Trump Not Jesus But Like 'Word Become Flesh' for Americans, Controversial Billboard Group Says
A Christian Facebook group has defended its controversial billboard that featured President Donald Trump by stating that it didn't mean equate the president to Jesus Christ but the Trump presidency is like the "word become flesh" for Americans.
The Facebook group "Make the Gospel Great Again" clarified Monday that it was responsible for the placement of the advertisement on a billboard on I-170 in St. Louis County, Missouri.
The advertisement featured a picture of Trump. Underneath the picture, was the words of John 1:14: "The Word became Flesh." In the upper right-hand corner were the words "Make the Gospel Great Again."
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The billboard received media attention after pictures of it were posted to social media. Some questioned the meaning behind the billboard considering the entirety of John 1:14 reads: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
The billboard's owner, DDI Media, removed the advertisement from the billboard on Monday.
The "Make the Gospel Great Again" group offered more insight into its message behind the billboard in a Facebook post on Monday. The Facebook page was again taken down on Tuesday.
"Our billboard IS NOT equating Jesus with President Donald Trump," the post read. "Salvation comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not any man. But God does send his messengers to us, and just as King David liberated the faithful in his day, President Trump is doing this today through his protection of the unborn, defense of our land against foreign invaders and standing up for Israel."
The group's post contended that Trump "surrounds himself with champions for Christian Rights," including Vice President Mike Pence, Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
"Compared to the disaster of a president we had in Obama, how is this not the 'word become flesh' for Americans?" the post asked. "As Christians we must not stand against God's will despite the persecution we face for doing so."
The post also explained that the group "met as a team" Sunday night to talk about "how much hatred we've received for our efforts to encourage fellow believers in holding fast to the faith."
"We prayed that the facebook page would be a community for fellow Christians to be encouraged at what God is doing in the world and to find out how they could, like our president, be a part of being God's presence in making America great," the group explained. "But the hateful comments and mean spiritedness from liberals and atheists drowned out the voices of Christians in this country."
"These reflect the level of unfair deranged media attacks on the President in general and his supporters," the post continued.
The post concluded by explaining that the Facebook page will be taken down because it has "become a place full of disgusting cruel comments and a complete lack of scriptural understanding."
"But we are not defeated," the group assured. "We draw our strength directly from the Lord as well as from the teachings of evangelists such as James Dobson, Franklin Graham, John Gray, and Jerry Falwell Jr. and many other voices who encourage us in our mission."
In a statement Monday, DDI Media explained its reasoning for removing the billboard.
"A recent billboard with an image of President Trump has been removed because of its political nature and the fact that it did not disclose the sponsoring organization," the statement reads. "The ad did not meet our requirements for political ads and was taken down just a few days after it was placed."
It remains unclear who is behind the "Make the Gospel Great Again" Facebook page and billboard. DDI Media has not responded to The Christian Post's questions on the matter.
According to Patheos.com, the "Make the Gospel Great Again" Facebook page had previously explained in another post that "MGGA exists to help spread the truth of God's great champion on earth — President Donald Trump."
The removal of the billboard came just one day before the 2018 midterm elections.
Conservative evangelical Christians became a major base for the president, as exit polls from 2016 showed that 81 percent of white self-identified evangelicals who voted, voted for the thrice married real estate mogul and reality television star.
Evangelical grassroots organizations have spent millions across the United States in efforts this year to get evangelicals to vote in the 2018 midterms as enthusiastically as they did in the 2016 presidential election. Those organizations hope to offset what Democrats are hoping will be a "blue wave."
"There is going to be a huge wave of Democratic voters show up at the polls in November," Faith & Freedom Coalition Communications Director Lance Lemmonds told The Christian Post in September. "We can't control that but we can match the enthusiasm and match the turnout model. It is groups like ours that are going to hit the pavement to try and match that enthusiasm."
The ABC-owned political polling analysis website FiveThirtyEight gives Democrats a seven-in-eight chance of retaking the U.S. House.
