Is President Trump a Christian? The commander-in-chief has repeatedly answered affirmatively over the years, explaining his faith allegiance, praising evangelicals — and even heralding a past relationship with the late Rev. Billy Graham.
In fact, Mr. Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was reportedly a big fan of the popular evangelist, once taking his young son and family to see him preach.
“My father said to me, ’Come on, son’ — and, by the way, he said, ’Come on, mom. Let’s go see Billy Graham at Yankee Stadium.’ And it was something very special,” Mr. Trump once said while reflecting on seeing Mr. Graham when he was a child. “Fred Trump was a big fan. Fred Trump was my father.”
But these public proclamations haven’t stopped people from engaging in rampant speculation and debate, pondering whether Mr. Trump truly lives out Christian tenets, questioning how he squares past statements and behavior with biblical truth — and even accusing him of using the Christian base for political gain.
At the core of the discussion is the question of whether he has accepted the core of Christian doctrine — that Jesus Christ is the son of God who died for the sins of humanity, calls humans to repentance, and requires a radical death to self.
Ultimately, no one knows Mr. Trump’s heart and any definitive claims are speculative. But, regardless of where he stands, we know he’s most certainly heard the aforementioned message. In fact, “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has openly shared a personal story about how, prior to the 2016 presidential election, he uniquely broke down the Christian Gospel for Mr. Trump.
Mr. Robertson’s surreal story has been making media rounds again in recent weeks, but he first shared it with me during a 2016 interview on “The Church Boys” podcast, explaining how he took out a paper and started drawing pictures to help Mr. Trump visualize Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and resurrection.
“[I discussed] God becoming flesh … dying for the sins of the world, and, in his case, I said, ‘Dying for your sins, Donald, all of them, I figure there’s a lot — what do you think?’” Mr. Robertson said. “He didn’t disagree with me.”
In addition to explaining details about Christ’s death and resurrection, Mr. Robertson said he scribbled “an arrow coming down out of heaven … God becoming flesh, a cross, where Jesus took away the sins of the world.”
Considering Mr. Trump’s power and sway, Mr. Robertson’s boldness is commendable. But the “Duck Dynasty” star has never been one to seal his lips about his beliefs, with his family consistently sharing their beliefs about God with the masses.
In fact, the Robertsons have, more than any other TV family, extended themselves to intentionally use their fame as a primary vehicle to spread their faith — and that’s something the reality TV patriarch made clear.
“Mr. Trump has heard the gospel from my lips,” Mr. Robertson told me. “I owed him that. I loved him enough to tell him.”
There’s more to the story, too. Mr. Robertson’s son Jase recently revealed some other details surrounding his father’s interaction with Mr. Trump, explaining how his dad further stressed the importance of Mr. Trump understanding the faith message.
“He’s like, ’Hey, you are not getting any younger … there’s people after you. He was like, ’Somebody will try to kill you,’” Jase Robertson recently told Allie Beth Stuckey, noting the shocking nature of that statement in light of the attempted assassinations last year of Mr. Trump. “It is actually really profound when I think about that.”
As for the paper on which Mr. Robertson mapped out the Gospel, he handed it over to Mr. Trump and delivered yet another pointed message to the businessman-turned-politician.
“So he handed the paper to President Trump and he’s like, ’You, you need to move on that. This needs to be the core of everything you do,’” his son recounted.
Mr. Robertson’s children have been sharing the story of late since it was announced that their father is battling a form of Alzheimer’s along with other health complications.
It’s all a simple act but one that shows Mr. Robertson’s true focus. When he had the eyes and ears of one of the most powerful men in the world, he chose to spend that time not glorifying himself or speaking of temporal things, but of extending love and care to a fellow human being.
Mr. Robertson’s aim was to ensure Mr. Trump knew the essential information he requires to spend eternity with his Creator — and that’s notable. Rather than being blinded by power and prestige, he was fixated and focused on a bigger mission.
And there’s a lesson in that devotion for us all, as we navigate our own journeys and ensure friends, loved ones and acquaintances walk in ultimate truth.
This article originally appeared on TheWashingtonTimes.com.