Today marks the one hundredth day of President Trump’s second term, and he plans to celebrate it by sitting down with ABC News tonight for his first broadcast interview since taking office in January. But while the interview with ABC will be significant, it’s hardly the only opportunity he’s taking to try and frame the start of his second term in a more favorable light.

Trump is scheduled to take part in a two-hour town hall with NewsNation on Wednesday before delivering the commencement address at the University of Alabama on Thursday. And all of this after having spent much of last week sitting down for interviews with Time magazine and The Atlantic.

In his interview with Time, he stated, “I feel that we’ve had a very successful presidency in one hundred days,” though he cautioned that “it takes a little time in transition. You know, we’re resetting a table.”

The notion that it’s too early to judge Trump’s presidency has some merit, considering there are still 1,361 more days before someone else steps into the position. However, that hasn’t stopped many from trying, and the latest results indicate that the public’s patience may be starting to wear thin.

A conflict Trump should lose

While the numbers vary depending on the poll, the general consensus seems to be that roughly 40 percent of Americans approve of how Trump’s term has gone so far. And while he still enjoys a 75 percent approval rating among Republicans, even that number has started to fall in recent weeks.

The biggest reason for his declining popularity is economic. Less than 40 percent of Americans agree with his stance on tariffs, while the state of inflation was seen in a similarly dismal light.

A majority still approve of his approach to border security—the only issue where he polled positively in Fox News’s latest study—yet his ratings on immigration as a whole are now underwater. This shift is largely due to the belief that he has become overly reliant on executive orders and the fear that his approach will eventually lead him into a direct confrontation with the judiciary—a conflict that as many as 88 percent of Americans believe he should lose.

And few stories have epitomized the nature of Trump’s perceived battle with the courts better than the arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan last week.

Did Dugan deserve arrest?

When Dugan was first arrested in her courthouse last Friday, the initial reaction online revolved primarily around the belief that this was a sign of Trump fighting back against the courts and the judges who opposed his agenda. But while there may be some truth to those allegations, there is more to the story than how it was first portrayed.

The controversy began when Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national who entered the country illegally after having been previously deported in 2013, appeared before Dugan’s court on charges of battery and domestic abuse.

Agents from ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement were waiting outside of her courtroom when she decided to instruct Flores-Ruiz to use the jury door to exit into a part of the courthouse where he would have a better chance of escape. The plan worked, at least for a time, as agents were forced to chase him down in the streets to make the arrest.

Dugan was then charged with “obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States” and with “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest.”

Unfortunately, the details of her actions were made known long after her story began to make the rounds on social media, and by that point, quite a few on both sides of the aisle held strong opinions regarding her arrest. In the days since, some of that furor has calmed, but a palpable fear still exists about the precedent set by arresting a judge.

Minnesota senator Tina Smith spoke for many when she asked of Dugan’s detention, “Republicans: How is this not a red line for you?” Yet, as Fox News’s Jonathan Turley points out, “What is the ‘red line’ for judges if the allegations are true? This judge is accused of conduct that has resulted in charges for other citizens.”

So, what should we make of this story? And what can it teach us about a better approach to controversial subjects going forward?

A prophecy fulfilled?

Ultimately, the optics of Trump’s administration arresting a judge as his conflict with the judiciary escalates are understandably bad. Chances are that Dugan’s arrest would not have generated nearly the backlash it did if it could not be seen as something of a fulfilled prophecy by those on the left.

At the same time, judges going out of their way to circumvent the application of the law is also problematic. And if the charges against Dugan are accurate—which appears to be the case, though she will get her opportunity to prove otherwise—she did act in a way that warrants arrest.

Could the situation have been avoided by not trying to arrest illegal aliens inside a courthouse? Probably, and there are good arguments as to why waiting elsewhere may be the better path going forward. Yet none of that changes what Dugan did, and her story is a good example of why we need to recognize that multiple ideas can be true at the same time, rather than feeling the need to choose between them.

A price we must be willing to pay

Holding competing ideas without defaulting to an often-unnecessary choice between them is a necessary part of discerning the truth. Doing so consistently is difficult, however, since it will typically require us to value what is true over what we may prefer to believe. And that commitment to truth in today’s highly politicized climate will likely lead us to become politically homeless in a world where both sides demand loyalty.

As Christians, is that a price we’re willing to pay?

I hope it is, because if we reach a point where we are more afraid of standing alone than we are of standing apart from God, then we will have much bigger problems than culture wars and judicial conflicts.

So, where is truth on your list of priorities today? Are you ready to choose God’s side over friends, family, or political parties when making that choice is necessary?

There’s only one correct way to answer those questions.

Will God’s answer be your answer today?

