Among the speakers at “The Awakening” conference, which was held in Orlando on Saturday, was televangelist James Robison. Robison’s main message — literally screamed at Awakening attendees — was that sitting out the election is not an option, even if Donald Trump is the nominee, as he derided those who suggest ways to manipulate the election process to deny Trump the nomination.
Robison mentioned David Green, head of Hobby Lobby and Religious Right folk hero, who recently endorsed Marco Rubio and said that Trump scares him to death. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich all love the Lord, said Robison, and “they would be my choice,” but it is unlikely that any of them will get the nomination.
It doesn’t seem like that may be the person we get. So what are you gonna do, throw your hands up? Are you gonna do what one of the bravest Christians I know in this nation said earlier this week he’s gonna do? ‘If it boils down to that person and the person on the other side, I’m staying home.’ DON’T DO IT! And I will go to David Green’s home and drive him to the poll. He’s a man of God. He’s an incredible example of Christ in a man and a man in Christ. We don’t opt out! We’re His ambassadors in Christ, more than conquerors in Christ, witnesses for Christ.
What happens, said Robison, is up to God, not would-be kingmakers. Robison drew an analogy to the 1980 election, when the Democratic candidate was Jimmy Carter, a Sunday school teacher and a born-again Christian who “truly loved the Lord” but could not provide the principled leadership that the country needed. “God miraculously gave us an actor that had an encounter with God,” said Robison.
Robison said he hopes that Christian leaders who are close to Trump like Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Robert Jeffress will lead Trump to a “road to Damascus experience” that would demonstrate God’s power to the world even more effectively than the Religious Right successfully playing kingmaker. For the world to see God transform someone “who so obviously needs changing” would be, he said, like writing another chapter in the biblical book of Acts.
(Of course, Trump already claims to be a “big-league” Christian).
Robison said the U.S. is experiencing its most critical days since the nation’s founding: “We just lost a Catholic Supreme Court justice that was a gift from God. They need to be replaced by men who have an understanding of truth like him.” But, he said, there has also been good news.
Now, I want you to really listen up, because we’re seeing prayer answered, when you think about this…Do you agree that you heard more candidates running for the highest office in the land talking about the importance of life, standing for life, did they not? Did we not have more true Christians who know Christ personally running for office than you’ve ever seen in your lifetime?
Robison also used his remarks to promote The Stream, an online news site he publishes that is dedicated to “championing freedom, smaller government and human dignity,” and to attacking “the Left” for its views on government:
The ones of what is referred to as the Left, they say, ‘Depend on Pharaoh, depend on Caesar, depend on the government, depend on a source other than God, and Uncle Sam will now be Father God and take care of you.’ That’s what they’re saying. That’s the lie, and it came straight out of the pit of hell. Now you may be a wonderful person in that party, but that belief system is rotten to the core. It’s simply anti-biblical, anti-God, anti-truth and anti-people. It will not work. It will keep us in bondage.
