Recently, Eric Trump made headlines for saying that the second Trump administration “saved God and Christianity” from the evil forces of the Left. Many were quick to express outrage—but perhaps we should ask, what did he really mean?
Part of the problem lies in how easily we assume that when someone says “God,” they mean the God of Jesus Christ—the Triune God we worship. Yet the word god has always carried many meanings. In Scripture, people worshiped many gods—some representing goodness and truth, others embodying greed, violence, and domination. Even in biblical times, the people of God did not have sole claim to the word god. False prophets, too, claimed to speak for God while serving powers that were anything but holy.
Likewise, “Christianity” has never been one fixed thing. It has evolved through history and taken many different forms. In truth, there are many Christianities. Even the Nazis claimed to be Christians. So when someone says they are “saving God and Christianity,” it’s worth asking, which God, and which Christianity?
When I hear Eric Trump’s words, I sense he may be speaking about a particular version of Christianity that has become deeply tied to political power—a Christianity that divides, excludes, and judges. It’s the kind that teaches us to fear those who are different, to see others as enemies rather than neighbors. The same goes for the god he claims to save–the god of domination, not love; of privilege, not mercy; of pride, not humility.
But his claim also reveals something more—the smallness of the god he imagines. The idea that God could ever need saving shows how easily we forget who God truly is. Throughout history, people have feared that God or Christianity might be lost—threatened by other religions, by science, or by secular culture. This fear has fueled crusades and culture wars alike. Yet every time we try to “defend” God, we make God smaller—limited to our own understanding, trapped within our anxieties.
It is this fear that seems to shape how some Christians responded to Eric’s words—they felt offended that God’s greatness was demeaned. I am not.
The God we worship does not need saving or defending. The God who created the heavens and the earth, who raised Jesus from the dead, and who holds all things together, cannot be rescued by human hands. God is never vulnerable, never in danger, and cannot be protected from anything—God is all-powerful.
Similarly, Christianity does not endure by aligning itself with political power or cultural dominance. It endures through faithful witness—through ordinary people living out God’s love, justice, and mercy in the world. That is how the Church has survived across centuries—not by controlling history, but by faithfully following Jesus.
So rather than trying to “save God,” we are called to let God save us—to open our hearts again to the transforming grace of Christ. God needs disciples who will bear witness to divine love in word and deed.
In short, we do not save God–God saves us.
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From the E-Crier of October 23, 2025. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter.