Is Donald Trump a Christian?

By Dimas Salaberrios, CP Exclusive Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Dimas Salaberrios is pastor of Infinity Bible Church, which he founded in partnership with Tim Keller and Redeemer City to City, in the South Bronx of New York City.

I really do not know if President Donald Trump is a follower of Jesus Christ because I never asked him. Prominent faith leader James Dobson called the president "a baby Christian." Several pastors have agreed that President Trump is a young Christian. We should give some thought to this matter.

Jesus Christ wisely explains how to identify a Christian in Matthew 7: 18, 20, which reads, "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."

Fruits really points to their behavior and actions. So, what do we know about President Trump and worship? Donald Trump before running for office has been known to attend Joel Osteen and television preacher Dr. David Jeremiah events on his own when they traveled to New York City. People have reported that President Trump will often stop for prayer, or to discuss spiritual matters. At the very least, we can comfortably call President Trump a seeker (a person who intelligently wants to examine Christianity for himself or herself).

Let's review what Jesus' brother James says about real Christian living.

He wrote, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27)."

President Trump had my barbershop in the Bronx giving him respect, which is not easy to do. Most people speak negatively of the president as the en vogue thing to do. People look at him as a threat to separating families through immigration, disrespectful to women with his past playboy status, and insensitive gaffes along the campaign trail — even one to a disabled person. Those are sins that have plagued President Trump from an easy transition as president, to become a target for those who want to hurl invectives with ease. However, on this point tough guys in the shop defended the president when it comes to his stance on Chicago! The African American and Latino community is tired of the killings in Chicago. I have personally contributed to funerals and prayed with widows there. So, when the president made Chicago a focus and concern publicly, even the gangsters gave him a "bump up" in neighborhood chatter.

Also, his actions in Syria showed that President Trump was affected like most of us when images of babies were shaking on top of cars with water dosing as the only aide to chemical warfare. I was impressed with his stance to defend the orphan and widow. Even at the expense of upsetting some hard right liners, he defended the defenseless and that was a righteous act. It sent a message that America does care for "the least of these," meaning the suffering refugees of the world.

Is President Donald Trump a Christian? I will ask him. But it appears there are signs to show that he could be a young believer, working out his faith, on the biggest platform in the world as President of the United States of America.

Pray for the president as we are commanded to do so in the Bible.

Dimas Salaberrios is pastor of Infinity Bible Church, which he founded in partnership with Tim Keller and Redeemer City to City, in the South Bronx of New York City. Infinity targets at-risk youth and spearheads numerous outreach events and discipleship groups. As a worldwide missionary, church planter, and speaker, Pastor Dimas has shared the gospel on every continent except Antarctica. He is also president of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York, and he holds a master of divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in the Bronx with their two daughters. Learn more at streetgodbook.com.