The Trump Bible


Book Description

What is the Trump Bible? Just as President Thomas Jefferson wrote his own version of the Holy Bible, so there appears to be a new version of the Bible that's in accord with the ideology of Donald Trump. That's not to say that Donald Trump wrote the Trump Bible. Who wrote the Trump Bible, then? This book is shrouded in mystery. There is no evidence that Donald Trump wrote the Trump Bible, but then, religion is about faith, not evidence. The manuscript for the Trump Bible was found wrapped in plain brown paper on the sidewalk outside Trump Tower in Manhattan by Peregrin Wood of Irregular Times. He is publishing the book, but does not claim authorship. For legal clarity, we are stating clearly that Donald Trump did not write the Trump Bible, although parts of it seem to be written using his voice, as divine inspiration, perhaps. There are heretics out there who will assert their own beliefs about who wrote the Trump Bible, though. Maybe God Himself wrote it, as a new new testament, inspired by Donald Trump's example. Why not? Are we supposed to take the Trump Bible seriously? Well, are we supposed to take Donald Trump seriously? What's the line between satire and fawning imitation? In these days of alternative facts and fake news, you'll have to decide for yourself. Maybe this book is comedy. Maybe it's tragedy. Certainly it's a postmodern self-referential hippie fest of moral relativity, satirizing satire itself. How can my church join the movement to ban the Trump Bible? Please go to IrregularTimes.com, where you can sign up for the campaign to censor the Trump Bible as a piece of illegal blasphemy. After all, if we can't ban books in the Christian nation of the USA, where can we ban books? How dare you blaspheme our lord and savior? We're not sure if this question refers to Donald Trump or Jesus Christ. But to answer your question - how do we do it - we use a keyboard and the sacred power of the Internet. The Trump Bible may be thought of as an allegorical confrontation of an uncomfortable fact: The majority of Trump voters in 2016 were Christian, and the overwhelming majority of Christian voters in the USA voted for Donald Trump. So, Trumpism and Christianity appear to be blending into something new, a strange, aggressive theocratic chimera the likes of which Americans have never seen before. Straight commentary can only get us so far in an attempt to understand this development. As American Christians appear to be questioning the basic tenets of their religion, a new Bible that reflects their views, and the unique character of Donald Trump as the leader of not only the Republican Party, but also of American Christianity, could move the discussion forward into a more positive... Oh, who are we kidding? Probably, the Trump Bible is only going to add to the polarization at the heart of American culture. C'est la guerre! Onward Christian soldiers, marching off to war!




Holy Bible of Trump


Book Description

100% of profits going to the ACLU. "In the beginning Donald created the heaven and the earth."Thus begins the Holy Bible of Trump. This is a special, abridged presentation of the Holy Bible. In it, all mentions of God, LORD and LORD GOD have been replaced by the words Donald, TRUMP and DONALD TRUMP. The text is essential for Trump believers and skeptics alike. The grace of our DONALD Trump be with you all. Amen. Revelation 22:21




The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump


Book Description

What should Christians think about Donald Trump? His policies, his style, his personal life? Thirty evangelical Christians (listed below) wrestle with these tough questions. They are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. They don't all agree, but they seek to let Christ be the Lord of their political views. They seek to apply biblical standards to difficult debates about our current political situation. Vast numbers of white evangelicals enthusiastically support Donald Trump. Do biblical standards on truth, justice, life, freedom, and personal integrity warrant or challenge that support? How does that support of President Trump affect the image of Christianity in the larger culture? Around the world? Many younger evangelicals today are rejecting evangelical Christianity, even Christianity itself. To what extent is that because of widespread evangelical support for Donald Trump? Don't read this book to find support for your views. Read it to be challenged--with facts, reason, and biblical principles. With contributions from: Michael W. Austin Randall Balmer Vicki Courtney Daniel Deitrich Samuel Escobar John Fea Irene Fowler Mark Galli J. Colin Harris Stephen R. Haynes Matt Henderson Christopher A. Hutchinson Bandy X. Lee David S. Lim David C. Ludden Ryan McAnnally-Linz Steven Meyer Napp Nazworth D. Zac Niringiye Christopher Pieper Reid Ribble Ronald J. Sider Edward G. Simmons James R. Skillen James W. Skillen Julia K. Stronks Chris Thurman Miroslav Volf Peter Wehner George Yancey




The Bible Doesn't Say That


Book Description

A “witty and accessible look at Scripture” that explores what the Bible meant before two millennia of mistranslations and misinterpretations (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In this fascinating book, acclaimed translator and biblical scholar Dr. Joel M. Hoffman walks the reader through dozens of mistranslations, misconceptions, and other misunderstandings about the Bible. In forty short, straightforward chapters, he covers morality, lifestyle, theology, and biblical imagery, including: The Bible doesn’t call homosexuality a sin, and doesn’t advocate for the one-man-one-woman model of the family that has been dubbed “biblical.” The Bible’s famous “beat their swords into plowshares” is matched by the militaristic “beat your plowshares into swords.” The often-cited New Testament quotation “God so loved the world” is a mistranslation, as are the titles “Son of Man” and “Son of God.” The Ten Commandments don’t prohibit killing or coveting. What does the Bible say about violence? About the Rapture? About keeping kosher? About marriage and divorce? Hoffman provides answers to all of these and more, succinctly explaining how so many pivotal biblical answers came to be misunderstood.




