Some critics see Trump’s behavior as unchristian. His conservative Christian supporters see a hero

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For eight years, Donald Trump has managed to win the support of many evangelical and conservative Christians despite behavior that often seems contrary to the teachings Christ upholds in the Gospels.

If some observers initially viewed this as an unsustainable alliance, now it is different.

A number of victories during Trumps presidency, notably appointments that shifted the Supreme Court to the right, bolstered that support. He is now the clear front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, even though he was recently found responsible for sexually abusing a woman in New York in 1996 and was indicted in a criminal case related to hush money payments to a porn actress.

Robert Jeffress, a pastor of an evangelical megachurch in Dallas, has been a staunch supporter of Trump since his first presidential campaign and has stuck by him even as rivals like South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence are proud of their Christian faith.

Conservative Christians continue to support Donald Trump because of his biblical policies, not his personal piety, Jeffress told The Associated Press via email. They are smart enough to know the difference between electing a president and electing a pastor.

In many ways, Christians feel they are in an existential culture war between good and evil, and they want a warrior like Donald Trump who can win, Jeffress added.

In rural southwest Missouri, pastor Mike Leake of Calvary of Neosho, a Southern Baptist church, said support for Trump within the mostly conservative congregation seems to be growing as he is criticized and investigated.

This further convinces them with their rhetoric that there is a leftist plot to undermine our country, Leake said. So if everyone from the Left hates Trump, well, he must be doing something.

Leake said many of his congregation members who strongly support Trump are not our most dedicated members.

Any time we see someone filled with MAGA, we lose them, Leake added. Attendance and participation are down. Giving drops. It’s all consuming — just like any other idol.

Robert Franklin, professor of moral leadership at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, said Trump benefits from a perception among some of his followers that he is suffering for them.

As he complains of persecution, more people dig in to support him, and for some, fight for him and make personal sacrifices (of money and freedom) for his advancement, Franklin said by email.

Franklin also noted that some evangelicals, since the beginning of Trumps presidency, have compared him to Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who, according to the Bible, allowed the Jews to return to Israel from their Babylonian exile.

It’s a strong trope, the bad guy who makes good things possible, and is therefore hailed as a hero, Franklin said. Unfortunately, under this narrative, Trump literally can do no wrong. He was right and wrong. No other politician gets that kind of pass.

Trumps great achievements, in the eyes of many evangelicals, include moving the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and further appointing three Supreme Justices who helped repeal nationwide abortion rights and expand religious freedom protections in some cases involving conservative Christians.

Trump is eager to tout his faith-based record.

No president has fought for Christians as hard as I have, he said at the Faith & Freedom gala in Washington in June. I will fight hard until I get back behind that desk in the Oval Office.

The political results are widely viewed as the key to Trumps evangelical support.

I’m sure there are many Christians in the MAGA movement who sincerely believe that Trump was anointed for this purpose to bring about certain political outcomes that they wanted, said Robert Millies, a Chicago-based Catholic scholar whose books include Good Intentions: A History of Catholic Voters Road from Roe to Trump.

Embracing Trump is really, ultimately a cynical calculation about power, one with the thinnest of possible Scriptural justifications, Millies added.

In February 2017, just two weeks after Trumps inauguration, Rev. Peter Daly who is a retired Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Washington wrote a column for the National Catholic Reporter titled Donald Trumps gospel is not the Gospel of Jesus.

In the piece, Daly described Trump as an ungenerous oppressor, easy to lie, lacking in empathy and tolerance.

He sees every opponent as someone to be yelled at or teased, Daly wrote. He is not a peacemaker.

Six years later, Daly tries to understand why so many conservative Christians remain in Trump’s camp despite behavior and rhetoric that goes against everything they stand for.

Some pro-Trump pastors enjoy the proximity to power afforded by visits to the White House or special political events, Daly said.

And some rural, white Christians feel like no one speaks for them, Daly added. They think, Here’s Donald Trump. Hell be our champion It has nothing to do with being a Christian. The politics of grievance.

Serene Jones is president of Union Theological Seminary in New York, which describes itself as a progressive religious institution with many LGBTQ students.

Asked about Trump’s popularity among conservative Christians, Jones cited several recent victories for evangelical and conservative causes in Republican-controlled courts and state legislatures.

“Our country is seeing an intense attack on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and the separation of church and state,” Jones said via email. Although some evangelical Christians may have some discomfort about certain politicians, they may believe that these social and political achievements outweigh the concerns.

In Iowa, where evangelical support is key in the caucuses that launch the GOP nomination process, Trump appears to be in a better position than in 2016.

A Des Moines Register Iowa Poll in March found he was viewed favorably by 58% of evangelicals, compared to 19% before the 2016 caucuses.

President Trump stood up for the values ​​we hold dear, Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, Iowa, told The Associated Press in April. Then we need to pray for him that his personal life is in line with that.

As strong as Trump’s support among Christian conservatives is, some prominent figures in those ranks are looking for alternatives to the GOP campaign.

Supported by Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Trump in 2020 but recently said on his radio show that he had had enough.

Christians begin with the clear biblical truth that no sinful person has perfect character, but even though we are grade presidents in something with a curve, some stand out as lacking in character, Mohler said. Donald J. Trump is certainly one of those presidents.

I don’t want Donald J. Trump to be the 2024 Republican nominee, Mohler added. So much baggage … A statesman would understand that fact and make a way for other people to lead. That seems unlikely.

Trump was raised a Presbyterian, but told Religion News Service in 2020 that he had transitioned to identifying as a nondenominational Christian. He did not claim membership in any particular congregation, and during his presidency he rarely attended services.

While in Florida, Trump once attended an Episcopal church in Palm Beach for Easter and Christmas Eve services. On the campaign trail, he visited churches of various denominations, including some new-age churches with music and dancing.

Jeffress, the Dallas megachurch pastor, admires Trump as a political battler. But Jeffress said that during eight years of friendship, I saw a side of him that many people don’t see. I watched her interact with strangers, as well as her own family, with warmth and kindness.

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Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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