De Jesus, or "Daddy" as his thousands of followers call him, does not merely pray to God: He says he is God. The AP is solely responsible for this content.MIAMI, Florida (CNN) - The minister has the number 666 tattooed on his arm.īut Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda is not your typical minister. This corrects first name of Chicago-based Catholic scholar Steven Millies.Īssociated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. I’ve watched him interact with strangers, as well as his own family, with warmth and kindness.”Īssociated Press writers Thomas Beaumont in Iowa and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report. But Jeffress says that during eight years of friendship, “I have seen a side to him that many people never see. