The Gospel According to Trump.
By Frank Schaeffer
And it came to pass in those latter days, that there arose a king in the land, whose tongue was bold and whose hand was swift to anger.
And the name of the king was Trump.
And he set his heart upon war in the east, against the princes of Persia, saying within himself, Surely it shall be but a moment, and I shall prevail with ease.
But the war tarried long, even unto many days, and the king was sore vexed; for the people murmured, and the nations were not afraid.
For the strait of the sea, through which the precious oils of many kingdoms doth pass, was not opened at his word; and though he threatened with a great destruction, yet the rulers of Persia trembled not and were strengthened by his malice.
And the king commanded saying, Let no ship pass that hath dealt with mine enemy. And ships were turned back, and the seas were troubled, and all the earth considered the matter with dread.
Now the king ruled by terror, and demanded loyalty of all that stood before him.
Princes bowed, and counselors held their peace, lest they fall from favor.
Yet the king was ensnared in the work of his own hands; for the war was of his choosing, and it prospered not.
And the people beheld it, and their confidence departed from him.
And it came to pass also that the wife of the King spake suddenly of a matter of the King’s shame, even of a man of ill report who had fallen from honor after he had become the King’s friend and counselor. For it had come to pass in those days, that there was joined unto this King a new wife, a woman from a far country of ill repute an harlot, whose speech was strange unto the people, and whose ways were not known among them.
And she was fair to look upon, and adorned with costly array, and her presence was as a thing set upon a high place, that all might behold.
Yet her countenance was distant, and her words few; and many wondered at her, but understood her not.
And the wise among the people spake one to another, saying, What seeketh this woman in the court of our King? And some said: what counsel doth she keep within her heart?
For she moved as one set apart, neither cleaving unto the people nor rebuking the evil deeds of their King her husband for he did know many strange women and did so even as her husband.
And though she stood in the place of honor, her voice was seldom heard in judgment nor in mercy.
And there were whispers in the land, and murmurings in secret places; for some said, She knoweth more than she revealeth, and others, She keepeth silence that she may not be entangled.
Yet none could prove the matter, and her ways remained hidden.
And then it came to pass that when matters of shame were spoken abroad in the kingdom, she answered not plainly, but turned aside the word.
And her speech, though brief, stirred the remembrance of things long concealed.
For it is written, A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver—but a word half-spoken troubleth the heart. And she spake of her shame that none might remember that the King and his war had failed in all manner. He had done naught but to make his enemy and the enemy of the Jews mightier and so the empire of the Persians was strengthened and their rulers hardened their hearts and slaughtered many more of their people lest others complain.
Thus she dwelt in the house of the king, a figure seen yet not known, present yet apart.
And the people looked, and considered, and were divided in their thoughts concerning her.
And this the King’s fourth wife named him who had raped of many virgins, though none had asked, seeking to put distance between herself and the scandal saying:
And it came to pass in those days, that there arose a man of great riches, who walked in darkness though he dwelt among princes.
And his house was full of secret chambers, and of hidden iniquities; and he gathered unto himself the young women of the kingdom and the unguarded, and led them astray.
And the Scripture saith, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness.
Yet this man was received in the courts of the mighty and by my husband the King, and sat at tables with kings and rulers of all nations, and none rebuked him openly for he did share the spoil of the virgins’ loins with them all and he did rape many times, as did the King and all their friends.
For this man’s wealth was great, and his knowledge of other men’s secrets greater still.
And the child the King had raped put ashes upon her head, and went away desolate.
Thus were many daughters with child by their King and his friends.
And these things was done in secrecy, and brought forth sorrow in the generations that followed. And all women were afraid.
Yet the great men of the earth turned away their faces, and said, We see not, lest their own deeds be brought into the light.
And the people began to murmur, saying, How long shall such wickedness be covered? How long will the names of the wicked be hidden by the King?
For the cry of the innocent had gone up, though men stopped their ears.
