4 Ways Christians Should Respond To Donald Trump’s Inauguration Today
President Donald Trump being sworn in today during his second inauguration
God’s Narrative
“Narrative is an actual living force in the universe just as certainly as gravity is an actual force in the universe, and when you look at this from a narrative point of view, first of all, it is the obvious third act of a Donald Trump story.
“You had 2016, as others have said—2016, A New Hope; 2020, The Empire Strikes Back; 2024, The Return of the Jedi. I mean, Donald Trump coming back is the conclusion to the narrative that's been in motion.”
—Jeremy Boreing during The Daily Wire’s election night livestream, before the election results
God is writing a story. Trump’s journey from 2016 to 2020 to 2024 is an epic real-life saga with the perfect structure—rise, fall, rise again.
To witness this story arc, a comeback of historic consequence with high stakes and proportions most familiar to us in fiction, is astounding. We are truly living in a remarkable time, and Trump is undeniably one of the great world-changing men of history.
The literary nature of these current events comes out in the details, too. The assassination attempt in Butler, PA, contains the kind of symbolism that would enrich any story with narrative depth—“layers of meaning, complexity, and emotional resonance.”
That attack represented and was the culmination of the leftist elites’ years-long campaign to take Trump out by any means necessary, from egregious lies to absurd lawsuits. As in every other case, he survived and arose defiant. Moreover, that miraculous deliverance foreshadowed the election: just as he dodged a bullet, so did America.
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Plus, the effectiveness of Trump’s second term now may be better than it could have been had he won in 2020. As Rogan O’Handley (aka DC Draino) pointed out:
Think about this
If Trump won in 2020, he would’ve had a Democrat House and Senate
More impeachments, no Senate confirmations, no bills passed, and possibly the end of the MAGA movement as an effective political force
But now?
He has the House, Senate, Supreme Court, a popular vote mandate, and an entire country that wants to clean up our elections, close our borders, deport illegals, and hold corrupt politicians accountable
Sometimes I think it had to happen this way
God is the Master Storyteller, and this is the story He’s telling now.
But in this story, we are not mere spectators. We are characters with a role, and it would behoove us—Christians—to know what that role is. Here are four ways Christians ought to respond to Donald Trump’s inauguration today.
1. Rejoice
“When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.” (Proverbs 11:10)
Now, I wouldn’t call Trump “righteous,” but he is significantly closer to it on many fronts than Joe Biden, Kamla Harris, or Tim Walz. These godless radical leftists haven’t perished in the sense of dying physically, but they have politically, and that is reason to rejoice.
Trump’s victory is a great mercy not only for the many good things he will do but also for the many crises his presidency will avert—war, economic chaos, social media censorship, the enshrining of a national right to abortion, continued defense of transgender child mutilation, continued invasion of illegal aliens and drugs at the southern border, etc., etc. etc. The United States, dark as it is with its sins of idolatry and child sacrifice, would no doubt have become even darker if Harris had been given the chance to drive us toward Communism.
Compare your thoughts in the days following Trump’s election to the thoughts you would have had if Harris had won. What a difference! Our nation has a future! We are still a nation under judgment, but the story God is writing has included the mercy of a reprieve from many dangers growing around us and the untold nightmares we would have experienced if Harris had won. This reprieve will give us more time to rally the nation to repentance.
This is a reason to rejoice! Praise be to God for this answer to prayer. It would be ungrateful (yes, sinful, I think) not to rejoice. God has not abandoned us entirely! He is giving us a fighting chance!
2. Submit and honor
“Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. …Honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:13-14)
Christians are called to submit to governing authorities, all of which “have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). Out of obedience and respect for God, we must obey these authorities He placed over us—insofar as they do not command us to sin (cf. Exodus 1:8-22; Daniel 3; 6:6-10, 22; Acts 5:17-41).
So, let us honor and submit to Trump’s authority as president in every way that is appropriate.
3. Pray
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
Far from trivial, as is often supposed, prayer is powerful. It’s powerful because the One to whom we pray is all-powerful. In the verses above, the apostle Paul assumes the effectiveness of praying for the governing authorities; the result will be “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.”
In the face of barely averted national and international catastrophes, a peaceful and quiet life—a life in which we are allowed to be godly and dignified without fighting—has never looked so desirable. So, let us pray for all those in high positions.
Pray for their salvation. Pray they will be given divine wisdom. Pray they will pursue nothing less than justice in everything they do. Let us pray all this for President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and everyone else on down the list.
4. Fight
“But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge’” (Acts 4:19)
Now, don’t miss this: I noted above how we must submit to our governing authorities insofar as they do not command us to sin. That means if they do command us to sin, or if submitting to them would make us complicit in sin, we must not submit.
Don’t miss this either: I also said earlier that God is giving our nation a fighting chance despite it being under judgment. That means a successful future for this country is possible if and only if a great effort is made.
Some of that effort will be in cooperation with Trump, and some will be in opposition to him. Christians can support Trump on many issues, from foreign policy to border security, economic policy, education, healthcare, and more. The best way to help him in such matters is to urge our elected representatives to support him on these policies.
But there are also areas in which, to be faithful, we must oppose him—and one that I believe to be particularly pressing. On this point, the symbolism of the Butler, PA, assassination attempt goes even deeper than discussed above. On that occasion, though Trump dodged the bullet, not everyone did. There were innocent casualties—one of whom was killed, Corey Comperatore.
Similarly, while the nation as a whole has dodged the bullet of another four years of Democrat rule, there remain innocent casualties in the Trump victory: preborn children, for whom Trump has made clear he does not plan to extend any further protections. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read my previous article.
Here, suffice it to say that preborn human lives are still in grave danger under a Trump presidency. Unless something changes quickly, there will continue to be innumerable casualties. Tragedy was not entirely averted either in Butler or in the election.
Christians, we must fight this, and now is the time. Trump’s administration will quash a number of other evils that have increased under Biden and would have continued to increase under Harris, and that allows us time and capacity to focus our attention on the fight against the evil it will not quash: abortion.
Christians need to become much more active in the interim between elections, pressuring politicians and changing the cultural conversation on abortion, among other matters. There are many ways to do this. As abortion goes, here are a few:
Educate yourself on the state of abortion and the proper Christian perspective (hint: think abolitionist, not pro-life)
Voice that perspective to your federal and local representatives
Connect with a local abortion abolition organization to coordinate political action
Use your gifting, whatever it may be, to pitch in
Sign up below for updates on a petition for Trump to reconsider his position on abortion
There may be a sliver of hope for this, as, in a recent interview, Trump said that while he is unlikely to restrict pill abortions, he is unwilling to “commit” to that position. He said, “Things do change, but I don’t think it’s going change at all.” Slim as it may be, there’s a chance he may change his position on abortion. Let’s pray for this eagerly.
Conclusion
God is writing His story before our eyes. Trump is His chosen leader of the United States for the present hour. As a result, great things are about to happen in this country and around the world.
At the same time, Trump is just a man, and a flawed one. As Trump begins his second term today, we must honor the moment but not lose sight of the great battles we still face.