For Trump, Conservative Catholics Are The New Evangelicals

    NPR   October 26, 2020

Four years ago, white evangelicals rallied behind Donald Trump's presidential candidacy, and he reveled in their adulation.

"The evangelicals love me, and I love them," Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail. In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, evangelicals were the only faith group he singled out for thanks, saying their support was "a big reason for me being here tonight."

In the general election, however, it was not the evangelicals who carried Trump to victory but Catholics, a group he had rarely mentioned in his speeches.

People were quite amazed at the overall impact that the white evangelicals had in the election, but I think what was missed was the critical role of the Catholic voters," says Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

Despite losing the popular vote, Trump reached the presidency in large part because he won traditionally Democratic Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, all states in which Catholics outnumber evangelicals by significant margins.

"It was the Catholic vote that won those states for Donald Trump," says Tim Huelskamp, a former Republican congressman from Kansas now serving as an adviser to the Catholics for Trump movement, a coalition that did not formally exist in 2016.

Trump Becomes the First President Since Eisenhower to Change Faiths in Office

CT  OCTOBER 27, 2020 

More than 180,000 people have stopped identifying with the Presbyterian Church (USA) in the past four years, according to official church numbers. Now there’s one more: President Donald Trump.

Trump told Religion News Service last week in a written interview mediated by spiritual advisor Paula White-Cain that he doesn’t consider himself to be Presbyterian. He was confirmed in the church and has called himself Presbyterian numerous times over the years. But no more.

“I now consider myself to be a non-denominational Christian,” Trump said in the statement. “Melania and I have gotten to visit some amazing churches and meet with great faith leaders from around the world. During the unprecedented COVID-19 outbreak, I tuned into several virtual church services and know that millions of Americans did the same.”

While the mainline denomination has previously challenged Trump’s affiliation, his recent departure seems to be the result of the president slowly moving away from his childhood church and toward a more evangelical faith.

Ministers begin discipleship Bible studies to lawmakers in the states of Washington, Maine, and Delaware.

 Capmin  OCTOBER 23, 2020

After successfully completing required Capitol Ministries training, newly accepted ministry leaders are eager to begin discipleship Bible studies to lawmakers in the states of Washington, Maine, and Delaware.

The Capitol Ministries Training Conference, which was held in Southern California this month, was intense and delivered more than was expected, said Morris Webster, a retired businessman and newly named CapMin ministry leader to Delaware.

“The training was incredibly impressive, not only from a nuts and bolts training standpoint which was just outstanding, but the most important take away was that Jesus Christ is at the center of everything,” Webster said. “These people are serious about knowing God and sharing Him with the political people who greatly influence our lives.”

Webster will lead weekly Bible studies to legislators in Delaware’s capitol, Legislative Hall in Dover. He will also serve as CapMin’s Delaware director of Local Government Ministries (LGM) which plants Bible studies to city and county elected and appointed public servants.

Head of Federal Election Commission calls separation of church and state a ‘fallacy’ and 2020 election a ‘spiritual war’

 Religion News September 17, 2020

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The head of the Federal Election Commission chastised Catholic bishops during a pair of interviews this week, accusing church hierarchy of “hiding behind” their nonprofit status and declaring that this year’s U.S. election amounts to a “spiritual war” that threatens the country’s “Christian moral principles.”

FEC Chairman James E. “Trey” Trainor III made the remarks during an interview released on Wednesday (Sept. 16) by Church Militant, a controversial conservative Catholic media outlet, and in a separate phone interview with Religion News Service.

Trainor, who is Catholic and attends Mass weekly, was asked by Church Militant founder Michael Voris about a priest who recently published a viral video in which the cleric declares that no Catholic can be a Democrat. Voris pressed Trainor about news that, in response to the video, a bishop plans to attempt “fraternal correction” of the priest, with the hierarch arguing the priest has inflicted a “wound” upon the church.

Time to Start Invoking the Ten Commandments in Political Debate

CNS September 14, 2020

God gave Moses the Ten Commandments He engraved on two stone tablets, setting forth the basic principles governing the lives of the Israelites. We cannot repent of our sins unless we know when and how we violate God’s law. We cannot begin to transform the culture without the moral clarity of the Commandments.

Good Christians know the Ten Commandments by heart: There is one God, do not abuse His name, go to church on Sunday, obey your parents, and don’t murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, lust, or covet. It is quite surprising how many of us cannot identify the Commandments with precision. So our views on morality quickly become “private opinions,” swept up in what Pope Benedict XVI calls “the dictatorship of relativism.”

