Posted on 06/21/2016 5:33:20 AM PDT by nikos1121
Donald Trump will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday with hundreds of the nation’s most prominent Christian conservatives — megachurch pastors, religious media personalities, theological writers, heads of social conservative organizations and more.
Many of these Christian leaders supported other candidates, including Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina in the primary season. Some have criticized the presumptive Republican nominee for his rhetoric about race and about women, his lack of an anti-abortion history and even his ownership of casinos.
What would Trump have to say to earn their support on Tuesday? Several people who will be attending the meeting weighed in.
“He would have to win my vote. He would have to earn my vote. There’s not one thing. It’s a full spectrum,” said Jerry Johnson, the president of National Religious Broadcasters. “The sanctity of human life is important. Religious liberty is important. The marriage issue is important. The terrorism issue is important. And understanding the separation of powers in the Constitution is important.”
Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor at Maryland’s Hope Christian Church, said he wants to ask Trump at Tuesday’s meeting about three topics he believes are important to his fellow black Christians: economic development plans for inner cities, criminal justice reform and education. “I don’t think that he has burned too many bridges” to earn black Christians’ votes, Jackson said. “I don’t think it’s too late at all, but we know there are going to need to be some specifics put on the table.”
“To be fair, Trump is a New Yorker,” said Eric Metaxas, an author and radio host. “He is not exactly in touch with Bible Belt values and shibboleths. I think it’s important for him to know, if he wants to be elected, he has to take seriously that constituency, people who are social conservatives. … My guess is most people in the room [at the meeting with evangelical leaders] are open to supporting him, even if they have huge issues with him.”
Metaxas, who said at this point he plans to vote for Trump, said he wants to hear Trump defend religious liberty, including the right to oppose same-sex marriage. But more than policy positions, he wants to get a glimpse of Trump’s soul.
“I would say that what most people in America are looking for from Trump, and certainly what most Christians are looking for, is something that he may be incapable of — but it’s some level of introspection and self knowledge; that he would be aware of how he comes across,” Metaxas said. “That would put a lot of people at ease, if he would be capable of a few sentences of introspection. That would go a long way. Speaking as a Christian, I know that I’m a broken sinner who makes mistakes, who hurts people’s feelings and needs to apologize. When he famously said that he doesn’t have much to be forgiven for, something like that just revealed that he doesn’t think about himself the way a lot of people think about themselves. Especially Christians, who try actively to examine their souls.”
Penny Nance, the president of Concerned Women for America, said that Trump has her vote, as an individual. But her organization hasn’t decided whether to relaunch the massive effort to get conservative voters to the polls that it ran on Mitt Romney’s behalf in 2012. And she thinks many at Tuesday’s meeting are in the same boat, wondering how hard their organizations should work to bolster Trump.
Trump’s job on Tuesday, she said, will be to reassure them “if they put all this effort and time and money and blood, sweat and tears and credibility on the line, that they’re not embarrassed.”
She has a lot of questions for Trump. One issue she wants to hear more about: Israel. “Evangelicals are very supportive of the nation of Israel. We believe there’s Biblical emphasis on that, but we also believe that it’s important geopolitically. Some of what he said needs to be clarified a bit. … I won’t take a position? I’ll stay neutral? … There’s no moral equivalency between the nation of Israel and its need to survive, and many other Arab nations who want to destroy her.”
Another big topic: “Who the vice presidential pick is, I think that’s going to be important to us. If it’s someone who’s not a social conservative, I think that’s a brush-off.”
And then there are those who won’t support Trump no matter what he says. Princeton professor Robert P. George, who formerly chaired the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said he received an invitation to the meeting, and sent this note in response:
I respectfully decline. I have been a severe critic of Mr. Trump and there is nothing he could say at a meeting in which he is courting conservatives that would alter my low opinion of him. I trust that I do not need to go into detail about the words and actions that have caused me to form that opinion. Perhaps the only politician in America of whom I have an even lower opinion is Hillary Clinton, so I certainly understand why some are urging us to hold our noses and support for Mr. Trump. But I fear that he will, in the end, bring disgrace upon those individuals and organizations who publicly embrace him. For those of us who believe in limited government, the Rule of Law, flourishing institutions of civil society, and traditional Judeo-Christian moral principles, and who believe that our leaders must be persons of integrity and good character, this election is presenting a horrible choice. May God help us.
