Trump, Bible, Christians

Dear Editor,

I would like to comment on the recent article “In defence of Trump”.

The article says: “In Acts 17:26, the apostle Paul affirms that God Himself ordains the existence of distinct nations and their borders: ‘From one man [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.’ ”

I feel this is a misuse of Scripture to justify a particular immigration policy. Earlier in the chapter, as Paul arrives in Athens, it says: “So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks.” And later: “All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.”

So a chapter that tells us that there was a Jewish community in Athens, and that foreigners were living in Athens, is being used to argue that God placed limits on immigration. We should not be reading our politics into the Bible. The US Department of Justice has admitted wrongfully deporting people. So there is a certain irony in the section on immigration being followed by a section on justice.

Yours sincerely,
Benjamin Stevenson
By email

Dear Editor,

April 1990 saw Alistair Cooke contemplating the legacy of the 1980s in the US. One up-and-coming American was “the young, bouncy, blond tycoon whose aspirations to take over hotels, casinos, airlines, resorts, cities – why not the country? from – appear to be boundless” (Letter America 27 April 1990).

Fast forward to 2025 and it is proving impossible not to mention Trump’s name, (David Burrowes: en April 2025). Highly gifted communicator that he was, Cooke never considered himself a prophet. Yet he could clearly spot trends and read character. Whatever the positives of Trump’s government and they do exist, why do some of us share Burrowes’ hinting foreboding as to the future? What does the President have in mind when it comes to a reward for those “beautiful Christians” who support him? Will it have heaven’s approval?

Yours sincerely,
Leslie Hill
By email