Children, at a very early age, have a budding sense of right and wrong. As they prepare for First Confession, they know that disobedience, violence, evil thoughts, lying, and stealing are wrong even before they learn the Ten Commandments. Young criminals – usually, but not always, from seriously dysfunctional families -- still run away from the police. God inscribed the Ten Commandments on our hearts before He inscribed them on those two tablets. So why do catechists bother to teach anyone the Ten Commandments? As one precocious child responded, “to remind us.” Bingo.

The Return

The Return September, 2020

The Return is an end-time movement with one purpose – the return to God – individually, corporately, nationally, globally – and the end-goal of world revival. It crystalized on September 26, 2020, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and in gatherings and events throughout the nation and the world. Millions took part and the Lord powerfully moved. 

Now we move forward together for worldwide revival and the end-time harvest foretold in the Scriptures.

All denominations uniting under the trinity ecumenical movement as described in revelation 13

¹¹ And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

¹² And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

¹³ And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

¹⁴ And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

¹⁵ And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

¹⁶ And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

¹⁷ And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.      Revelation 13:11-18

Trump uniting with evangelicals

NBC.  Jan. 3, 2020

President Donald Trump launched his campaign's new coalition to court evangelical voters at a Latino megachurch Friday, part of efforts to shore up support in the community for his re-election bid as well as broaden it in the wake of a prominent evangelical magazine coming out in support of his impeachment.

“Every Democratic candidate running for president is trying to punish religious believers and silence our churches,” Trump told a crowd of thousands at the Ministerio Internacional El Rey Jesús. "This election is about the survival of our nation."

The rally-style event, which included everything from a prayer session and brief remarks by a young woman who chose not to get an abortion after becoming pregnant unexpectedly in college, saw Trump acknowledge the power of the evangelical voters who helped put him in office in 2016 and boast of conservative accomplishments both real and exaggerated while promising more to come.

A win in November, Trump said, would be “another monumental victory for faith and family, God and country."

Religious leaders sign letter supporting abortion

Lifenews  Apr 17, 2019 

A group of Tennessee faith leaders and activists publicly declared their support for abortion on demand in a letter urging pro-life Gov. Bill Lee to oppose heartbeat legislation.

Fox 17 in Nashville reports this month, more than 150 religious leaders signed the letter calling for abortions to be kept legal and easily accessible in Tennessee.

“Because we trust pregnant people, we know that these decisions are informed by tremendous reflection and not taken lightly,” the letter states. “When a person decides that abortion is their best option, they need community support not obstacles preventing safe access to medical care.”

This spring, state lawmakers have been considering several pro-life measures, including a bill to ban abortions after an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable and another to ban abortions completely once Roe v. Wade is overturned. In January, Lee said he supports legislation to protect unborn babies.

The religious leaders urged Lee to oppose not just the heartbeat bill but “all attempts to criminalize and restrict abortion access.”

They argued that lawmakers should “trust women” to decide whether to abort their unborn babies.

“While there are varied opinions on abortion based on religious beliefs, as persons with deep faith commitments, we affirm a person’s right to decide when to become a parent or expand their family,” they wrote. “As people of faith and as Tennesseans, we believe in loving our neighbors and treating one another as we would like to be treated — with compassion, dignity, and respect.”

Yet, they have no compassion or respect for unborn babies who are unique, living human beings from the moment of conception. By six weeks, their hearts already are beating, and by nine weeks, they have detectable brain waves.

However, religious leaders said the decision to end unborn babies’ lives should be left up to the mother.

“While decisions concerning pregnancy can be complex and difficult, I believe that all persons have the right to make decisions for themselves, in consultation with their doctors and faith leader where appropriate,” said the Rev. Judi Hoffman, a co-pastor at East End Methodist Church in Nashville who signed the letter.

Hendersonville Pastor Napoleon Harris, another signer, told lawmakers they should focus on making sure families can make a “living wage” rather than restrict abortion.

“This decision is one that should be prayerfully made by families – the parents of the soon-to-be-born. This is not a decision to be left to legislators,” Harris said. “If legislators want to act in the best interests of morality and families, both admirable endeavors, procuring a living wage would be a more feasible means to that end.”