And the king grew wroth, and lifted up his voice, saying unto the nations of Persia , Open ye the strait, or I shall bring utter destruction upon you that none may talk of my deeds among the young women whom I did rape.
But his threats fell as arrows upon stone, and returned not with victory. And he did speak that others might not remember his many sins against the young women and servants in his court.
And the nations said one to another, His power is great, yet his hand findeth no purchase.
And in those days the king’s favor waned among the people, and those of his own house feared the loss of their dominion.
For the season of reckoning drew nigh. And it came to pass in those days, that there arose much speaking among the nations concerning the rulers of the earth, and the mighty men who contend for power and dominion.
And the Bishop of Rome, whom men call the Pope, stood forth in the midst of the faithful, and his countenance was set in peace, and he spake unto the multitude, saying:
“Fear not the tumult of princes, neither be ye troubled at the voice of the strong, nor at the decrees of the proud.
For I am not moved with fear of any man’s name, neither of him that sitteth in high office, nor of them that boast in the strength of their authority.
Behold, the peace of the Lord is my shield, and the truth of righteousness is my defense; and no man, be he great or small, shall shake the steadiness of my heart.
For the kingdom of God is not established by the threats of rulers, neither is it overthrown by their anger; but it endureth for ever, and is not bound by the hands of the mighty of this world.”
And when the people heard these sayings, they were silent for a season, pondering within themselves the weight of his words, and the manner of his boldness; and there was a great stillness among them.
And some asked “Whence did we receive such a wicked king?” and others answered: “He cameth unto us because of the one named Miller.
And it came to pass in those days, that there had arisen not only a voice proclaiming power, but a maker of that voice, who shaped its words.
And his name was Stephen, called Miller.
And he was born not in want, nor in hardship, but in a land of plenty, in a city of ease and abundance, where many nations dwelt together. Yet he beheld that place and found not gratitude therein, but grievance.
And even in his youth he spake against the many, saying:
Let there be one tongue, and one manner, and one people only of white skin and ease of life.
And when others sought fellowship, he chose division.
And when others sought understanding, he performed contempt.
And this was the beginning of his ministry:
To speak harshly, and to be rewarded;
To divide, and to be lifted up.
And he gathered unto himself voices of hardness, and bound himself to men who taught that the stranger is peril, and the outsider a danger and that those of dark skin are the enemy of the powerful and must be destroyed, them and all that are with them even unto their children and the babe in arms who is suckled by a mother.
And Miller learned this lesson well:
That fear, when clothed in order, is received.
And thus he prepared the way for The Anointed One of Power, our King Trump and his wife, a stranger from a far off land.
And Miller stood beside the King, and gave him words.
And the words were these:
Call it safety, and it shall be acknowledged.
Call it order, and it shall be praised.
Call it greatness, and none shall question the cost.
And the people heard the words and believed, for they were spoken without ceasing and the people were foolish.
And The Anointed One of Power our King called unto Miller saying:
Blessed are the strong, for they shall not yield.
Blessed are they that disregard the least of these, the weak and the defenseless, for they shall be ever secure.
Blessed are they that repeat my words, for their certainty shall not be shaken by mere rumors of what foolish men call truth.
Woe unto the stranger, for he shall be turned away.
Woe unto the poor, for they shall be judged unworthy.
Woe unto the merciful, for they shall be called weak.
And the people cried, Amen!
And the King said in his boasting,
When I behold women, I lay hold upon them without restraint; and they suffer it, and do not resist me.
And it came to pass that The Anointed One of Power our King began to speak a parable thus and he said:
A man lay broken by a road.
And many saw him, and passed by saying,
This is the way of the world that strength alone preserveth.
And none did lift the man up.
And the King asked, Who is his neighbor?
And the people all said with one voice:
He that profiteth thee and thy family richly O King!
And of these of Miller’s sayings The Anointed One of Power the King took them and made them a new law:
Build walls where there had been bridges.
Close doors where there has been refuge.
