Means to an End
Gutenberg Bible, Latin Vulgate (1455), Image originally posted to Flickr, Author NYC Wanderer (Kevin Eng), (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)
“The ends justify the means.”
–Niccolo Machiavelli, as frequently misquoted from Chapter XVIII of “The Prince” [1]
“Attempting to legislate faith does not create disciples; it creates resentment.”
–Bruce Cooper, Christian blogger [2]
It may be a relief to Christians that the Trump Administration has shifted the direction of government toward Christian values, and away from the Woke values of the Biden Administration, along with expressing strong support for Israel. But we must not applaud too readily.
Among other things, Pres. Donald Trump has already in the first few weeks of his second term:
- Created a Dept. of Justice Task force to root out anti-Christian bias in the federal government;
- Established a White House Faith Office to defend religious liberty and promote faith based adoption and foster care programs;
- Declared that the US will recognize only two sexes (male and female), excluding transgender individuals from the military;
- Signed an executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” to restrict sex change operations for minors;
- Eliminated Diversity/Equity/Inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government;
- Pardoned a number of anti-abortion activists;
- Withdrawn the US from the World Health Organization; and
- Rescinded sanctions the former Administration imposed on West Bank settlers [3][4][5][6].
While these actions may be well intentioned, they are not necessarily all wise.
True, anti-Christian bias is a reality, inside government and out. There are only two sexes in God’s eyes, and life is precious to Him. So called “Diversity/Equity/Inclusion” (DEI) programs, while arguably well-meaning, focus on identity politics with the ultimate goal of creating a strict standard against which organizations can be evaluated (and severely penalized for non-compliance). The World Health Organization is unabashedly globalist, as its first Director General, Brock Chisholm made terrifyingly clear [7][8].
However, the goal of Christianity was NEVER political power. If it had been, Christ would have overthrown the Roman Empire, and established an earthly kingdom when He walked this earth.
Salvation
The goal of Christianity is eternal Salvation. And Salvation cannot be legislated. It is a personal decision between an individual and his/her God which involves repentance, faith, and a conscious decision to follow Christ (Rev. 3: 20) [9].
Indeed, those forced to adopt Christianity outwardly are all the more likely to develop a hidden resentment toward it [10].
Constantine and Christianity
Although few today remember, the church partnered with government after Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD [11]. That led to centuries of church corruption and political maneuvering. The popes became wealthy landowners, and actually fought wars over territory.
Whatever they may have gained, the church, itself, i.e. the Body of Christ, lost which is why the Protestant Reformation was necessary. This is the course of Christian Nationalism, not revival. We must not make the same mistake again.
Freedom of Religion
While the United States was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, freedom of religion was protected by the First Amendment because the Founding Fathers were familiar with the ills of state-sponsored religion [12B][13][14].
The Pilgrims and Puritans fled England to escape the reach of the Church of England. Yet many American colonies established churches [15]. The Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and New Haven Colonies established the Puritan Church (Calvinism). New Hampshire established the Congregational Church. New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida re-established the Church of England.
Separation of Church and State
The doctrine of separation of church and state was not intended to remove consideration of morality from issues of public significance or the mention of God at public functions. It was though meant to protect the free exercise of conscience (an exercise totalitarian governments deny their citizens). In a democracy, not everyone will agree.
“Arbitrary and Capricious” Standard
Pres. Trump’s executive orders (implemented by the various federal agencies) are likely to be adjudicated in the courts via the Administrative Procedure Act and a standard known as “arbitrary and capricious” [16A].
The Administrative Procedure Act was passed in 1946 as a legislative attempt to curb the power of the Executive Branch. Courts must defer to an agency’s decisions and findings, unless they seem patently unreasonable.
There may, for instance, be an obvious error in an agency’s judgment, or relevant alternatives not considered when a particular policy was formulated [16B]. Courts may find that the evidence and/or fact-finding an agency relied on were incomplete or lacking in merit [16C].
This is entirely appropriate.
System of Checks and Balances
Trump Administration officials have openly questioned the authority of the courts as challenges to the president’s orders have been filed [17]. Though judges are only human and may have their own political agenda, this criticism is troubling.
Recognizing the fallibility of human nature, the Founding Fathers created a tripartite government with power deliberately separated into three branches: the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The system of “checks and balances” was considered essential to offset human ambition. In fact, this division of power has a biblical basis [18].