I know this is the WP, but it seems to give a fairly realistic spectrum of what to expect today.
Show up at Lakewood Church on live TV, cry, and write Joel a big check??
These guys take too much on themselves. Perhaps each one will imagine he's seen Trump's soul, and that it looks like ... whatever he wants to see. Each one will believe he's been promised (and will receive) whatever matters most to him.
Means nowt, as the Brits say.
Trump can be as fake as the politicians they support; that’s the only way to win them.
If these jokers were interested in supporting Trump, the information they’re seeking is out there. They’re ticked off because Trump’s not sucking up to them.
Some of these people want to be reluctant? Will they choose Hillary? To reject Trump who is not anti-evangelical to Hillary who definitely is? Why is the meeting necessary?
Show them a picture of Hillary.
ML/NJ
As I was picking a cup of fresh red raspberries for breakfast (God does provide) it occurred to me that among our comments today we could offer up prayers for DJT , his family, his mission and all here on the Trump Train.
So many praises and prayers of thanksgiving. So many in need. So much evil in the world and yet so much good in people’s hearts. So many “confused” people. And too many others who think they know.
Turning our country over to God’s will and then accepting His will and Grace is a challenge even for the most devote
Lord, Only YOU know our true needs, we turn our country and lives over to your will
Knowing it is through you
Amen to that.
Instead of looking at Trump’s soul why not take a peek at Hillary’s?
I don’t see any listing of this being carried live.
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I heard the meeting is closed to media.
Isn’t that sweet? The Compost is concerned that Trump can’t win some votes.
Last summer the meeting was closed but one of the pastors sent a video of the laying on of hands and closing prayers to his elders so they could join in (It went viral). There were 40-50 pastors at a 20 invite meeting in Trump Towers.
About 500 were invited to this meeting Close to 900 have RSVP that they are planning on attending. .
....When two or more gather in HIS name!
My understanding that other than Christians will be attending this meeting too. (The Trump family is very close to the NY Jewish community , not just through Ivanka, but for decades. Trumps fellow students at NYMA were often Jewish) When he opened MarLargo in Florida it was the first club that allowed both Jewish and people of color to join— “it was the right thing to do!” Explains a lot about his heart!
“...Turning our country over to God’s will...”
Amen and - enough of us remaining righteous in order to petition God as Abraham did: Genesis 18: 23 - 33
The fact that the meeting is even occurring is a sign that God is blessing the meeting because many things could have happened to prevent it.
Great post! Thanks for reminding us to pray and accept God’s will.
As my mother used to say if we can accept HIS will and love our neighbors (who were rather a peculiar lot). We could go on to the next steps.
I think about it often My neighbors are much easier to love,but accepting HIS will has always been a challenge. (Too strong headed )
Am still running a fever this AM but did have enough energy to pick a few fresh red raspberries. Life is good and Gods provisions are wonderful with a bit of cream. Prayers are always appreciated
fine, I understand wanting to hear from him directly, but can any of these people seriously contemplate supporting Shrillary instead of Trump???
On a long list of relevant issues and values, real evangelicals should loathe Hillary with every fiber of their being.
The media is not telling you that these meeting have been going on even before he announced. They started as prayer meetings. And have grown from a dozen or two into hundreds. Yes they discuss his stand on the topics the evangelical are interested in but some of the time from what has been leaked out is spent in prayer. Do you really think the MSM is going to report that? If they did it would be presented as some JESUS FREAKS. That is why it is not open to the media
Close to 900 have RSVP that they are planning on attending.
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If they search Trump’s soul they will find a diamond in the rough that no one should think of discarding or throwing away.
That’s good. It’s been awhile.
Looks like it got yanked off the side bar...
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