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In this week’s SojoMail, Adam Russell Taylor writes that at Christmas we celebrate the birth of a heavenly king — and yet so many Christians mistakenly idolize an earthly one:
In this four-week season of Advent, Christians from many traditions anticipate the arrival of Jesus, reflecting upon the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. Advent comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival” of an anticipated king. This anticipated arrival of a king has profound meaning for our past, present, and future, as it points to Jesus’ birth over 2,000 years ago, our new life now in Jesus, and the promise of Jesus’ eventual return. The baby Jesus, who arrives in a lowly barn rather than a palace, is destined not for an earthly throne but a heavenly one. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of this heavenly king — and yet still so many Christians mistakenly seek and even idolize an earthly one, including in the context of elections. After the results of the U.S. election became clear last month, there was no shortage of celebrations of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory from leaders on the Religious Right. While I don’t share their optimism about what a second Trump presidency will mean for our country (though I continue to pray for the incoming administration and Congress), I can remember what it’s like when the candidate you supported went on to win the presidency; I felt some of that intense hope myself when Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. But there was another theme that ran through many of the post-election celebratory statements from Christian leaders that I find much more problematic: the belief that Trump has been anointed by God to return to the White House.
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