And Miller he took children from parents, saying:
Thus shall others be warned!
And the King beheld the suffering thereof, and called it good.
And when there was resistance, he pressed harder.
And when there was doubt, he spoke more loudly.
And when there was harm, he named it protection.
And it came to pass that the king hardened his heart, and regarded not the cry of the people.
And he sent forth his servants, granting them power without measure, and saying, Whatsoever ye do in my name, it shall not be required of you.
And they went out with violence, and the innocent were not spared.
And the King pardoned and lifted up evil doers.
Yea, even an innocent woman, a mother of many children, was struck down in the land, and her blood cried from the ground.
And there was none to answer for it, for the King had covered his servants with protection, and set them above judgment.
And the people lamented, saying, Shall there be no reckoning? Shall the shedding of innocent blood be counted as nothing?
And a voice as of a prophet declared:
Woe unto the ruler that calleth evil good, that giveth license to the hand that smiteth, and requireth not an account.
For the Lord is a God of justice, and the blood of the innocent is precious in His sight.
But the King’s doctrine grew, and he was saying thus:
Truth is that which strengtheneth my power.
Justice is that which serveth me.
And the people answered him with a great cry saying:
That which is strong is right!
That which is repeated is true!
That which is ours is good!
All else is false!
And there were some who remembered older stories, of strangers welcomed and the lowly raised up.
And they whispered:
Was not this land once a refuge?
Were not our fathers strangers also?
For the ancestors of the Miller’s tribe had fled from an evil place and found shelter in the same land he now closed to others.
And this thing was known, yet not spoken loudly.
And Miller gave no answer but fled unto a stronghold of the King’s soldiers.
And The Anointed One of Power called for the killing of all who spake thus against Miller and his masked army of evildoers, the killers of mothers.
And there arose a faithful servant of the King one called Vance who proclaimed: Mercy is oftentimes without measure, neither doth it reckon the greater good, but is moved by the pressing of the moment, and the likeness of countenance, and the nearness of voice.
And the one called Vance said further that compassion so stirred may incline toward confusion and that hardness of heart is the right way.
Wherefore he set forth a new doctrine which he called the new compassion. And he taught that such a manner of judgment is more steadfast.
And so the King, Miller and their most faithful servant Vance commanded:
Let there be more taking and no giving.
Let our gates be narrower still.
Let the law bend toward the elimination of all but the King’s followers.
And those beneath them obeyed, for they feared their voices.
And even those set above the King in their glory and greatness bowed down to him.
And the King spake again, saying, Who is like unto me? and who shall stand before my power?
And he ruled with a rod of dread, and required the allegiance of all, both small and great; and he set his throne upon pride, and his foundation upon deceit.
Yet his ways were crooked, and his judgments were turned aside; and the cry of the oppressed rose up against him.
And I saw, and behold, the nations were gathered together unto a place called in the tongue of the prophets Armageddon.
And there was war in the earth, and the heavens were darkened, and the sea roared against the shore.
And the proud King went forth with his hosts, boasting in his might, and saying, I shall not be moved.
But lo, the heavens were opened.
And there came forth One clothed in righteousness, whose eyes were as a flame of fire, and upon His head were many crowns.
And His name is called Faithful and True.
And out of His mouth went a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations.
And the armies of heaven followed Him.
And the King and his stranger wife from a distant land of the earth, and Miller and the one called Vance, were gathered together to make war against the Lord.
But their strength failed them, and their counsel came to naught.
For the word of the Lord went forth, and the pride of man was brought low. And the King was smitten down before all men and great was his fall.
And his throne fell as a house built upon sand, when the storm beat upon it.
And great was the fall thereof.
And I heard a voice from heaven, saying:
Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen; for she made the nations drunk with the wine of her iniquity.
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and He bringeth down the mighty from their seats, and exalteth them of low degree, for the childless one raped by the King demanded justice and she has been heard and the King’s punishment shall be eternal for the Lord will not be mocked.
