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A large segment of evangelicals look at Donald Trump and his followers and want to run in the opposite direction. The problem is that a lot of Trumps followers are their brothers and sisters in Christ. Politico reported yesterday on an NBC News/Survey Monkey poll that 37 percent of white evangelical Republicans support his candidacy. Yesterday, Jerry Falwell Jr president of Liberty University, endorsed Trump, and Dallas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress spoke highly of him; this following Franklin Grahams endorsement of Trumps immigration views in December. Such evangelical support makes that first group of evangelicals really nervous.

Thats understandable given many things Trump says and supports. Like banning all Muslims from coming to America. Like shooting the families of terrorists. Like suggesting that if he himself shot someone, his fans would still rise up and rally around him.

Donald Trump sometimes acts like hes a messiah—Ted Cruz calls it his “messiah complex.” But Trump is only a demagogue. This is not meant as a critique as much as a fact: A demagogue is “a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.” Trump does in fact appeal to popular desires, some of which are prejudices, and he tends to scorn rational argument, even eschewing debates now.

But in large measure, Trumps detractors are eschewing rational argument as well. Instead of presenting an argument why banning all Muslims is bad policy (why it doesnt make demographic sense, why it will likely make terrorism worse, and so on), most just exclaim, “Unbelievable!” and “that’s Hitleresque.” Trump is rightly critiqued for fear mongering and demagoguery, but his detractors are sometimes his mirror image.

This sort of political discourse is starting to affect how evangelicals talk about Trump. A notable exception is Russell Moore. He has consistently presented a line of argument—and not just name calling. His major thesis is that Trump is immoral by Christian standards. This is a fact: from Trump’s owning of strip clubs to his bragging about sleeping around to his Nietzsche-esque notions of power. Moore believes that a leader’s moral behavior will affect his leadership, so he argues that no Christian should support a candidate like Trump. This will not convince all Christians, but at least its an argument grounded in the fact of Trumps moral behavior.

Unfortunately there is little argument displayed by either side, only fearful allusions as to what will happen if Trump does or does not get elected. Whats more troubling is the talk of excommunication. After Falwell endorsed Trump yesterday, immediately some anti-Trump evangelicals started wondering if this signals a major breach in evangelicalism: “Now that Falwell Jr and other self-described evangelicals have thrown in with Trump, I wonder if we are seeing the beginnings of another significant divergence.” This writer is only expressing in public what many evangelicals on both sides will be more and more tempted to say. “How can you be a Christian and support/critique Donald Trump?”

It brings to mind the political battles in the days of when the Relgious Right was in its ascendency. Then the bright line of Christian orthodoxy was whether you were a Democrat or a Republican, with some Christians actually wondering about the faith of those believers in the other party.

1 posted on 02/03/2016 5:38:02 PM PST by Linda Frances
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To: Linda Frances

Yeah well...


2 posted on 02/03/2016 5:39:38 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o ("If elected, Donald Trump will be the first US president to own a strip club.")
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To: Linda Frances

I heard Jerry Falwell Jr. endorsed Trump...


3 posted on 02/03/2016 5:39:45 PM PST by freespirit2012
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To: Linda Frances

How can a mere man threaten the Gospel? People are getting carried away with nonsense.


4 posted on 02/03/2016 5:39:53 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to to God!)
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To: Linda Frances

A large segment of evangelicals look at Donald Trump and his followers and want to run in the opposite direction.
________________________________________

well so much for those idiots whomever they might be....

but Christians know about forgiveness and not judging...


5 posted on 02/03/2016 5:39:56 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: Linda Frances

Did this same group warn us aboit the “One?” What a bunch of self righteous junk.


6 posted on 02/03/2016 5:40:10 PM PST by mazz44
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To: Linda Frances

I am a Southern Baptist, and Russell Moore can STFU!!! Moore is a pro-amnesty pimp that tries to cloak his nonsense with Christian terminology.


7 posted on 02/03/2016 5:41:43 PM PST by odawg
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To: Linda Frances

What a bunch of loons.


8 posted on 02/03/2016 5:41:55 PM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: Linda Frances

We don’t need a preacher in the WH. We don’t need the government in the Church. We need a leader that will create jobs, bomb the bad guys and gals (yes and even the bad kids. )When people don’t vote because the Candidate isn’t Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Mormon, or any of the other Christian sects....they get an Obama, Hilary or Bernie Sanders.


13 posted on 02/03/2016 5:44:56 PM PST by Dallas59 (Only a fool stumbles on things behind him.)
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To: Linda Frances

Is this from Mad Magazine?


