The January 15 GOP presidential candidates’ debate brought the first sharp clash between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Sen. Cruz was noted to criticize some of Trump’s “New York values.” Now, a couple of days later comes a YouTube video of Pastor Rafael Cruz anointing his son’s head with oil as a blessing for him to become a leader, or as the Bible puts it, a king.
Somebody out in internet land wants to contrast Trump’s New York values favorably against Cruz’s anointing to be a king. One can picture Sen. McCain’s description of Cruz as a “wacko-bird” being revived in public discussion.
But this relies on an edited video that combines parts of two church services, and the editing likely done by someone with an ax to grind against Ted Cruz. Also likely: the video editor is ignorant of Christians’ terminology. Anointing a person with oil reflects a desire that that person be blessed by God. Christians want God’s blessing to be given to a lot of people (all of them, actually). Pastor Cruz Sr. knows he cannot make his son “king” of America by applying oil, and that is not what he was intending to suggest.
Can anyone picture Donald Trump kneeling in public to receive an anointing of oil? If he has done so, more power to him. But he and his followers appear to be taking the well-trodden power and money route to putting America right. They seem to think: Just a little more American horse-sense and a few skilfully conducted deals, and America will be good as new. Maybe we should send our bedraggled military to the few places on the planet that do not already have a contingent, how about it?
None of this will work; it’s too late and America has wasted too much of its strength. The western world is in crisis and suffers a need that only God can answer. Now the GOP presidential race has reached a crisis as well — what will Americans do?