Former Andrews Hospital CEO pens book on Christianity and politics

It has been one year since Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States, defying polls, which was the catalyst for former President and CEO of Andrews Memorial Hospital Dr Patric Rutherford to write a book, God and President Trump Plus the Rest of Us.

In the book, Rutherford highlights the importance of following core principles of the Christian faith in one's life, especially in times of political divisiveness and upheaval.

"I decided to write this book because I was troubled in my spirit by the divisiveness of the 2016 political campaign in the United States and the role of some church leaders in openly supporting candidates whose words and conduct were opposite to the values of the Christian faith," said Rutherford.

"I also received numerous phone calls from people concerned about the future of the United States and the world under the leadership of President Trump and thought I should write something to remind all that ultimately, the world is in God's hands and we need to trust Him to guide us into the future," he said.

The author examines the positive role faith has played in past governance. He highlights the importance of living by Christ's example a lesson that should be embraced not just by presidents, but by all.

Each chapter provides fundamental ideas, questions, and arguments to help the reader understand the importance of living a God-centred life and following true Christian principles in political decisions and in civil discourse, especially for political leaders.

"True Christianity transcends the conduct of politicians who hijack the name Christian for political reasons even though their lives and conduct do not reflect Christian principles," explained Rutherford.

According to him, "ultimately, all political leaders will answer to God, who holds the future of our world in his hands. God has a plan for this world that guarantees that love will win in the end, therefore, those who choose love over hate are already winners."

The launch of the book took place earlier in year at the University of the Common-wealth Caribbean in St Andrew.

Rutherford, who now resides in Miami, Florida, says that he hopes that the book will inspire hope in these times of political uncertainties and encourage people to choose moral values over political expediency.

"This book is to remind the Christian community that our Christian principles should be our guide in the selection of leaders. When the person that is chosen does not meet our ideal, we should trust God, who allows it for a reason, while at the same time do our part to hold our leaders accountable" he said.

"The hand of God has shown written through the march of time that evil will not triumph in the end. Greed, selfishness, and hatred destroy themselves, and love ultimately wins," Rutherford added.

The book is available at the Andrews Memorial Hospital Pharmacy; East Jamaica Conference Resource Centre; and Island Pharmacy, New Kingston.