"We Have No King But Caesar!"

.  In the news Christianity Today, the magazine, came out with an article agreeing that President Trump; should be impeached.  They cite moral failings just like they did with Clinton, and I agree with them on both counts.  However the article got blow-back from right wing groups including Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son.  He said “My father would never agree with this article”.  I would suggest that Franklin doesn’t know his father as well as he thinks.  Billy Graham’s services were never political either under Truman or Johnson or any other Democrat.  The trouble is we have this thread-bare theology now.  It’s the theology of which President Trump rather than Jesus Christ is the center of it.  The trouble is the degredation of Christian belief has been so slow and steady but pernicious that people haven’t realized just how far it’s deteriorated.  Certainly I would never have become a Christian in March of 1976 if they preached the sort of “theology” you hear today.  Today it’s all about “loyalty” as President Trump says.  It’s loyalty to the Republican Party which in turn is loyal to only Trump, just as all the republican congressmen are. It’s been said that us the US Senate had a secret vote that twenty republicans would vote impeachment. 

The thought occurred to me the saying “We have no king but Caesar”.   In truth the people have declared the president “Caesar” and are using him to supplant Christianity as we have known it.  The President even said “I am Christian evangelism’s best friend”.   All the president stands for now is hating democrats and hating the poor and extoling the rich and the big polluters and the gun toters and those who still nurture racial prejudice.  Christianity says we are all of one blood, which will not allow for racial prejudice.   I don’t see how you can “live for Jesus” and be pro Trump.   Of course there is all of the sexual morality stuff.  It’s not Christian to disrespect women.  It’s not Christian to be “intemperate”, which Trump definitely is.  I don’t see how being pro pollution is being a Christian.  Conservatives like to say Christianity means you’re pro “earning a profit” and pro big capitalism.   I don’t know where they get “pro gun”.

.When I was a kid in Sunday School one book we learned from was called "The King nobody Wanted" about Jesus Christ.  An important theme of the Church is that Jesus was "The redeemer of Israel" but somewhere "they" rejected him -but I'm not exactly who since everywhere Jesus went he met with a rush of popularity.   At what point might Jesus have claimed his kingship.  I sure haven't found it.   In the song, “The  First Noel” there is the line “Born is the king of Israel”.  People forget that Jesus was crucified for being a “King”.  King of the Jews.  That’s what it said in three languages on the cross.  And yet he didn’t spend much if any of his ministry telling people that he was a king.  This charge only seems to have come about when the Sanhedren needed a charge to pose at Jesus to bring to Pilate to get him crucified.  Pilate asked him if he were a king and Jesus said “If I were a king, my men would fight with swords.  My kingdom is not of this world”.  At this point Pilate wanted to let him go.  But the people kept chanting “We have no king but Caesar” just like in Jesus Christ Superstar” and it was said “If you don’t crucify him, you are not Caesar’s friend”. 

The City of Anaheim is selling Anaheim Stadium to the “Los Angeles” Angels for 335 million, which isn’t enough money.  The 150 or so acres is worth 475 million and it’s hard to say what political deals were made for the city to make such a poor deal.  That's a lot of land and if you haven't checked, land is expensive in California, particularly the prime real estate this is.  It always seems Republicans want to make bad deals and sell off valuable assets.  Trump even want to sell off our National Parks and turn them over to private business, if I'm not mistaken.