WHERE THE SPIRIT IS THE LORD, MR. TRUMP?

By Eric Holmberg - Posted at The Apologetics Group:

Donald Trump recently got around to noting a specific verse from his professed “favorite book,” the Bible. Speaking at Liberty University, the candidate gave a fumbling nod to what he called “Two Corinthians 3:17,” the founding verse of the Christian school.

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” he gushed.

Given the level of decadence the first-century author of this verse found among the Corinthians─over and against Trump’s own lifestyle─there was some unintended irony in his citation. And it only became acuter when Trump proceeded to comment on the passage: “That’s the whole ballgame…and it’s so representative of what’s taking place.”

By way of background: Saint Paul wrote two letters to the Christian church residing in the Greek city of Corinth. In classical times, Corinth was renowned for its temple to Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, pleasure and so-called love. Temple prostitutes devoted to her worship were a major financial resource that made the city “great again.” Roughly one thousand women serviced the wealthy merchants and powerful officials who frequented the city.

Referring to its pricey, sensual luxuries, the poet Horace coined the aphorism: “non licet omnibus adire Corinthum” (“Not everyone is able to go to Corinth”).

This decadence continued into New Testament times, compelling Paul to spend an unusual amount of time addressing sexual sins (porneia) in his letters to the city’s church, more than in any of his other epistles.

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