I just read the sermon preached at the new president’s church service this morning. Its hagiography left me confused as to who was being worshiped (“You ended up garnering the most votes of any Republican in history.”/ “I don’t believe we’ve ever had a president with as many natural gifts as you.”). Its theology was devoid of Gospel and limited to “God likes walls.”

The word “wall” appeared six times. Here are six words that did not show up at all:

Mercy
Grace
Love
Hope
Peace
Forgiveness

And one more that was mysteriously absent from this Christian pastor’s sermon:

Jesus

I post this not as a commentary on the new president, but as a reminder to Christians and especially to non-Christians that many so-called Christian leaders have confused, conflated, and even cut out the Gospel in their quest for power, prestige, and popularity.

As a pastor, I am deeply disappointed that with the entire library of Scripture at his disposal and the opportunity to share the Gospel of God’s grace with the new president and a listening world, this morning’s preacher chose to lift up wall-building Nehemiah rather than Jesus, who tore walls of division down.

Sad!