President Trump Is Morally Unfit For Office

There…we said it.   We the members of Philadelphia Apostolic Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, NC affirm, & do not deny that Donald J. Trump is morally unfit for office based on the clear teaching of 1 Timothy 3.  

What follows is our reasoning: 

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach,faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

1. The Greek word for overseer (ἐπισκοπῆς) in a non-religious context refers to an inspector / inspector general.    

• We see then that an episkopos is a person who looks at something intensely. In the ancient Greek world, an episkopos could be a military general who periodically visited various units of the army to make them stand inspection. If the troops were alert, sharp, and battle-ready,then they received the commendation of the episkopos. If the troops were slovenly and ill-prepared, then they received a stinging rebuke from the episkopos. (RC Sproul)
• In non-biblical Greek the gods were referred to as episkopoi, that is as over-seers and protectors of men. Likewise men were referred to as episkopoi, asoverseers or tutors or guardians, or even scouts or spies. One special usageshould be noticed: in the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. the word was used for the governors or magistrates sent from Athens to rule over the cities that wereunder its authority. Other government officials held the title of episkopos as members of the secret police or as judges. Still others were in charge of money matters. And later on even Emperor Constantine was called an episkopos (Donald Deer).

2. The Bible teaches the 3fold use of the Law & Gospel : Individual/Familial, Ecclesiastical, and CIVIL.   Thus, the quasi-axiomatic excuse among the People that they voted for Policy &/or President — not a Pope ought to be challenged & confuted by application of the Bible (correctly exegeted, exposited, & understood). 

3. Qualifications for Overseer 

• Above Reproach:  Donald Trump is by no means a man who is above reproach.  This particular qualification reminds us that an overseer in the home, in the ecclesiastical assembly, &/or as a ruler/governor of the People ought to be a uniter whenever possible, not divider.  In addition, the overseer should be as free from scandal as is morally necessary & possible.  

This is does not mean scandal may not, from time to time, erupt around him &/or among the People.  Rather, the overseer ought not be a lightning rod for scandal if at all possible &  ought not be one who places themselves in the public square inviting moral, legal, economic, &/or sociopolitical controversy, especially controversy that really & truly places himself or herself in the public eye, &/or privately at/in the center of a scandal — and if the scandal be truly false & conspiratorial s/he ought not to seek office — nor should they, for the betterment of the People, themselves, & the State continue in office.   

• Faithful to his wife :  His words about Kamala Harris, Hilary Rodham Clinton, & many others are well known, as is his history of adultery.  In addition, the Bible, in Matthew 5:28, is clear that lustful intent defines sexual immorality & the identity of the object of that lust defines the sort of sexual immorality committed.   

• Temperate (Sober): The overseer must be wise/prudent, deploying a balanced, careful approach to the handling of one’s own & others’ character flaws, especially as to the his & others’ mortification of sin.  This qualification for office also reminds us of the need for moderation &/or the exercise of restraint in both public & in private.  

• Self-Controlled: The overseer need not be sinless in order to be a good & just ruler/governor.   However s/he must be neither impulsive by nature nor prone to impulsive behavior.  An overseer must carefully & judiciously regulate his/her/their impulsiveness  as to thoughts, words, & deeds &, when called upon, help others to do so as well — especially as to the mortification of sin, not only individually but also corporately.  

The overseer must exercise a degree of discretion & self-discipline so as not to get unnecessarily caught up in others’ drama.  

Donald Trump’s behavior in falsely accusing immigrants in Springfield OH of “eating the dogs” is just one example of his lack of self-control.   In addition, his use of social media also displays a propensity to generate controversy, harass his rhetorical & other opponents, like Rosie O’Donnell & Kathy Griffin & even his erstwhile ally, Elon Trump.    It’s as if he doesn’t realize that he represents the nation, not just himself, when does these things.   

• Respectable:  An overseer ought to be man of honor, respected by members of his/her/their household, family, business associates, fellow church members/goers (if any), peers, & community.    

Donald J. Trump, on September 21, 2025, at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in TN, did openly & brazenly profess to hate his opponents, not wishing the best for any of them.   In addition, his callous remarks about President Emeritus Biden, who has been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer, his abuse of President Zelensky, & multiple breaches of etiquette when visiting the UK when Elizabeth II was Queen & now most recently when visiting Charles III, by, on both occasions, stepping in front ot them at Windsor, posting a photo of himself as the Pope, his use of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service to serve his own ends, & his belief in popularity over respectability all put his ego on full display as a man who chronically puts himself first & is an embarrassment to his own name (which means “Mighty Ruler”) & to the nation.  “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

• Hospitable:  The overseer must not be prone to surround himself with sychophants & other sorts of “‘Yes’ men.”    An overseer ought to be welcoming, Paraclete to people unlike himself in accordance with Matthew 5:41 - 48, which, incidentally includes respecting, reinforcing, promoting, & protecting the Civil Rights of all people & people groups (especially women, immigrants, LGBTQ people, & other maligned &/or marginalized members of American society — not just those of whom he himself/his party &/or religion (if any) &/or ideology approves.  The overseer must also be teachable, willing to hear & understand ideas other than his/his party’s &/or his ideology’s own.  He must not be a respecter of persons (ie a practitioner of favoritism) — this includes bigotry.  