14 posted on 02/03/2016 5:44:58 PM PST by heights
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To: Linda Frances

I’d really like to know one thing from a factual standpoint.

Does Trump REALLY own a strip club? I mean on his P&L does he have a location and operation that is truly a strip club?

When you’re buying up real estate and need a ton of it there’s an interim period where you may own the land/building until everyone sells that you need to sell before you can build and “technically” own a strip club since it’s an existing business on a strip of land you own.

I’m not seeing how a strip club fits in the 50+ story landmark high rise, world class hotel, world class golf course portfolio. Honestly, I just don’t.

That’s like Macy’s or Nordstrom being in the pawn business.


17 posted on 02/03/2016 5:48:23 PM PST by PittsburghAfterDark (The American media: We do what the Soviet media did without the guns to our head.)
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To: Linda Frances
Somebody needs to brush up on scripture. The only thing that threatens the Gospel is the secular perversion of it by those within the church.

Christ's one act of physical action and anger was against the secular money changers in the church, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves." - Matthew 21:13

And why was this? Because the temple was being polluted with wrongful secular activity. Look within the church itself and those false leaders cloaking themselves in piety. It ain't Trump. Hint... Ted Cruz.

19 posted on 02/03/2016 5:50:36 PM PST by Lagmeister ( false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders Mark 13:22)
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To: Linda Frances
The Donald says:

Love that Two Corinthians leather

Not so fond of that Seven Commandment

21 posted on 02/03/2016 5:52:06 PM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: Linda Frances

Yeah, and I heard that Trump seduced the wife of one his junior officers. And then sent the husband out to do a dangerous job in order to get him killed!

Oh, wait- that was King David. nevermind.


23 posted on 02/03/2016 5:53:30 PM PST by Pelham (Marco Rubio (R-Amnesty). Boy Wonder of the GOP elite.)
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To: Linda Frances

Gee. I thought we were voting for POTUS. Last I heard a guy got already got the Pope job.


26 posted on 02/03/2016 5:54:39 PM PST by Beowulf9
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To: Linda Frances

Fine. I won’t vote for a man who owns strip clubs but will vote for a gay drug addicted smoking muslim with no authentic birth record.

Where were the evangelicals 8 years ago?
Oh, and if America is all about Christianity, then why did she accept Buddhists, atheists etc.... and muslims?

America needs a change. NO MORE LAWYERS in the white hut.
We need a businessman.


29 posted on 02/03/2016 6:05:18 PM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: Linda Frances

Trump has yet to say he’s evicting that strip club from his business


31 posted on 02/03/2016 6:07:54 PM PST by RginTN (Donald J Trump- why would the people of Ky want a rookie senator when they have Sen Mitch Mcconnell)
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To: Linda Frances

He doesn’t threaten the Gospel, he threatens conservatism.

Even Jimmy Carter prefers Trump over Cruz because he said Trump has no core beliefs, whereas Cruz is a rigid conservative.

Case closed.


38 posted on 02/03/2016 6:16:56 PM PST by one Lord one faith one baptism
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To: Linda Frances

Trump being just an imperfect person as are we all has no power over God’s plan! Even Trump isn’t that egotistical. This is ultimate DTS.


39 posted on 02/03/2016 6:18:00 PM PST by nclaurel
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To: Linda Frances

I’m a Christian and when it comes time to put the illegals onto trains, I will help round them up myself


55 posted on 02/03/2016 7:10:07 PM PST by ghosthost
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To: Linda Frances

How were these holy Christians voting when their representatives allowed prayer to be taken out of schools (1962)? Birth control to be distributed to the unmarried (1972)? Abortion legalized (1973)? Cohabitation legalized? No-fault divorce legalized? Single parent adoption legalized? Pregnant teens staying in school among peers legalized? Pregnant unmarried teachers keeping their jobs legalized? Deadbeat fathers winning the right to remarry and have more children approved by the SCOTUS? Jobs shipped overseas so fathers can’t support a family? Soft-core porn during family hour on television unopposed? Gay adoption legalized? Partial-birth abortion and born alive abandonment swept under the rug to vote for the Clintons and Obama? Schoolgirls taken for abortions by teachers without parental consent or notification? Comprehensive sex education, including homosexual techniques, from K to 12? Gay marriage legalized?

This destruction has been going on steadily since the late 1940s. Now they complain.


65 posted on 02/03/2016 8:00:33 PM PST by Albion Wilde (Who can actually defeat the Democrats in 2016? -- the most important thing about all candidates.)
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