If you remember my last Strang Report about my interview with Arthelene Rippy, you’ll recall our discussion about Trump’s many accomplishments as president. It’s hard to deny that God has been using Trump in a huge way since his election—not only in the U.S. but across the world. I detail these accomplishments in my latest book, Trump Aftershock, which you can purchase at trumpaftershock.com or anywhere books are sold.
Today, I want to share part 2 of that interview with you, in which Rippy and I unpack Trump’s oft-overlooked spiritual roots, which go as deep as a massive Scottish revival. And what’s more, that outpouring parallels a revival in Korea that produced prayers God may be about to answer in our day. You can click here or scroll down to listen to part 2 of this interview.
As I explain in Trump Aftershock, revival broke out from 1949 to 1952 in the Outer Hebrides Islands off the coast of Scotland. Many trace this historic revival back to two elderly sisters: Peggy and Christine Smith. The Smith sisters interceded day and night until God poured out His Spirit in a powerful way in their small fishing village. That revival overtook the islands to the point that the Hebrides became known as the “Jerusalem of the U.K.” But to top it all off, some say the sisters who prayed that revival into existence were actually Trump’s great-aunts.
But even if that is not true, Trump’s mother, Mary Anne, and her family were at least in some way affected by this great outpouring in the Hebrides. Trump’s mother was a devout Presbyterian and gave her son a Bible, which was one of the two Bibles Trump used at his presidential inauguration.
But even more interesting than Trump’s Presbyterian upbringing is that his revival roots have an uncanny parallel to one of the most godless regimes in the history of mankind. As I explained to Rippy, while the Hebrides were experiencing their Presbyterian revival, Korea was facing a war that would eventually divide the nation in two. But in 1909, decades before that war took place, Korea experienced a Presbyterian revival of its own—to the point that Pyongyang was called the “Jerusalem of Asia.” Christians planted around 3,000 Presbyterian churches during that time.
North Korean dictator Kim Jon Un’s family participated in this Korean revival. Kim’s great-grandfather was a church elder, although his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, rejected his Presbyterian upbringing, became a dictator and forced Korea to embrace communism. Today, North Korea outlaws Christianity, and at least 50,000—although some report as many as 130,000—Christians are in what amounts to concentration camps. North Korean Christians who are caught practicing their faith are often jailed, tortured and, in many cases, killed.
But while North Korea’s dictators have wreaked havoc, South Korean Christians have been interceding. Alex Clattenburg, a mutual friend of Rippy’s and mine, visited South Korea this past May, a month before Trump and Kim’s great summit at Singapore. Clattenburg told me he went to a six-hour prayer meeting, where believers prayed for the two Koreas to unify once again as well as for revival to sweep their nation.
I believe God is answering their prayers. During that Singapore summit, Trump and Kim discussed religious liberties. How the results of this meeting will ultimately play out, we have yet to see. But I think not only will we get denuclearization, but that we will also see Kim—and North Korea as a whole—grow more open to the gospel.
Only God is creative enough to draw such clear parallels between Scotland’s and Korea’s revivals. And while we may not yet fully understand the significance of Trump’s and Kim’s similar roots, we can pray His plan will perfectly unfold in the U.S., in North and South Korea and across the entire world.
Listen to my podcast below to hear more insights into Trump’s spiritual roots and his strong defense of religious liberty. And if you enjoy what you hear, be sure to rate and review my “Strang Report” podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or whatever app you use.
Stephen Strang 
