Reverend uses Bible to show MAGA views ‘incompatible’ with Jesus
Reverend Dr Caleb J Lines is an ordained minister with standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. (TikTok/Reverend Dr Caleb J Lines)
Reverend Dr Caleb J Lines is an ordained minister with standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. (TikTok/Reverend Dr Caleb J Lines)
A senior minister has used the scriptures to claim that MAGA views are “incompatible” with the teachings of Jesus.
Reverend Dr Caleb J Lines, the senior minister of the University Christian Church, in San Diego, hit out at some of Donald Trump’s most-fervent followers who claim to be living by the word of Christ.
In a TikTok video, captioned “MAGA vs Jesus – Round 12”, Lines, who has more than 294,000 followers on the platform, discussed various issues, including the termination of pregnancies, “cancel culture”, toxic masculinity, fake news and gender.
“MAGA says: ‘The Bible is against abortion but, the Bible says: ‘God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being’,” Lines said, pointing out that the Bible defined life as “beginning at first breath, not conception”. But it shouldn’t be relied upon because it wasn’t a “scientific book”, he added.
Quoting Proverbs 12.1, he said: “Whoever hates correction is stupid,” before going on to say: “If we discover that something we are saying or doing is causing harm to other people, then we should absolutely stop saying or doing those things.”
‘The teachings of MAGA are simply incompatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ’
Lines also called out MAGA devotees for focusing on gender and masculinity, noting that Galatians 3.28 said: “There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Turning to fake news, he continued: “The truth, knowing real information, will set us free from fascism. The teachings of MAGA are simply incompatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
@revdrcalebjlines MAGA vs. Jesus – Round 12 Abortion, cancel culture, toxic masculinity, and fake news…oh my! #progressivechristianity #christianity #maga #magavsjesus #christiannationalism ♬ boxing bell fx – sound effect ringtone creators
One person commenting under the video wrote: “I need you to preach at a MAGA rally.” It has attracted more than 34,000 likes.
Someone else claimed: “This is why true Christians aren’t MAGA.”
However, many of them are Christian, including president Trump, who identified as a Presbyterian for much of his career, although in an interview with Religion News Service in 2020, he described himself as a non-denominational Christian.
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