The letter was signed by pastors and other religious leaders and activists who identify as Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist, African Methodist Episcopal, Catholic, Episcopal, Brethren, Seventh Day Adventist, Anglican and Nazarene – all Christian denominations. Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish leaders also signed, as well a pagan priestess.

Our Religion Changed

Churches are opening their doors to businesses in order to survive

CBS March 16, 2019

Sunday looks very different from Monday at White Rock United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. During the week, a florist fills out orders next to an artist working on a project. Down the hall, students practice tai chi.

Declining attendance at America's churches -- a persistent trend in recent decades -- has forced some to take a novel approach to keeping their doors open: renting out otherwise empty space during the usually quiet mid-week, CBS News' Omar Villafranca reports. 

Larry Duggins heads up the Missional Wisdom Foundation, a group that helps congregations become a place for commerce. "Churches close when they can't get beyond that, unless they have some extraordinary other way to get people to come attend," he said.

Senior pastor Mitchell Boone admits White Rock Methodist needed a miracle to stay open.

"We were spending way too much money to keep the doors open and the lights on and the staff paid and Sunday morning going, and so it was clearly a move out of desperation," Boone said. "We were close to death."

Their prayers were answered when they opened their basement up for business. In addition to creating a mixed workspace for startups to rent, the church reached out to groups in need. An African refugee group that sews bags and other products now rents a room from them.

Leila James, who has been a member of the church for 44 years, said other church members weren't fully sold on the idea of renting out space. But James, the daughter of a preacher, ultimately embraced it.

"I attended the yoga class and I remember one day we got the giggles because we were just enjoying it so much and we thought, 'Well, this is the way church should be. We should be able to have other aspects of our lives here,'" she said.

Protestants and Catholics are so nearly united in sentiment

"Protestants and Catholics are so nearly united in sentiment, that it is not difficult to conceive how Protestants may make an image to the Beast. The mass of Protestants believe with Catholics in the Trinity, immortality of the soul, consciousness of the dead, rewards and punishments at death, the endless torture of the wicked, inheritance of the saints beyond the skies, sprinkling for baptism, and the PAGAN SUNDAY for the Sabbath; all of which is contrary to the spirit and letter of the new testament. Surely there is between the mother and daughters, a striking family resemblance."    Merritt E. Cornell, Facts for the Times, p. 76. 1858

Religious leaders to start pressure campaign around criminal justice reform

Politico   11/22/2018

Religious leaders buoyed by a successful alliance with the Trump administration are readying a pressure campaign with a new target: Senate conservatives who are blocking criminal justice reform.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, backed by Republicans with evangelical ties such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, is blocking a Trump-approved plan to revamp the criminal justice system, the latest priority of religious groups after they focused much of their earlier efforts on stocking the courts with conservative judges.

McConnell so far has resisted efforts to bring to the floor the bipartisan bill that would reduce maximum penalties for repeat offenders and give judges more discretion in handing down prison sentences, knowing it has already created deep divisions within the GOP caucus.

But religious leaders — who have the weight of President Donald Trump behind them — are preparing to pressure McConnell and other senators, such as Cruz and David Perdue (R-Ga.), to change their minds.

Starting next week, the Faith and Freedom Coalition will ask its 2 million members to flood Congress with letters and phone calls, said coalition Chairman Ralph Reed. Religious groups hope they can put enough pressure on Republicans with large evangelical constituencies to get a rare piece of major bipartisan legislation passed in a bitterly divided Congress.

The growing influence of evangelical churches

Times of Israel   6 October 2018

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AFP) — Evangelical churches are flourishing across traditionally Catholic Latin America and as the religious movement grows, its influence — including in this weekend’s elections in Brazil — is transforming the region and swinging its politics to the right, analysts say.

Sharply opposed to abortion, same-sex marriage, the legalization of marijuana, and leftist ideology in general, the evangelical movement has boosted conservatives and helped unseat a slew of left-leaning governments across the region.

Powerful evangelical churches are now helping tip the balance in Brazil, where far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro is riding high in the polls ahead of Sunday’s presidential election first round. 

“The recent elections in Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, and the upcoming one in Brazil reveal both greater electoral polarization and a shift to the political right,” says Andrew Chesnut, director of Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.

