”
He revealed that he gave Mr. Trump “a little one-pager on those Old Testament kings about a month ago.
“I shared it with him and said, ‘Mr. President, I know there are people that say you said you were the chosen one and I said, ‘You were,’” Mr. Perry said.
Yikes.
“I said, ‘If you’re a believing Christian, you understand God’s plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet in our government.’”
After the interview was aired on Fox & Friends, Fox News journalist Ed Henry claimed that Mr Perry said the president was “sent by God to do great things”.
In a series of tweets, the president quoted Wayne Allyn Root, a noted conspiracy theorist and Messianic Jew, who said that “President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the History of the world,” and “The Jewish People love him like the King of Israel.”
If being named king was not enough, the president would go on to state later that day at an impromptu press availability with the media that he was “the Chosen One” to take on China.
To use a Yiddish term, oy vey, indeed.
Trump’s two announcements this week reveal why some evangelicals see him as “God’s Chosen One” — a King Cyrus-like figure, anointed by God to save America from cultural collapse. That claim was made in books and even a feature film about a so-called Trump Prophecy. Some charismatic Christian followers of Trump even created a coin with images of Trump and Cyrus on it to use during their prayers.

There have been a series of paintings of Trump as a kind of redeemer figure by John McNaughton. Others depict Trump being hugged by Jesus, or signing bills at the resolute desk with Jesus standing behind him. These images, for some evangelicals, are fan images of the hopes and the realities they believe President Trump’s election has wrought.
Others, especially those who are Dominionist, are pleased that President Trump is finally being recognized for who they really believe that he is. Some evangelicals have spent a great deal of time since 2016 extolling Trump in this manner. So it is no surprise that he is accepting these accolades. Dominion theology is a group of Christian political ideologies that seek to institute a nation governed by Christians based on their understandings of biblical law.

Meanwhile, Trump’s acceptance of being “the King of Israel” may just sound strange to ears not attuned to some quarters of Christian belief. But for those quarters of Christianity who believe in end-time prophecies and other beliefs about famous men, it is a sobering moment.
For some evangelicals, thinking of Trump as “King of the Jews” means that because he is the protector of Israel, Jews are that much closer to becoming “saved” and converted to Christianity. For Dominionist groups, some of which are already in Israel waiting for the “last days,” Trump’s embrace of this statement is further confirmation that he is God’s man in the last days, who will help to bring Christ back to Earth.

A laugher from Reddit
For the Fellowship Foundation, the Family, any man chosen for leadership positions is chosen by God, no matter what his personal faith life or beliefs may be. (See Divine Right of Kings) In their theology, God can use any male leader to achieve God’s purpose. To put it another way, Jesus cares more for the wolf than the sheep. A strong man can make things happen.
A strong man is God’s man, no matter what sins he may or may not have committed.
This may be sobering, but in fact, hearing Trump call himself the Chosen One is the upshot of what some Christians believe to be the role of political leadership.
We are hearing is a hodgepodge of certain kinds of evangelical and End Time beliefs that are merging together along with conspiracy theories to empower his presidency with the evangelicals that back him.
Whether it is blasphemous or a unique election strategy, we may be hearing Trump make these kinds of statements throughout the 2020 campaign cycle.
In conclusion, IMHO these people are bat shit crazy, a serious threat to separation of church and state as well democratic values, transforming their beliefs into delusional politics.
And we think ISIS is crazy.
But what do I know. I’m just an old crank living in Florida.
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