We have:

- No head but Christ. Jesus Christ is the solitary head of His church. His authority is absolute.
Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:36; Colossians 1:3-18

- No book but the Bible. The Bible accurately presented is our only and sufficient rule of faith and practice.
- No plea but the Gospel. The Gospel of Christ in the hearts of people is the power of God unto salvation. The Good News must be proclaimed without addition or subtraction.
Romans 1:16; Acts 8:35-39; Galatians 1:6-8

This creed is a bold refusal by Brandt and his followers to even consider any information that does not fit with what they already believe is true. The Central Church of Christ in Griswold, Iowa teaches that there is no education necessary to live in the world of 2024 but what is contained in the Bible. They claim to listen to no one but Jesus, and to speak nothing but the Gospel.

The church and its members have one source of truth, and will ignore anything that contradicts it.

Of course, that isn’t really true anymore, is it?

Lately, Tony Brandt and the Central Church of Christ in Griswold have found a new absolute truth that’s even higher than Christianity.

If the Central Church of Christ has no head but Jesus, then why is it following Donald Trump?

If the Central Church of Christ has no book but the Bible, then why is its pastor so busy reading the press releases of the Donald Trump for President campaign?

If the Central Church of Christ, then why is Tony Brandt allowing himself and his church to be converted into a mouthpiece for Donald Trump’s partisan political movement?

The obvious incongruity between the professed creed of the Central Church of Christ and what it has actually become under the politically-obsessed leadership of Tony Brandt is an example of the moral corruption that results when religious organizations allow themselves to become mere cogs within the political machinery of ambitious politicians. The fall of the Central Church of Christ away from the path it declared for itself demonstrates what happens when sincere Christians allow themselves to be seduced by the siren song of Christian Nationalism.

In the United States of America, we have separation of Church and State for two main reasons. First, separation of Church and State protects the diversity of American identities from the zealously singular vision of religious communities. Second, separation of Church and State protects the idealism of religious communities from the cynical quest for power that often motivates political leaders.

Tony Brandt’s decision to make the Central Church of Christ a subsidiary of the Trump for President campaign has delivered a harsh blow to the preservation of American democracy and American religion through separation. We can only hope that Brandt will learn to regret his decision before his church’s creed is formally rewritten into:

• No leader but Trump

• No ideals but Trump’s whims

• Nothing to say but Trump’s talking points

Would Martin Luther approve?