In Mexico, “even though he’s left of center, Lopez Obrador felt he had to make an alliance with a small conservative party founded by a Pentecostal pastor, to ensure his victory,” Chesnut says, referring to President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Religious “blue laws” that sanctifies life outside of work

Vox  Oct 2, 2018

During a recent cross-country road trip this summer, my wife and I were driving around Little Rock, Arkansas, looking for a place to eat lunch. We had a hard time finding any place that was open. Then we realized it was Sunday.

It’s not too surprising that in conservative-leaning Arkansas, certain blue laws — or laws that restrict commerce on Sundays for religious reasons — remain in force in many parts of the state. Arkansas banned most businesses from opening on Sunday until 1982. Until 2009, it banned all Sunday liquor sales, which, in practice, shut down many establishments that served alcohol. Not until July of this year did the town of Fort Smith repeal a law banning dancing on Sundays. Many towns in Arkansas, including more left-leaning college towns, still maintain a wide array of local blue laws, especially regarding liquor.

While I’m not aware of a specific law that led to my difficulty finding a place to eat in Little Rock, the cultural tradition of blue laws was strong enough that restaurants offering Sunday brunch appeared far less common than in more secularized places where I’ve lived.

And in an era with increasingly fewer protections for workers, progressives and religious conservatives alike should unite to push for more blue laws that protect the sanctity of life outside of of work.

More.. 

Washington in the Lap of Rome

James Japan

Evangelical Leaders Uniting for Spiritual Warfare

 

CP Aug 28, 2018

About 100 evangelical leaders were invited to dinner at the White House Monday night for what was a prayer-filled event that's been compared to a church camp meeting and a campaign rally.

Dubbed a "state dinner" for evangelical leaders, the event was held specifically in the "honor of evangelical leadership." The dinner was attended by dozens of evangelical pastors, evangelists and activists who've been involved in informally advising the administration including well-known figures like Franklin Graham, James Dobson, and Greg Laurie.

The dinner was also attended by Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of Homeland Security Ben Carson, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Ambassador at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback. The event was officially hosted by first lady Melania Trump.

"We are here today to celebrate America's heritage of faith, family and freedom," Trump told the crowd. "As you know in recent years, the government tried to undermine religious freedom but the attacks on communities of faith are over. We've ended it."

Adventists leaders sounding like Rome

Adventist Jul 10, 2018

Seventh-day Adventist religious liberty leaders were invited by the Colombian government to help celebrate the country’s third annual National Religious Freedom Day, held July 4. During a morning meeting at Casa La Giralda, headquarters of Colombia’s Ministry of the Interior, Dr. Ganoune Diop, director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Adventist world church, addressed more than 100 religious and political leaders who had gathered to mark the occasion. 

“You have the opportunity to make a historic contribution to peace by recognizing human dignity as the essential foundation for building a peaceful coexistence,” Dr. Diop told the group, which included Evangelicals, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and representatives of other faiths. 

Franklin Graham Praises Pope Francis

CBN 06-19-2018

The Rev. Franklin Graham is applauding Pope Francis for recent comments he made about abortion.

"I appreciate Pope Francis boldly speaking out for the unborn," Graham said in a recent Facebook post.  

Speaking to a delegation of Italy's family association in Rome over the weekend, the pope said abortion to avoid birth defects is similar to the Holocaust.

"It is fashionable, or at least usual, that when in the first few months of a pregnancy doctors do studies to see if the child is healthy or has something, the first idea is: 'Let's send it away,'" the Pope said. "We do the same as the Nazis to maintain the purity of the race, but with white gloves on."

He has frequently lamented how the sick, the poor, the elderly and the unborn are considered unworthy of protection and dignity by a society that prizes individual efficiency instead, and he's urged families to accept children "as God gives them to us."

Graham continued in his post, "The Pope denounced abortion, calling it the 'white glove' equivalent of the Nazi-era eugenics program. He also encouraged families to accept children 'as God gives them to us.' He's right, and our society needs to hear this message now more than ever. God's Word says, 

'Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward' (Psalm 127:3). We can never stop praying for an end to abortion—will you pray that our nation would wake up and protect the most vulnerable among us?"

Evangelical Leaders: ‘We’re More Powerful When We Stand Together’

CBN News 

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and Rev. Johnnie Moore are teaming up to form The Congress of Christian Leaders in hopes of fostering unity in the Body of Christ.

But don't let the word Congress confuse you. The men say the group is non-partisan and interdenominational.

"The CCL is the embodiment of our conviction that we are more powerful when we stand together for righteousness and justice," Rodriguez explained.