The Judicial Branch was not designed (and never functioned) as a rubber stamp. The case of Marbury v. Madison established the principle of judicial review as far back as 1803 [19][20]. .
Moreover, the law is meant to be predictable for the good of society. The process of judicial review can be time consuming — another fact that has come under sharp criticism — to allow for due consideration of issues, and protect society against radical change.
Ends v. Means
“We Christians are convinced beyond doubt of the truth of our beliefs. The urgency of conveying that truth and the size of the stakes, i.e. eternal life, have made us into zealots. The Christian Right has translated this into the righteousness of its political cause. The two are not, however, identical.”
–Excerpt from An Evangelical on the Left, Copyright © 2007 Anna Waldherr. All rights reserved.
Contrary to Machiavelli’s assertion, the end does not justify the means [21]. Not every means of obtaining an important or even morally laudable goal is good. As Christians, we should know better.
—
[1] Christian Science Monitor, “Political Misquotes: The 10 most famous things never actually said – 3. ‘The ends justify the means.’ – Niccolo Machiavelli” by Eoin O’Carroll, 6/3/11, https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0603/Political-misquotes-The-10-most-famous-things-never-actually-said/The-ends-justify-the-means.-Niccolo-Machiavelli#:~:text=3.,no%20ground%20to%20rest%20on.
[2] Reasoned Cases for Christ, “Navigating the Crossroads: Faith, Politics, and the Sovereignty of God” by Bruce Cooper, 2/7/25, https://bcooper.ca/2025/02/07/navigating-the-crossroads-faith-politics-and-the-sovereignty-of-god/.
[3] USA Today, “Trump signs executive order targeting ‘anti-Christian bias’” by Swapna Ramaswamy and Francesca Chambers, 2/7/25, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/06/trump-task-force-christian-religious/78286967007/.
[4] PBS, “Trump signs executive order to establish White House Faith Office” by Peter Smith and Aamer Madhani, 2/9/25, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-signs-executive-orders-related-to-faith-announcement.
[5] NBC News, “Pentagon to ban transgender people from joining military, pausing gender-transition procedures” by Reuters, 2/10/25, https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/pentagon-ban-trans-people-joining-military-pauses-gender-transition-pr-rcna191569.
[6] BBC, “What Trump has done since taking power” by , 1/29/25, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ced961egp65o.
[7] Wikipedia, “Brock Chisholm”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Chisholm.
[8] Brock Chisolm is quoted as saying, “To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism, and religious dogmas.” See, https://www.azquotes.com/author/37751-Brock_Chisholm.
[9] The River, “Salvation is a personal decision” by Dr. Jim Broffitt, 11/7/23, https://www.diveintotheriver.org/post/salvation-is-a-personal-decision.
[10] Wikipedia, “Forced conversion”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_conversion.
[11] Wikipedia, “Papal States”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_States.
[12] The Faith and Liberty Trail, “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?”, 2021, https://www.faithandlibertytrail.org/stories/was-america-founded-as-a-christian-nation.
[13] CS Lewis Institute, “The Bible and the American Founders” by Daniel Dreisbach, 8/1/18, https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/the-bible-and-the-american-founders/#:~:text=From%20the%20Puritan%20fathers%2C%20Americans,University%20Press%2C%202017).%5D.
[14] Wikipedia, “Separation of church and state”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state.
[15] Wikipedia, “Separation of church and state in the United States”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States#:~:text=The%20colonies%20of%20Plymouth%2C%20Massachusetts,or%20Separatists%2C%20who%20were%20Calvinists.
[16A, 16B, and 16C] NPR, “Trump’s executive actions are getting challenged as ‘arbitrary.’ What does that mean?” by Christina Gatti, 2/8/25, https://www.npr.org/2025/02/08/g-s1-47098/trump-arbitrary-lawsuits-gender-executive-actions.
[17] Associated Press (AP), “Vance and Musk question the authority of the courts as Trump’s agenda faces legal pushback” by Jill Colvin, 2/9/25, https://apnews.com/article/trump-judiciary-musk-separation-of-powers-balance-checks-069c169ea1ddf6eea76f502d544c4c16?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us.
