The Rev. Steven Louis Craft: Trump is right to 'make America godly again'

Is this truly blasphemy? Or is it a way to encourage his followers to study the Holy Scriptures to “make America great and godly again”?

In a court of law, the evidence would demand a verdict. So let the evidence speak for itself. I will present my case for the defense of Trump.

The first witness for the defense is the Bible itself. When the devil tried to tempt Jesus Christ with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life in Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus responded with the Scripture.

The second witness for the defense is the testimony of the Founding Fathers of our nation — George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson — who spoke of the importance to God in our nation's original documents. 

The third witness for the defense is President Ronald Reagan, who designated 1983 “The Year of the Bible.” Reagan also was falsely accused of violating the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from favoring one religion over others. His enemies ignored the free exercise clause, which allows Americans to practice their religion as they please.

The fourth witness for the defense are the millions of Bible-believing Christians throughout America who understand the motivating factor in which Trump is following in the footsteps of Christ and the Founding Fathers. "Make America great again” is important if we “make America godly again.” This is the true meaning of the MAGA vision.

Before the 1960s, most Americans believed the birth of our nation was a work of God through the Bible. “God Bless the U.S.A.” was our song, and we believed we were born to be a “city set on a hill” and a “light to the world.”

As a result of such biblical beliefs, we knew that no matter how difficult times may be, God would see us through and cause us to prosper. We believed that when we joined together in sincere prayer, seeking wisdom, comfort and guidance from God through the Holy Bible, we would draw spiritual strength to deal with difficult situations. That's what 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us.

This spiritual response to national crisis is an American tradition that goes back to before the Revolutionary War. Faith in God and a conscience based on that faith and found in the Bible was the motivating factor in the hearts of many Americans during such times. This flowed out of a sense of reverence for God in people’s hearts.

But these blessings cannot be sustained when the Christian church remains silent in the face of rampant immorality and wickedness. God is warning us in the Bible that rebellion and immorality will ultimately destroy us if we don’t return to the truth taught in Scripture. I believe this is the defense in promoting a return to studying and obeying the word of God.

Even though Trump is not a perfect man, he does have every right -- and indeed obligation as a Christian -- to encourage our people to turn back to God again.

So I submit to all those who love our nation that this court, based on the evidence, acquits Trump of the charge of “Bible blasphemy.”