Donald Trump has, at times, been charged with misogyny, racism/racial prejudice, & homophobia— none of which should characterize a ruler/governor of the People.  

• Able to teach:   In addition to becoming teachable the overseer must also be (willing) & able to correctly articulate his own point of view, that of his party & other associates, including religious points of view.    

Through his use of (allegedly) hyperbolic statements that Black men are “born to be criminals,” & his hypocrisy in painting Washington DC as a hellholes in need of military &/or quasi-military intervention when crime statistics paint a different picture, as well as his cavalier attitude toward fact-checking all reveal him to be a chronic liar & an illegitimate teacher of the People.  

• Not given to drunkenness:  The overseer must not allow himself or be prone to allow himself to be one who is frequently inebriated with alcohol, drugs, &/or power.    

• Donald Trump’s rise to power, his abuse of power, & the lengths to which he is willing to go in order to gain, maintain, & sustain power in general & political power in particular are well  known.   He has deliberately & high-handedly sought to manipulate the People & has embarked on a campaign of litigiousness & sought to amplify the power of his office in accordance with Project 2025.  These actions. as well as his militarization of our cities & his cavalier attitude toward those targeted by ICE, & his use of his power & authority to deliberately persecute his opponents (& those of many of his fellow Republicans) all prove that he is a man who is power hungry & drunk on power.   

In 2019, he expressed a belief that the Constitution allows him to do whatever he wants.  In May 2025, while interviewed on Meet The Press, when asked if he needs to, as President, uphold the Constitution, he waffled, replying, ““I don’t know.  I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”

• Not violent but gentle:  These words mean that the overseer must endure persecution from time to time, not abusing his/her/their authority &/or power as they endure hardship/persecution.     

Donald J. Trump repeatedly bullies & threatens his opponents.   He has used social media to bully &/or lie about himself & other people, including Governor Gavin Newsome, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathy Griffin,  Governor Tim Walz, & a many more.  Such behavior, like social media addiction, has no place in the life of an overseer.

• Not quarrelsome:  The overseer must not be one whose heart & mind are unnecessarily argumentative &/or litigious.

In 2022, USA Today reported that he & his businesses have been involved in 4,095 lawsuits over the course of 3 decades.  “They range from skirmishes with casino patrons to million-dollar real estate suits to personal defamation lawsuits.” 

Lawfare Media reports: 

• 350 active cases challenging Trump administration actions
• 13 suits by the Trump administration challenging state or local laws
• 53 suits or appeals dismissed 
• 16 Supreme Court stays or order to vacate lower court orders 
• 1 Supreme Court affirmation of lower court order
• 9 suits where judges ruled for the federal government
• 28 suits where judges ruled against federal government

• Not a lover of money:  While the Bible does not condemn having money, it speaks against gluttony.  Gluttony encompasses lust for money &/or material possessions.  The term also encompasses economic policy &/or activity that (systemically) “unjusts” the hired worker as to wages & privileges the rich over the poor &/or the poor over the rich. 

Hawking Teslas on the White House driveway, gilding the White House while the People suffer through rising inflation & other hardships like food insecurity, unjust imprisonment, mounting debt (individual as well as that of the State), the deprivation of rights like due process, the loss of jobs & the effects of job losses as a result of DOGE’s activity, & his cavalier attitude toward Proverbs 22 (which is clear that those who give to the rich at the expense of the poor will themselves come to ruin) are all examples of his gluttony & moral stupidity.  

• Manage (his) family: An overseer must sow peace in & among his family members & manage (not manipulate) them wisely, & not (needlessly nor severely) oppress them in the process.   This qualification applies to the overseer’s behavior in all 3 spheres.  

While we the members of Philadelphia Apostolic Presbyterian, do not have any information about the internal dynamics of his literal family & how he relates to them (&/or) they with him, the public record furnishes us (& the world) with documentation of multiple firings within the purview of his administration — firings that have resulted in air line crashes, needless problems at the citzen-customer level @ the Social Security Administration,  & heavy job losses as a result of DOGE (losses that have the potential to negatively impact food security, labor disputes, & public confidence & public safety), the militarization of CA & the District of Columbia, & the callous hamfisted behavior of ICE agents all fit into this category.  

In addition, his tariffs are not merely about American economic hegemony.  He has made it clear that he believes they are punitive.   Likewise, his administration’s involvement in the cancellation of Stephen Colbert & Jimmy Kimmel, threats directed at Seth Meyers & Jimmy Fallon, & general attitude that the FCC is part of the Administration’s propaganda mill & an enforcement arm ought to be recognized as reprehensible & morally repugnant as to God’s Law & Gospel & legally repugnant to the United States Constitution.  

4. Therefore, Donald J. Trump is morally unfit to hold office as a ruler of the people in general & as President of the United States of America.  

HEAR.WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING TO THE CHURCHES!   HE WHO HAD AN EAR LET HIM HEAR! 

O LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER(S)!