Author: Jay Forrest

Rev. Dr. Jay Forrest is a progressive Christian with a mystic heart.

Dangers of Christian Nationalism

Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36).

When Church and State join forces, you know that bad things are about to happen. This is not theory, this is history. When the Roman Empire made Catholic Christianity the religion of the state, soon after the persecutions followed.

Temptation to Power

When Jesus was offered by the devil “all the Kingdoms of the world,” he refused (Matt 4:8-9). Now the Church in the United States is being made the same offer. Unfortunately, it is Boeing the knee to glory and power to a kingdom that belongs to this world.

Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” Then why do some Christian want to create a kingdom on earth? This is against the wishes of Christ. And so we now have Christians who are willing to “fight” and kill for God.

The Ruler of this World

The sad part is that as they pursue Christian Nationalism, they fail to realize that they are joining up with the “ruler of this world.” And do you know who that is? The devil (John 16:11; 12:31; 14:30; 2 Cor 4:4). That is why 1 John 5:19 says that “the whole world lies under the power of the evil one.”

The most dangerous people in Jesus’ day were the religious leaders. Not much has changed in 2,000 years.

Donald Trump is Evil

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24).

Do Not Judge?

Here we are told that we should judge, but that we must be careful when we judge that we use just standards. That is, we must judge according to God’s ethical standards.

Jesus told us how to detect evil people. He said, “You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles?” (Matt. 7:16).

By fruit, Jesus is talking about their conduct. Evil behavior does not come from a good heart, and good behavior does not come from an evil heart. And here he is not talking about isolated acts, but a lifestyle.

Unrepentant Liar, Adulterer, Felon

Donald J. Trump has been documented as lying more than any other President in modern history. He has committed multiple acts of adultery, misused funds, and cheated multiple people. He is a convicted felon, after all.

What makes him evil, is he has never apologized for any of this. Those that publicly disagree with him, he has set out to destroy. He is not afraid to use power to retaliate against his political foes.

Four Causes

The cult of personality, confirmation bias, media misinformation, and a weak moral compass is why many follow Trump. Many Christians are willing to sacrifice democracy for the sake of an abortion ban.

Most Trump supporters are ignorant of the Heritage Foundation, have never read Project 2025, and are clueless about oligarchy, fascism, and general history.

Many make the mistake that anyone who speaks out against Trump is a Democrat who wants to ruin traditional values. In their minds, you are either with Trump or you are the enemy. The “us and them” rhetoric is straight out of the fascist playbook.

Blind Faith

The problem is, people have put their faith in Donald Trump. He is their man, and their identity is wrapped up in this. To attack Trump is to attack them. Their faith is nearly unshakable. All the while, democracy is dying.

There can be no doubt that the United States is in trouble. And neither the Democrats nor Republicans have been willing to fix it. But that is because the rulers of this nation, the rich and the powerful, have bought out our political system.

They allowed Trump to win because he is an easy pawn that billionaires like Elon Musk can manipulate. Why do you think the first thing Trump does when he gets in power is to give his billionaire friends a tax cut.

Media Misinformation

If you repeat a lie long enough, people begin to believe it. And when people trust a liar more than the media, you have our current situation. Mega followers do not fact-check Donald Trump. They blindly just believe whatever he says. And they surely don’t appreciate it when others fact check him.

So we are in a mess. People don’t know who to believe. We just throw memes at each other in passing. There can be no conversation, no dialogue. This can only lead to violence. If we don’t bow the knee to emperor Trump, we will pay for it.

Demonic Delusion

What actually troubles me even more, is that many Christians seem to be deluded into thinking that Donald Trump is a Christian, yes, even a defender of the faith. I promise you he is neither. He has manipulated Christians by throwing them bones to get their votes. He used them, and they let him.

There is clearly a demonic cloud over the eyes of many Christians. What I see so clearly, they cannot see at all. That someone would even ask me why I believe that Donald Trump is evil, illustrates my point. He’s an unrepentant criminal.

But I am not a follower of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or any other human. I am not a Democrat or Republican, I am independent. I agree with many of Trump’s supporters on a number of issues. But I just don’t think a dictatorship by an evil man is the answer.

This Could Be the End

History will prove me right, but in the meantime we will have to deal with the hurt, harm, and chaos Donald Trump will cause. I don’t believe we will recover from this for decades, if ever. This could be the end of democracy in the United States.

This is why I say that Donald Trump is evil. And the only reason I am saying that publicly, is because the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

I am pleading with Christians to pray that the eyes of their understanding may be enlightened, that they might see the truth. Donald Trump is closer to the antichrist than to Christ. For “false christs will rise” and “deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24 NKJV).

The Danger of Drifting

“And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12).

Danger of Neglect

We must be very careful about the cooling of neglect. If we neglect prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and worship, slowly our hearts will cool. Slowly our devotion to God will die.

This does not happen all at once. It is a process, a slow process that, the devil hopes, will go undetected. We don’t discern the devil’s work when he uses our own laziness against us.

The Enemy Within

The devil works best when he works undetected. Straight on assaults don’t work on seasoned warriors. They can defend against the enemy outside, it is the enemy within they must watch for.

The enemy within is the flesh. It is our fallen nature that seeks after the things of the self instead of the rings of God. It is forgetful, lazy, and comfort seeking. It hates discipline, fasting, and sacrifice for others

“Wake up and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God” (Rev. 3:2).

“Therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers” (1 Pet. 4:7).

Spiritual Warfare

“Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

Here is a topic that doesn’t get much attention these days. We are seldom warned about the reality of a battle that is being waged in the spiritual realm. We don’t see it, therefore we don’t believe it’s real.

The Whole Armor of God

But spiritual warfare is real. You really do have an enemy. The fact you can’t see him makes him more dangerous, not less. The fact is that the devil may not be wise, but he is very, very smart.

And our battle is real. That is why the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to, “put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). Because if you don’t put on the “whole armor of God” you will not “be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Battle for the Mind

The battle is a fight for control of your ideas, perspectives, and attitudes. If he can control them, he can control your thoughts, words, and deeds. “For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander” (Matt. 15:19).

“Be sober, be vigilant; because” you are in a battle for your soul. There is a battle all around you, that is both real and invisible. The danger is real, the casualties are real, and the result is eternal. “We know that we are God’s children and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

A Better Society

Leo Tolstoy once said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

In order to have a better society, we need better citizens. You improve the community if you improve the individual.

Better Citizens

If you want a better world, you first need to have better humans.

But how? The golden rule. Jesus said,:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:43-44).

Love is Not a Feeling

This love, which is agape in Greek, is not a feeling, it’s an act of the will. It pursues the highest good of another person without thought of reward and irrespective of who it is. Love knows no exceptions.

By adopting a disposition of loving kindness towards all people, we can change the world. This is how heaven is. We will never achieve this on earth, but we can aim for it. Even the pursuit will make this existence a better place for some people.