The Bible's Cutting Room Floor


Book Description

Offers an examination of the texts that did not make it into the canonical bible, as well as the diverse reasons for their omission and why some of them are relevant to the lives of modern people.




Sanctuary


Book Description

“Through the pages of this book, I invite you into various spaces of sanctuary—not as places of retreat, but for the deepened resistance, vision, and transformation that these days, and the gospel, require.” Throughout her nearly forty years in ministry, Heidi Neumark has strived to make communities of faith into sanctuaries amid the turmoils of life. Now, with the social and political upheaval of the years since Donald Trump was elected president, Neumark believes the true Christian calling is to live out a counterpoint to today’s prevailing spirits of exclusion and hatred. Using her own bilingual, multicultural congregation as a model, she moves through the seasons of the church calendar to reflect on what it looks like to live out essential Christian convictions in community with others. Sanctuary is an amplifier for the many voices crying out against policies and rhetoric that are cruel, dehumanizing, and dangerous. Neumark begins each chapter with a quote from Donald Trump that she defies and dismantles with the power of her own stories—anecdotes about offering shelter for queer youth in her city, supporting immigrants and asylum-seekers being harassed by ICE, and embracing her church’s diversity with a Guadalupe celebration, to name a few. Timely, but also timeless, this book speaks to the deep wounds of this era, inflicted before and during the Trump presidency, which will remain long past its end.




The Faith of Donald J. Trump


Book Description

Based on extensive inside sources, including exclusive interviews with the President and Vice President, The Faith of Donald J. Trump explores his rarely discussed, but deeply important, religious beliefs and relationships with leading Evangelicals. The Chief Political Correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network and the "Jesus in the Public Square" columnist for the Washington Times explore the rarely discussed, but deeply important, religious beliefs and worldview of Donald J. Trump and his advisors. Donald J. Trump was raised as a Presbyterian and has praised both Christianity and the primacy of the Bible. In the Oval Office, he has surrounded himself with close advisors who share his deep faith. In this deeply reported book, David Brody and Scott Lamb draw on unparalleled access to the White House to explain President Trump’s connection to the Christian faith, the evangelical right, the prosperity gospel, and the pressing moral and ethical issues of our day. In part, the authors argue, President Trump won over evangelicals not by pandering to them, but by supporting them and all their most important issues without pretending to be something he’s not. Though the forty-fifth president is far from the perfect vessel—he has been married three times—his supporters argue that Donald Trump may be just what America needs. This book reveals how he has surrounded himself with believers who think he is the one guiding figure who can return us to the traditional values—hard work, discipline, duty, respect, and faith—that have long been the foundation of American life, and truly make America great again in all ways.




Learning to Speak God from Scratch


Book Description

In a rapidly changing culture, many of us struggle to talk about faith. We can no longer assume our friends understand words such as grace or gospel. Others, like lost and sin, have become so negative they are nearly conversation-enders. Jonathan Merritt knows this frustration well. After moving from the Bible Belt to New York City, he discovered that the sacred terms he used to describe his spiritual life didn’t connect as they had in the past. This launched him into an exploration of an increasing American reluctance to talk about faith—and the data he uncovered revealed a quiet crisis of affecting millions. In this groundbreaking book, Jonathan revives ancient expressions through incisive cultural commentary, vulnerable personal narratives, and surprising biblical insights. Both provocative and liberating, Learning to Speak God from Scratch will breathe new life into your spiritual conversations and invite you into the embrace of the God who inhabits them.




Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John


Book Description

After more than a century of debate about the significance of imperial cults for the interpretation of Revelation, this is the first study to examine both the archaeological evidence and the Biblical text in depth. Friesen argues that a detailed analysis of imperial cults as they were practiced in the first century CE in the region where John was active allows us to understand John's criticism of his society's dominant values. He demonstrates the importance of imperial cults for society at the time when Revelation was written, and shows the ways in which John refuted imperial cosmology through his use of vision, myth, and eschatological expectation.




The Power Worshippers


Book Description

The inspiration for the documentary God & Country For readers of Democracy in Chains and Dark Money, a revelatory investigation of the Religious Right's rise to political power. For too long the Religious Right has masqueraded as a social movement preoccupied with a number of cultural issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. In her deeply reported investigation, Katherine Stewart reveals a disturbing truth: this is a political movement that seeks to gain power and to impose its vision on all of society. America's religious nationalists aren't just fighting a culture war, they are waging a political war on the norms and institutions of American democracy. Stewart pulls back the curtain on the inner workings and leading personalities of a movement that has turned religion into a tool for domination. She exposes a dense network of think tanks, advocacy groups, and pastoral organizations embedded in a rapidly expanding community of international alliances and united not by any central command but by a shared, anti-democratic vision and a common will to power. She follows the money that fuels this movement, tracing much of it to a cadre of super-wealthy, ultraconservative donors and family foundations. She shows that today's Christian nationalism is the fruit of a longstanding antidemocratic, reactionary strain of American thought that draws on some of the most troubling episodes in America's past. It forms common cause with a globe-spanning movement that seeks to destroy liberal democracy and replace it with nationalist, theocratic and autocratic forms of government around the world. Religious nationalism is far more organized and better funded than most people realize. It seeks to control all aspects of government and society. Its successes have been stunning, and its influence now extends to every aspect of American life, from the White House to state capitols, from our schools to our hospitals. The Power Worshippers is a brilliantly reported book of warning and a wake-up call. Stewart's probing examination demands that Christian nationalism be taken seriously as a significant threat to the American republic and our democratic freedoms.