President Trump’s pattern of renaming public institutions and government programs after himself — from the U.S. Institute of Peace to the Kennedy Center, from a new class of battleships to prescription drug benefits and children’s savings accounts — seems to offer a good contemporary illustration of what the Bible calls “the pride of life.” In warning against loving “the things of the world,” the Apostle John identifies a spiritual danger that transcends any era: the human temptation to seek immortality and significance through the perpetuation of one’s own name. This self-glorifying impulse, which transforms public institutions meant to serve the common good into monuments to individual ego, exemplifies the kind of worldly vanity that Biblical teaching warns against.
This concept finds its most direct expression in the New Testament, where John writes:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:15-16 (ESV)
When John warns against “the pride of life,” he identifies a timeless spiritual danger: seeking personal glory through worldly means rather than humbly serving others. This manifests as excessive concern with reputation and the visible markers of importance — the desire to be remembered through the attachment of one’s name to earthly achievements.
Trump’s renaming proposals illustrate this Biblical warning. They include renaming the U.S. Institute of Peace as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center as the Trump Kennedy Center, a new class of warships as Trump-class battleships, and creating programs called the Trump Gold Card for immigration, TrumpRX for prescription drugs, and Trump Accounts for newborn Americans. These proposals share a common goal: inscribing the Trump name onto institutions that will endure beyond any presidency.
This impulse illustrates one of the things John probably meant by “the pride of life.” The U.S. Institute of Peace was founded to promote international peace — a mission transcending any individual’s legacy. Renaming it after Trump converts an institution dedicated to universal good into a personal memorial. The Kennedy Center stands as both a memorial to a fallen president and a national cultural institution. Replacing Kennedy’s name prioritizes personal glorification over historical continuity and civic purpose.
The Trump Gold Card, TrumpRX, and Trump Accounts illustrate how this pride infiltrates public services meant to serve Americans. These programs should express the nation’s commitment to its citizens, yet the naming suggests they exist primarily as extensions of one man’s brand. When government services bear a president’s name, they become perpetual advertising rather than civic benefits — ensuring future generations associate these services with a particular individual’s greatness.
John identifies this pride as fundamentally “of the world” rather than “of the Father.” The worldly perspective seeks permanence through visible monuments and names. But the Biblical perspective inverts these values. Jesus taught that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). The Christian tradition celebrates leaders who deflected glory—Moses, “very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3), and John the Baptist, who declared of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
There is a tradition of naming institutions after political leaders—the Roosevelt Room, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Kennedy Space Center. But these namings typically occur after a leader’s death, bestowed by others for specific achievements with clear connections to that leader’s legacy. The Kennedy Space Center honors a president who committed America to the moon landing. What distinguishes Trump’s pattern is its breadth, self-initiated nature, and disconnection from specific achievements. To name the Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center, multiple programs, and a warship class after oneself during one’s tenure suggests an approach prioritizing name proliferation over institutional substance.
John’s warning reminds us that worldly glory is fleeting. Names on buildings will fade, programs will be renamed, and warships will be decommissioned. What endures is not the visibility of our names but the substance of our service and the condition of our hearts. The “pride of life” promises immortality through monuments but delivers only a hollow substitute for the deeper significance that comes from humble devotion to righteousness, justice, and the welfare of others. Focusing one’s life on these Biblical principles ultimately points to God’s ways and can be used to glorify Him even in such a secular setting as national administration.
Whether in ancient times or today, the temptation remains: to love the things of the world more than the things of God, to seek our own glory rather than His.
(Note, this essay was created with assistance from an AI, but the ideas are mine.)
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