[18] Apologetics Press, “Biblical Roots for American Government” by Robert Veil, 11/1/23, https://apologeticspress.org/biblical-roots-for-american-government/.
[19] United States Courts, “About the Supreme Court – Judicial Review”, https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/about#:~:text=Judicial%20Review&text=The%20Court%20established%20this%20doctrine,a%20Constitutional%20right%20is%20violated.
[20] Federal Judicial Center (FJC), “Marbury v. Madison (1803)”, https://www.fjc.gov/history/cases/cases-that-shaped-the-federal-courts/marbury-v-madison#:~:text=Historical%20Context-,Marbury%20v.,role%20in%20interpreting%20the%20Constitution.
[21] Got Questions, “Do the ends justify the means?”, 1/4/22, https://www.gotquestions.org/ends-justify-means.html#:~:text=From%20a%20biblical%20standpoint%2C%20of,of%20the%20providence%20of%20God.
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A Lawyer's Prayers 
Nice post 🌅🌅
❤️❤️❤️
Great points Anna. Thank you. It’s only fair to acknowledge them, despite our Christian beliefs.
“Attempting to legislate faith does not create disciples; it creates resentment.” Says it all. Seen that pattern in my nation’s history, it continues today still among a certain group of ‘patriotic believers.’ Zeal without knowledge is always dangerous. Another balanced and helpful assessment, thanks Anna!
Thank you, Erroll. That’s what I strive for. By the way, you can find the full text of Bruce Cooper’s post here: https://bcooper.ca/2025/02/07/navigating-the-crossroads-faith-politics-and-the-sovereignty-of-god/. His and a similar post by Ron Whited at https://ronwhited.wordpress.com/2025/02/09/does-america-really-need-a-white-house-faith-office/ inspired mine.
My father used to say, “You can’t legislate morality.” And that was in the 1960s. I pray for truth to shine with clarity and lies to be exposed. Then perhaps people will choose wiser policies, rather than be forced to abide by them.
That’s my prayer, Nancy. I don’t think force will accomplish any good in the long run. If anything, it will generate a backlash. We need to change attitudes.
As you indicate “Although few today remember, the church partnered with government after Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380 AD” From then onwards the false doctrine of the Trinity entered the group which came to claim the right to say they were the only true Church and the apostle Peter their first pope.
From then onwards, the real followers of Christ came in danger and had to face several trials. That agreement with the Roman emperor also led to centuries of church corruption and political manoeuvring. The popes became wealthy landowners, having several wives, and some even having male lovers, and worse of all fought wars over territory and power.
I do not disagree w/ you about the corruption of the Catholic Church under certain popes. However, I disagree w/ you about whether the Trinity is false doctrine, and whether it was introduced by Constantine or the church at the Council of Nicaea in 325AD.
Since there is no historic evidence for the latter, I can only assume your objection to the Trinity stems from a dispute over the divinity of Christ. If you are interested, you can find two posts I wrote on that subject here: “Origins” at https://alawyersprayers.com/2023/12/17/origins-2/ and “Why the Trinity Is NOT Polytheism” at https://alawyersprayers.com/2022/07/10/why-the-trinity-is-not-polytheism/.
Christ proclaimed His divinity many times, and went to the cross over it. He fulfilled hundreds of prophecies about the coming Messiah, including the one by Isaiah:
“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Christ, Himself, said that He and the Father are one (John 10: 30; 14: 9). The Apostle Paul (who encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus), and all the Apostles except John (who acknowledged Christ’s divinity, but outlived the others) gave their lives for that principle. John put it this way, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1: 1).
Not only were it Pilgrims and Puritans who fled England to escape the reach of the Church of England. Many looking for the New World wanted to escape the rivalry between the churches in their own country. They even came from so far, from North of Europe (the Scandinavian countries) to be free from all the resentment, hassle and church doctrines.
Exactly. Doctrine may be imposed by force. But genuine belief is another matter.
A well-reasoned assessment, Anna, of the need to preserve constitutional boundaries. In our moral zeal, we may forget what the true goal of Christianity is. As you forthrightly state, “the goal of Christianity was NEVER political power. If it had been, Christ would have overthrown the Roman Empire, and established an earthly kingdom when He walked this earth.” This is worth remembering in every extremity but especially in times of upheaval as we are experiencing now.
Thank you, Dora.