Quote of the day:

“Your tribe will always create a narrative that helps you completely avoid accountability. Reject it. Sometimes it is your fault. Sometimes your culture is wrong. Sometimes your opponents get it right.” —Justin Giboney

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Did the pope write a now-viral “letter from the hospital”?

“He was a pope among the people, with an open heart toward everyone.” This is how Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re described Pope Francis in Saturday morning’s funeral for the deceased pontiff. “The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open,” he added.

To illustrate his point: texts and prayers during the service were offered in English, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, German, and for the first time, Mandarin. The program for the funeral mass was published beforehand by the Vatican in English, Italian, and Latin.

Trump and Zelensky met prior to the service

Watching the service on live television was a moving experience for me. It was remarkable to see more than 250,000 people fill St. Peter’s Square from all over the world. They came in such numbers that more than four hundred priests were required to serve communion to all who wanted to receive it.

In addition, more than 250,000 mourners paid their respects to the pope in the previous days as his body lay in state. Among his last visitors were French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte. He bowed his head; she made the sign of the cross. Many at the funeral were dressed in formal attire, but many others were in jeans and T-shirts.

Further illustrating the inclusive nature of the event, fifty heads of state and ten reigning monarchs attended the historic service. Among them were US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and United Nations General Secretary António Guterres. A Russian minister, a minister from Iran, and an ambassador from Israel also attended.

President Trump and President Zelensky met prior to the service, their first time to be together following their contentious argument in the Oval Office on February 28.

With Pope Francis’s burial, the church began nine days of official mourning, known as the novemdiales, then the conclave gathers to elect the next pope. (For more, see my explainer: “The funeral of Pope Francis and the papal conclave to follow.”)

“A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar”

The spirit of the funeral mirrored the spirit of the pope being memorialized. Francis was especially beloved for his personal humility and inclusive heart, characteristics he first manifested decades before his election as pope.

In media coverage of his death and funeral, many focused especially on his “Who am I to judge?” statement regarding gay people and his perceived openness toward the LGBTQ community and others whom critics consider to be marginalized by the church. Some are expressing their hope the next pope continues and even accelerates what they are portraying as Francis’s “welcoming” agenda.

Here’s an example: A letter purporting to be written by Pope Francis from the hospital is making the rounds widely on social media these days. It begins: “The walls of hospitals have heard more honest prayers than churches.” The “letter” continues:

It is in hospitals that you see a homophobe being saved by a gay doctor.
A privileged doctor saving the life of a beggar. . . .
Respect yourself, respect others. Walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you.
Respect: do not comment, do not judge, do not interfere.
Love more, forgive more, embrace more, live more intensely!
And leave the rest in the hands of the Creator.

However, this “letter” was not written by the pope. It is not found on any official Vatican sources such as the Holy See website, nor in his homilies, encyclicals, or public addresses. Versions of it have been attributed to Pope Francis for many years, but this is not true.

Furthermore, its advice to “walk your own path, and let go of the path others have chosen for you” is not just contrary to Catholic doctrine—it is unbiblical and even dangerous. It is Satan who whispers in our ear that we can be our own gods (Genesis 3:5). Scripture warns us against those who “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude 4) and are “following their own ungodly passions” (v. 18).

By contrast, we are encouraged to “trust in the Lᴏʀᴅ with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. . . . Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lᴏʀᴅ; and turn away from evil” (Proverbs 3:5, 7).

Francis himself described as “evil” the “notion that there are no indisputable truths to guide our lives, and hence human freedom is limitless.” Pope St. John Paul II agreed: “Only the freedom which submits to the Truth leads the human person to his true good. The good of the person is to be in the Truth and to do the Truth” (his emphasis).

“Something we have never fully lived before”

All Christians can learn from Pope Francis the urgency of loving every person as Christ loves us. We can wash the feet of sinners in the knowledge that we are sinners as well. We can kiss the faces of the disfigured and reach out to those in despair.

But Francis would agree that we love best when we love in truth.

In his preface to an upcoming book by Cardinal Angelo Scola, the pope wrote: “Life is life, and sugarcoating reality means betraying the truth of things.” Otherwise, as Paul warned us, we are “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).

It is by “speaking the truth in love” that we “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (v. 15). Jesus taught us: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32).

As we live biblically and help those we know to live biblically, we prepare for that day when our Lord will “set you free” forever.

In his preface, published by the Vatican after his homegoing, Francis wrote: “Death is not the end of everything, but the beginning of something. It is a new beginning . . . because we will live something we have never fully lived before: eternity.”

What if it were today for you?

Quote for the day:

“No authentic progress is possible without respect for the natural and fundamental right to know the truth and live according to that truth.” —Pope St. John Paul II

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Why an atheist says America needs Christianity

The death of Pope Francis continues to dominate the news, but commentators are beginning to turn their attention to what comes next as well. Of the twelve cardinals thought to be frontrunners to become the next pope, many are considered more conservative than Francis.

