If you want to get a good sense of how a court evangelical thinks, Jim Garlow‘s recent blog post is a good place to start. Garlow was an active court evangelical during Trump’s first term and earlier this week he returned to the White House.
Garlow affirmed his court evangelical credentials. He has “met with the President” so many times that he lost count:
This was not my first time to meet him. During the 2016 election, I had the high honor to serve on Donald Trump’s Faith Advisory Board with approximately 35 other faith leaders. After his election, the name was changed to the “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for the 2017-2021 Trump 45 Administration.
Over the years, we met with the President six or seven, maybe perhaps eight times, all arranged by Pastor Paula White. I do not recall the exact number of times.
Garlow believes that Trump is an agent of God:
Everyone can see that the assassination attempt in Butler, PA (as well the one in West Palm Springs), has truly changed him. (It would change all of us!) He recognizes that God saved him, for a purpose. He has openly stated this in both his Inaugural Address and in the State of the Union Address. And he tends to live in a way that shows a seriousness about his calling in life. The President is highly focused, with great clarity.
I used to criticize the court evangelicals for not speaking truth to power, but I am no longer sure this is still a useful assessment. Why? Because these evangelicals seem to believe that there is little difference between Christianity and Donald Trump’s policies. It doesn’t make sense to “speak truth to power” when you believe that the “truth” is in power.
Notice the sycophancy here:
When we walked into the White House, Sebastian Gorka was walking out. As we went up a very narrow stairway (the White House was built in the 1800s), Vice President JD Vance was coming down. As we went into a waiting area, Donald Trump Jr. was exiting the wing. Then Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff came out. Later Crypto Czar David Sachs came out. Then Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum emerged. In a short time, the President was having one meeting after another. His mental capacity is remarkable. Notice that in his almost daily press conferences, he does not falter on any topic.
God apparently uses people who have “staggering brainpower”:
…I strongly objected to people saying Joe Biden was “too old.” Age was not his problem. The problem was not age, but mental acuity. Joe Biden became president, being sworn in at 78. Donald Trump is 78 now. Age is not the issue. Mental health is. Biden was unfit for office. In contrast, few can keep up with Trump’s staggering brainpower. And those meetings were all within the scope of a couple hours. Even today, I have seen how many meetings he has already had. This is remarkable.
There were not only group pictures, but INDIVIDUAL pictures as well.
The President was so “at home” with us, as evangelical leaders. As one who has pastored for nearly one half of a century, I can sense when elected officials are slightly uncomfortable with “men of the cloth,” as we pastors used to be called. He was welcoming. He was warm. He seemed to be really enjoying being with us. In addition, he did not rush us. Some later told us that his body language was clear: He was in no rush. And then he did something that I do not recall ever happening in the other visits I have had to the Oval Office. He said, “Let’s line up for individual pictures.” That takes time. But he is the one who suggested it.
What a keepsake!:
On a humorous note, on the edge of his desk were two hats. I thought they were the standard MAGA hats. However, I did not see what they said across the front. Stitched in wide white letters were the words, “TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING.” He quickly tossed the hats to two persons standing the closest to the Resolute Desk at that moment: Pastor Robert Jeffress and Gary Bauer. Those two great men were worthy of the hats – given to them by the President himself – in the Oval Office. What a keepsake!
Trump is doing well in the “polling in heaven”:
During the course of the conversation, the issue of the polls came up. He responded, “It appears I am doing well there.” I added (these are the words I can reconstruct to the best of my knowledge), “Mr. President, you are also doing well in the ‘polling’ in heaven. God approves of the many changes you are bringing.” Why did I say that? People are fickle. Polls change. People may support a person for a while, and then they change their minds. The important fact is to do what God desires, to do what is biblically correct. President Trump has made so many dramatic changes that has moved public policy back to not merely “common sense,” but to scriptural foundations. (By the way, “common sense” comes from “natural revelation” – that which we observe from nature, and “special revelation” – that which is revealed through the Word of God.) The President is leading this nation back to sanity and “common sense,” as he prefers to call it.
“Discerning persons” understand what “undiscerning cynics” do not. The former are “intelligent and sane.” The latter have “Trump Derangement Syndrome”:
The President was quick to point out two 24 karat gold angels above the doors to the right and the left of his desk. (He explained the difference between being merely “painted gold” and “being gold.”) If I understood him correctly, he had these brought from Mar-a-Lago. He also showed us an original of the U.S. Constitution which he had framed and mounted on the wall to his right. (If I understood him correctly, there are only three such original ones.) It is covered by a curtain to protect it from light, but is opened for people to see. What an honor to see it! Allow me to make a point that is already obvious to discerning persons: These are far more than mere “symbols,” though they are that. The angels represent angelic protection (Think, Butler, PA). And having an original of the Constitution of the United States, signed by the Founders, only a few feet from the Resolute Desk is a reminder of the law of the land. Critics – those suffering from the bona fide mental health issue called “Trump Derangement Syndrome” – will mock this. They are undiscerning cynics. However, intelligent and sane people know that these items represent some real and sacred values, values to be cherished.
“Be encouraged”:
For now, I just wanted to give “people of faith” encouragement that you have a President who really values what you and I value: Our total dependance (sic) on and trust in Almighty God, and His Son Jesus Christ. If you are one who believes in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, be encouraged. You have a friend – a really good friend – in the White House.
Bottom line: Be encouraged.
