ON TARGET COMMENTARY

1-20-17                by Dave Gunn

               A Work in Progress                   

     It is good to see that many conservatives, who were unalterably opposed to the election of Donald Trump, have, in the last eight weeks, expressed a willingness to give him a chance to win them over.  Perhaps, in their seeking of common ground with Trump, it would help them to understand the man who is our 45^th president.

     Some conservatives, as well as liberals, have worries that Trump is unstable.  To a degree, they are right.  However, Trump’s instability is not one of mental soundness, but is that of his being a man in political transition.

     Not long ago he was a liberal, pro-abortion Democrat.  However, he did have a deeply nationalistic patriotism that is uncharacteristic of Democrats.  Further, he saw that their policies, at home and abroad, were causing problems instead of salving them.

     Wanting to do something to fix the problems of our nation, Trump decided to seek the presidential nomination of the Republican Party.  He knew that a man with his nationalism had no chance of winning the Democrat nomination so he did the practical thing and went where he could gain a hearing.  In so doing he came into contact with thinking conservatives who influenced him, and he began to move toward conservatism.

     President Trump is now a pro-life, right-leaning centrist.  However, he is still on a journey.  Hopefully, he will continue to listen to his conservative advisers and become himself more conservative as time passes.  We must remember that Ronald Reagan began his political journey as a liberal Democrat.  This is not to say that Trump is a Reagan, but only that he could become the same kind of practical conservative that Reagan was.

     Our task is to pray for our new president and “hold his feet to the fire.”  We must also understand that he has come a long way, and is not yet settled into what he will be.

     Perhaps we should remember that it is more important which way a man is facing then where he is.  I have more confidence in a centrist who is facing right than a conservative who is facing left.

     If we are uncertain where Donald Trump will take the nation, remember that we knew well where Hillary Clinton would take it – further down into a death spiral of constant baby killing, traditional marriage destroying, pervert exalting, economy stalling, job killing, debt raising, scandal ridden, open border, and a far-leftist cesspool of tyrannical misgovernment that has plagued us for far too long.

     One thing Trump needs to change, and the sooner the better.  The salvation of America is not to be found in sound economic principles, military might, good management, or a strong national security apparatus. These are all good things, and are helpful.  However, “Righteousness exalteth a nation,” so says the God of Heaven and earth, the God who made America the most prosperous and powerful nation in the history of mankind, and the God to whom our forefathers prayed for wisdom and guidance, and whom they openly worshipped and praised, not just in their churches, but in their halls of government.

     President Donald J. Trump will best serve our nation by giving his heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, then seeking and following God’s will in all things. If Donald Trump will say, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” God will reply, “This is the way, walk ye in it.”

[Dave Gunn is the nom de plume of Dr. David E. Gonnella, Pastor of the Magnolia Springs Baptist Church in Theodore, Alabama.  The opinions expressed are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the church or its membership.]