“The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the[intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart.” – Luke 6:45 AMP

What was revealed about Trump’s heart through a 2005 hot mic moment was nothing short of despicable.

As he boasted to Billy Bush about his privilege as a “star,” and how he could use that privilege to treat women as objects, to demean them, put his hands on them in ways that no man should without permission, or even to try and coerce them into committing adultery, it was enough to make any good person wince in disgust.

It was enough to make some good men, such as Congressman Jason Chaffetz to pull his endorsement.

It was enough to make men like Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and Jeb Bush strongly condemn the vulgar nature of his words.

It should be enough to make everyone back away from him. Most certainly, those faith leaders who flocked to him should be putting distance between themselves and Trump.

In an attempt to be fair, the video is 11 years old. A lot can change in a person’s heart in 11 years.

I am inclined to believe, however, that very little has changed with Trump. He continues to speak in abusive terms about others, so you have to believe he still holds on to an abusive, unrepentant nature.

The saddest, sickest part of all of this is that there are so many who are running to defend this behavior. They’re so deeply invested in the cult of personality and the god they wanted Trump to be that no confrontation with reality will shake them from their devotion.

Fox News’ Sean Hannity referenced King David’s 500 concubines.

One of Trump’s supporters tweeted out that women want to be grabbed in that way, and went on to disparage any man who said otherwise as either being the kind of men that have to beg or pay for sex, or gay.

As a woman, let me assure you, no… we don’t want to be grabbed like that, and should someone try it with me (or any number of ladies I know), I dare say somebody would make the evening news for all the wrong, painful reasons.

The truth is, Trump is just a product of a sick and dying culture. The further we pull away from the roots of faith and family that built this nation, the more depraved and base we become.

Trump is where he is because he’s a reality TV figure. He had a wide platform to relay to a sinful culture that excess and bawdy behavior are the new virtue.

More people can tell you who the Kardashians or Paris Hilton are than can tell you the three branches of government and their functions.

As I’ve said many times before, leaders are a reflection of those who vote for them.

We had 16 other candidates to choose from when this election cycle kicked off. Any of them would have been a better option, and so many of them were godly, gracious men.

We saw the worst of the lot forced on us by an angry mob that wanted a raunchy, arrogant despot, and we saw a cowardly lot of GOP leadership that were too afraid of the mob to take steps to avert a disaster.

With five weeks left until the election, we’re seeing the full and wretched results of those early choices made.

Trump did issue an apology video. In the video, he gave a stiff, almost snarling apology, obviously read from a teleprompter and wholly unconvincing.

He also brought up Bill Clinton and his well-documented lecherous behavior, as if that makes his own behavior somehow “better,” by comparison.

It doesn’t. Clinton’s abuse of his position was as vile as that of Trump’s. Only a child, or someone with the emotional maturity of a spoiled child would think that bringing up another’s misdeeds somehow lessens the impact of their own.

I’m not taking any pleasure in this. I’m not taking a victory lap, or saying, “I told you so!”

I can’t. How can I celebrate what is such a strong indictment against our culture and the heart of the people?

When the dust settles, we still have to step out and live among people who think that behavior like his is acceptable, or who thought Donald Trump would make an acceptable leader for this nation.

This is a national stain that will not wash away overnight, and it’s one we may never get the chance to recover from.