Presidential Gospel of the “But”

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offered a Gospel of the “But.”

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:38-39).

Jesus, as God incarnate, has the authority to speak the Word of God. That’s why he can use the term But to assign authority to his own words.

If Jesus can preach a Gospel of the But, then certainly POTUS can too. Right? In a fundraising email asking for $15 donations, we find this in the presidential text. Note the buts.

Last year I came millimeters from death when that bullet pierced through my skin. My triumphant return to the White House was never supposed to happen!

“But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

I certainly wasn’t supposed to survive an assassin’s bullet, but by the grace of the almighty God, I did.

SO NOW, I have no other choice but to answer the Call to Duty, but I can’t do it alone.”

The presentation of the message adds another notable layer, observes J.D. Wolf. Three phrases — “BUT I DID,” “BUT I AM,” and “BUT I WILL NEVER SURRENDER” — are highlighted in red, with “BUT I AM” appearing immediately after the president writes that he was “never supposed to be President of the United States again.” Whether intentional or not, in a Christian-themed message, the emphasized “I AM” refers to God, while red-letter Bibles commonly use red text to distinguish words spoken by Jesus.

I find POTUS's logic curious. Because something was not supposed to happen, but yet it did happen, it follows that divine providence has appointed him to be America’s savior. You and I should be so grateful that he is willing to “answer the Call to Duty” that we will be motivated to send money to…do what? To build a gilded White House ballroom? When we hear the presidential Gospel of the But, we should send money. Is this orthodox theology?

Such self-appointed messianism gives me collywobbles. I think I’ll donate $15 to a faithful disciple of Jesus, not to his purported replacement.

Substack PT 4041. America’s Rolling Coup D’etat and the Loss of Democracy. Redeeming America 38.

Substack PT 4042. America’s Rolling Coup D’etat Keeps On Rolling. Redeeming America 39.

Substack PT 4044. Revenge Propels Forever War. Axial Breakthrough versus Axial Breakdown

Substack PT 4045. Presidential Gospel of the “But”

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Ted Peters is a public theologian directing traffic at the intersection of science, religion, and ethics. Peters is an emeritus professor at the Graduate Theological Union, where he co-edits the journal Theology and Science with Robert John Russell on behalf of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, in Berkeley, California, USA. He authored Playing God? Genetic Determinism and Human Freedom? (Routledge, 2^nd ed., 2002) as well as Science, Theology, and Ethics (Ashgate, 2003). Along with Martinez Hewlett, Joshua Moritz, and Robert John Russell, he co-edited Astrotheology: Science and Theology Meet Extraterrestrial Intelligence (2018). Along with Octavio Chon Torres, Joseph Seckbach, and Russell Gordon, he co-edited Astrobiology: Science, Ethics, and Public Policy (Scrivener 2021). Along with Arvin Gouw and Brian Patrick Green, he co-edited Religious Transhumanism and Its Critics (Lexington 2022). He is also the author of UFOs: God’s Chariots? Spirituality, Ancient Aliens, and Religious Yearnings in the Age of Extraterrestrials (Career Press New Page Books, 2014). Look for his newest book, The Voice of Public Theology, a collection of previous articles. See his website: TedsTimelyTake.com.

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