"Baby" Christians

I don't actually know all that much about James Dobson even though his Focus on the Family has been around for most of my life. For whatever reasons (most of them faults of mine) I've never read anything by him and he has not had any sort of an influence on me. In fact, much of what I know about Dobson and his organization is at least somewhat negative (I am not a fan of exaggerated rhetoric from either side of the political spectrum).

Right off the bat, though, let me confess that I know my heart is often too hard and critical when it comes to people who say things I wouldn't say. I was talking to Bruce about this very thing yesterday (not in relation to Dobson), and I admitted that if everyone did and said things my way I really would never have to leave the house because I'd already know what was going to be said! I am trying to be kinder and more generous when it comes to folks doing things in ways that don't appeal to me, but this is a very tough one for me.

And now we come to Dobson's announcement that Donald Trump is a "baby Christian" -- that he knows "the person who led him to Christ." Dobson went on to say that Trump "doesn't know our language" (he used the word "hell" four or five times in his meeting with Christian leaders and talks about "religion" and not "belief" or "faith in Christ").

What a wonderful thing this news is, if it is true. I pray that it is true! At the same time, I am unwilling to check my discernment at the door.

Conversions are often not immediate events. C. S. Lewis went from atheism to a belief in God to Christianity over a period of many months. Yes, there is a moment in time when one passes from death to life, but the process leading up to that instant can be a lengthy one. My (Jewish) husband's conversion took a long time -- he sought and studied and finally decided that Christ had fulfilled the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament and so must be the Messiah. It behooves us to facilitate that process, not inhibit it. Trump may enjoy the spotlight (well, he obviously enjoys the spotlight), but that doesn't mean that something as critically important as faith in Christ should take place under media scrutiny.

No, Trump's conversion story (if there is one to tell) is Trump's story, not Dobson's. He had no right to thrust a man he admits doesn't know the language of Christianity into the public eye where he will be expected to expound on this event that Dobson claims happened. So far Trump's camp has refused to answer questions about this, which is not surprising.

At the same time, if Trump's conversion did actually happen we should expect to see evidence of it. It is impossible to believe that one can truly become indwelt by the Holy Spirit, God himself, and not be changed. In I John 2 the apostle writes, "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

Obviously sanctification (the process of growing more and more Christlike) is a lifelong process and does not proceed in a straight line or at the same pace for all Christians. All true believers represent Christ well and not-so-well. But God is not a vending machine required to offer a payout if you put in the right coin. You can mouth the words of the so-called sinner's prayer, but if your heart is not involved you are not really saved.

The bottom line is this: if Donald Trump has truly become a believer his faith should be nurtured and he should be protected from spiritual attack as much as possible. Dobson's revelation accomplished the opposite of that. And if Trump has not truly accepted Christ then Dobson has given his imprimatur to a man who uses any means necessary to grasp what he most wants. He has given his permission to other believers to support a man whose life up until now has been about as far as possible from what a believer's life should be. That is Dobson's right -- but it is not his right to use something as important as the relationship between a man and God to support his political opinion.