What Donald Trump got completely wrong about the bible

I have no problem with Mr. Donald Trump quoting the bible, I do it often. I don’t even have a problem with him saying “Two Corinthians, 3:17,” instead of the standard reference to that chapter of Scripture as “Paul’s Second letter to the Corinthians.” People who read their bible, but not often out loud, make that mistake a lot. And many others… try pronouncing Nebuchadnezzar or Melchizedek.

My concern with Mr. Trump was his clear pandering to his audience at Liberty University and his misuse of the bible to do it.

“Two Corinthians, 3:17, that’s the whole ballgame, ‘Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,’” he said, quoting the Bible. “And here there is liberty.”

Well that’s not the whole ballgame, not even part. He missed the verse just a few lines later about giving.  2 Corinthians 8:13-15:  “For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness. Your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” This was Saint Paul’s call for the wealthy to give more, out of their abundance.

Mr. Trump clearly glossed over 2 Corinthians 10:17-18  “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”

But, to me, the saddest part is that in cherry-picking a verse to pander to his audience, he missed all of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Mr Trump could never talk about certain groups of people in such a derogatory manner if he understood Chapter 12 verses 24-27 “But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,  so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

And my favorite verses…”And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love….”