On the other hand, Pope Francis appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. Since four out of five votes in the coming conclave will be cast by cardinals elevated by Francis, some believe they will appoint a successor who will follow his pastoral priorities. (For more, see my new website article, “The funeral of Pope Francis and the papal conclave to follow: Who might be the next pope and what else you need to know.”)

The person who becomes the next pope will obviously be vitally significant to America’s seventy-two million Catholics (comprising the largest denomination in the US). But three values Francis emphasized during his pontificate transcend denominations and are crucial to the future of American democracy as well.

“Three things America needs most right now”

Jonathan Rauch describes himself as an atheist, homosexual Jew. Nonetheless, his conversation this week with Bari Weiss of the Free Press makes a point every American Christian needs to understand.

Rauch, a Yale-educated author, journalist, and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, claims that our democracy depends on three pillars: resist fearmongering, care for the rights of the marginalized, and forgive your political opponents. He asserts that they are “the three things America needs most right now.”

According to Rauch, these values are especially central to the Christian faith. (To illustrate his point, all three were repeatedly emphasized by Pope Francis in his messages and ministry.) Rauch, therefore, urges Christians to “teach how to be like Jesus in public life” by discipling people around politics and social media. He notes: “If Christians—especially white evangelicals—could bring the tone and behavior of Jesus into politics instead of mimicking the worst of social media, it could help heal both the church and the country.”

He adds: “Christianity has run aground before—indulgences, corruption, power. But the gospel endures: A God in human form who suffers and dies not to dominate but to redeem. It’s the most powerful story in human history. Maybe it’s not done yet.”

“What it is like to live separated from God”

Like Jonathan Rauch, Bari Weiss is Jewish. What neither of them seems to understand is that the incarnational love of God is not just a “story” but a living Reality. Frederick Buechner writes:

The proclamation of Easter Day is that all is well. And as a Christian, I say this not with the easy optimism of one who has never known a time when all was not well but as one who has faced the Cross in all its obscenity as well as in all its glory, who has known one way or another what it is like to live separated from God.

Like Buechner, I have known “what it is like to live separated from God.”

As far back as I have memory, I have believed that God exists. In my darkest days—the early death of my father, the cancer diagnoses of our oldest son and youngest grandson, the inevitable discouragements that come to pastors (and everyone else)—my faith in God’s reality persisted.

But I have known what it is like not to experience the joy of his presence, that visceral sense of fulfillment and significance that comes to those who are living in his leading and power. I have felt the absence of his presence when my sins grieved and quenched his Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). I have known days when serving him felt more like an obligation than a privilege, times when Christianity was more a transactional religion about Jesus than a transforming relationship with him.

“Death is not the end. The end is life.”

The good news is that such days are not the whole story. Buechner continues:

In the end, his will, not ours, is done. Love is the victor. Death is not the end. The end is life. His life and our lives through him, in him. Existence has greater depths of beauty, mystery, and benediction than the wildest visionary has ever dared to dream. Christ our Lord has risen.

I have experienced this risen Lord personally. I have known what it is to feel the intimacy of his presence, the joy of his grace, the power of being led by his Spirit.

Experiencing Jesus in this way is vital not just for our souls but for our nation. The three Christian pillars Rauch identifies as essential to democracy are empowered not by our religion but by our living Lord:

• We cannot truly refuse to fear others unless we have the courage of Christ infusing our minds and spirits.
• We cannot truly care for the marginalized unless we have the compassion of Jesus beating in our hearts.
• We cannot truly forgive our opponents unless we experience and share his forgiving mercy.

These gifts of grace are extended in nail-scarred hands to each of us, even now.

“He can heal us and help us move forward”

As the world marks the death of Pope Francis, I have been quoting all week from his latest book, published just two months before his homegoing. In it he writes:

How often we have felt the need for a change that would affect our entire person! How often we have said to ourselves, “I need to change; I can’t keep on like this. My life is leading nowhere, it will never bear fruit, it’s all pointless, I’ll never be happy.” How often have we had these thoughts! And Jesus, who is nearby, always reaches out to us and says, “Come, come to me. I will do the work: I will change your heart, I will change your life, I will make you happy.”

Jesus, who is with us, invites us to change our life. It is he, with the Holy Spirit, who sows in us this restlessness to change our lives and become better people.

Let us accept the Lord’s invitation without resistance. Only by opening ourselves to his mercy will we find true life and true joy. All we have to do is open the door—he will do the rest. He does everything; we just have to open our hearts. He can heal us and help us move forward.

Will you find “true life and true joy” today?

Quote for the day:

“I am a dreamer, dazzled by the light of the gospel; I stare into the night for visions with hope. And when I fall, thanks to Jesus, I always rediscover the courage to keep fighting, hoping, and dreaming.” —Pope Francis

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