Say what you will about President Donald Trump (and there’s a lot to say); however, he has managed to polarize America like no other modern political figure. A recent Politico.com article entitled “How Trump Left Hollywood in the Cold” says a lot about how Trump managed to trigger something in many Americans that other figures in politics and pop culture, despite their influence and “cool” factor, could not.
“Washington, that has been happily benefiting from the psychic and social rewards of the increasing intermingling of celebrity culture and Democratic politics, suddenly found the door to the White House slammed squarely in its face. And the rejection came with an extra, and especially scary, sting: It turned out that the industry, supposedly known for having its finger on the popular pulse, didn’t understand America—‘red America,’ the ‘real America,’ the ‘rest of America’—at all.”
Among most it was a foregone conclusion that America would likely vote as influenced by Hollywood. Sure, polls vary, but I know I certainly didn’t expect a political novice with a brash personality and few traditionally Christian values to capture more of the traditionally Christian vote than any conservative since 2000.
But something switched. Maybe people just got tired of everyone assuming they would go along with all the celebrities, or perhaps voters decided to prove that fame, fortune and glamour wasn’t going to influence them or easily sway them to hold certain opinions. But I think it’s safe to say a large portion of people just were tired of being told what to think.
If this is political overload, forget Trump for a minute and think about Apostolics. Maybe the Apostolic church is ready to stand up and prove that they are not going to be swayed by Hollywood either. Maybe they are tired of intolerance and the pressure to look, act and think more ecumenically. Maybe some are sick of being taunted, even among other Christians, for being too dogmatic, too Pentecostal, or too old-school. The lines have blurred for quite some time as we balance our desire for excellence, progress and revival while maintaining our Apostolic doctrine, identity, message and purpose. I know every day I work with incredible Apostolic-to-their-core Bible college students who are rejecting the bait of worldliness, political correctness and peer pressure to fulfill the call of God on their lives. Sure, we have to admit we are losing some; they are under great spiritual attack, but that doesn’t mean they should be counted out or underestimated.
There will be an Endtime revival. There will be those who rise up and make a difference. Maybe the enemy doesn’t understand “real” Apostolics after all.