Over the last few days, I have seen story after story about how a pastor and TikToker has claimed that Barron Trump is close to salvation. I hope it is true that Barron is close to committing his life to Christ. AND, I find this story completely gross.
Three issues bother me about the story.
Shallow Conception of Faith
This first issue is not specifically tied to this story but to the broader conception of faith within American evangelicalism. I believe in conversion. I believe in the rebirth. I remember saying a version of the sinner’s prayer during Sunday School when I was seven years old. But I honestly do not know if that was the moment I was saved.
Salvation, faith in Christ, being a Christian, however you want to articulate it, is an existential commitment to Christ. That is something that takes time to work out. In the United States, we place so much emphasis on the initial moment of salvation.
I am not denying that moment. But I do wonder if we should extend the metaphor of rebirth even further. I do not know anyone who remembers their physical birth. One of my wife’s best friends cannot remember a moment of salvation, yet I’ve seen her life and her faith. I have no doubt that she is a part of the Kingdom of God.
Maybe most of us do not remember the moment of regeneration. For me, was it in that Sunday School class when I was seven? Was it two years later when I finally got the courage to walk to the front of the Church to ask to be baptized? Was it some point later in my life where a superficial commitment became deep and undeniable? I don’t know.
What I do know is that I know many people who have professed faith in Jesus; I know people who have been baptized and walked, for a while, in what looked like faith; I know children who said the prayer with seeming sincerity. However, if you look five, ten, or twenty years later in the story of these people’s lives, there is no fruit. Many step away from their profession and never again bear fruit. Some repent of their confession.
Faith is something that is worked out and proven through time. So I hope that Barron places his faith in Christ. Even more, though, I hope that when this nineteen-year-old turns fifty, he is still living a life that reflects that faith.
Please Let It Be Private
Spiritual journeys are deeply personal. I have written a lot about mine, but that has been a choice I have made and a practice that only began once I was deeply rooted in and committed to my faith.
If Barron is genuinely seeking God, I cannot imagine the type of pressure it puts on him to have dozens, if not more, articles written about how he is on the verge of converting. We do not know what he is thinking or the pressures he may face in this search from friends or family.
Please let the guy seek God in privacy. Let his acceptance, or rejection, of faith be something between him and God, not something worked out in the spotlight.
I have seen so many people who decide to follow God become spiritual authorities because they already had renown. Often, it is clear they should not be put in that situation. They become a leading voice, sometimes for decades, not because of their wisdom or spiritual maturity but because they already have a platform. This is dangerous for the church, but it is also dangerous for the individual.
A commitment to God needs to be one made to God because of who God is, not because of any number of other factors. This can be hard to discern for anyone, but if someone is going through this process in the public eye… I can’t even imagine.
So, for the sake of Barron and the sake of the church. Let him pursue this in peace and quiet outside of the public eye.
Building a Brand
I do not know the pastor who shared this story, initially on a podcast. I have no idea about his heart. I had never heard of him before this story, and honestly, as I write this, I cannot even remember his name. But I think sharing this story was irresponsible.
According to the story, the pastor had a late-night discussion with Barron. This should be private. He should not be sharing other people’s spiritual quests.
This pastor has no doubt had other late-night spiritual conversations with people, I have, and I’m not a pastor. Why then share this story?
I fear that the answer is simple. Barron is famous, and the Trump name has a cultic following in many evangelical circles. Can you imagine the clout delivered to a young, cool TikTok pastor who led Barron to Christ? I hope I am wrong, but this sort of divulgence of what should be private seems like a transparent attempt to build a brand.
We live in a time where it seems everyone is building a personal brand. To some extent, it has always been that way. We have always built reputations. Those reputations have always affected us personally and professionally. Now, though, it seems so much more. Maybe that is because social media has democratized the process. Anyone can, at least potentially, create a following and a brand that supports a good living.
Maybe more than anything, that is why this feels gross to me. This feels like a story that is more about establishing the reputation of this pastor than about a young man potentially coming to faith. I pray I am wrong.
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