Drawn to Jesus – but repelled by Trump

In the space of ten days, three Japanese people have asked me about Donald Trump and Christianity.

A non-Christian academic, who said he is drawn to Christianity but that Christian nationalism keeps him from embracing it, a non-Christian lady who is attracted by the Christian faith but was worried that following Jesus would also mean supporting Trump, and a Christian who was troubled by Trump/Hegseth’s claim to be doing God’s will.

Each conversation was a profitable chance to talk about what the Bible really teaches and what true Christianity looks like, but the current use of Christian-sounding rhetoric by senior figures in the American government is negatively affecting Japanese views of the Christian faith.