Sharon Kennedy: What is a true evangelist?

For a long time now we’ve been hearing about a group of Christians we didn’t pay much attention to because they rarely made the news. They were known as “evangelists” and according to tradition, their purpose in life was to “evangelize.” In other words, they were expected to be busy spreading the good news of the gospel to people who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus. They went to “holy roller” churches, sang loudly, spoke in tongues and were filled with compassion for those they considered lost.

Then they met DJT and a new breed of evangelists was born. Trump became their main project. It’s obvious why. If ever there was a flawed man who needed love, forgiveness and guidance, it was the Donald. His lack of repentance over a multitude of sins, his course language, his foul mouth when talking about women, his shady business dealings, all this and much more made him a prime target for evangelists. They wanted to save him, but salvation was soon forgotten and idolatry took its place when he tickled their ears. It was an opportunity too tempting to resist. They flocked to him as chickens flock to cracked corn on a winter’s day.

But poultry farmers know that corn is rich in carbohydrates and must be fed in moderation. So too, evangelism only works when the message is administered in small doses, and the sinner is receptive and ready to repent. I was once a holy roller and know how easy it is to leap from being a moderate Bible thumper to a gluttonous hog who has lost all sense of direction and goes overboard. Trump shunned confession, further endearing himself to white evangelists who forgot or simply overlooked his moral transgressions. They were waiting for a Messiah figure and believed they had found one.

I’ve listened to media commentators who can’t understand why Trump has been and continues to be such a big hit with the church-goers. Even a casual reading of the Scriptures will give the answer. In the New Testament, Jesus always chose to champion the least likely candidates. He didn’t ask bankers or stockbrokers to be his apostles. He selected fishermen to make them “fishers of men.” He chose to dine with tax collectors, to defend prostitutes and to chastise a woman who was busy preparing a meal instead of sitting at his feet. He berated a man who violently cut off the ear of a soldier who was arresting him.

It’s hardly worth debating whether Martin Luther King Jr. had a closer walk with Jesus than Donald John Trump. King promoted peaceful demonstrations. He didn’t fan the flames of unrest until they became a fire threatening to engulf our nation. King said he had seen the promised land but might not get there with his people. He didn’t say his people were Democrats or Republicans, Mexicans or Chinese, gay or straight. His speeches were powerful and emotional but void of threats of retaliation against those who detested him and all of his supporters.

Take a minute and read the passion of Christ found in the four gospels. It will refresh your memory of Barabbas, the convict the crowd chose to free over Jesus. Is it any wonder the MAGAs selected Trump as their candidate over Republicans better qualified and mentally stable? Does his base really believe he’s being persecuted so they won’t be? I’d say such an outlandish statement smacks of blasphemy more than martyrdom, and any true evangelist or follower of Christ would agree. Don’t be fooled by a generic con man. You’ll regret it.

— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com. Kennedy's new book, "View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories," is available from her or Amazon.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Sharon Kennedy: What is a true evangelist?