Saturday Lagniappe: "How to Spot Sexual Abuse in Your Church" and More

How to Spot Sexual Abuse in Your Church

Understanding the dynamics of sexual abuse is the first step. Read More

The Techniques of a Sexual Predator

In his book On Guard: Preventing and Responding to Children Abuse at Church, Deepak Reju provides a look at the techniques of a sexual predator, and focuses on the way a predator will prepare or groom an entire church so that he can take advantage of its children. Read More

5 Things the Church Does That Enable Abuse

Dave Hughes take a look at how church culture can "enable abuse and create environments that are enticing to abusers and dangerous for abused." Read More

12 Signs of Repentance

In Luke chapter 3, John the Baptist calls those who repent to show it by their fruit. But what does the fruit of repentance look like? Read More

When Should Pastors Let Members Leave

As pastors, we must lovingly guide those whom God has placed under our care to steward their privilege of church membership well. Read More

Personality Tests—A Waste or a Resource?

Personality tests are helpful tools to understand the gifts and abilities that the Lord has given us. Read More

What Does Your Worship Say About God?

If an outsider came into your Sunday meeting and observed you worshiping, what would he conclude you think about God? Read More

4 Elements Your Sunday Services Need

There are additional things we need to pay attention to that can take a service from good to great. Read More

How Not to Use Texting in Ministry

Texting has many uses in ministry, but it lacks the face-to-face element that some situations require. Emojis don’t always cut it. There are some situations in which you shouldn’t text as part of your ministry. Read More

Millions of Americans Believe God Made Trump President

A surprisingly fascinating book explains why. Read More

A large part of an even more fascinating book, The Holy Bible, the two Books of Chronicles, the two Books of Kings, the Book of Psalms, the Book of Proverbs, the Books of the major and minor Prophets contain what may be described as a cautionary tale for modern-day Christians that warns them against putting their trust in politicians and gives an account of what happened to the people of Israel when they ignored this warning.

After they reached the promised land, the people of Israel clamored for a king, a strongman, like the other nations of the earth. Despite God's warnings that putting their trust in earthly rulers instead of the one true King, God himself, would be their undoing, the Israelites did not cease from their clamoring. God gave them what they clamored for but it was a test, a test of their faithfulness to God. Over and over again they failed that test and suffered the consequences of their faithfulness.

While God may have allowed Donald Trump to become President of the United States, Trump is no David. David was "a man after God's own heart." David repented of committing adultery with Bathsheba and sending Uriah to his death. To date Trump has shown no signs of repentance for what he has said and done. He is more like the kings of Israel and Judah who did whatever was right in their own sight and led their people in rebellion against God. Both kingdoms in turning their backs on God would be destroyed. Because they either are unfamiliar with the cautionary tale of the Old Testament or they dismiss or misread it, those self-identified evangelicals who support Trump may not realize that they, like the people of Israel, are being put to the test.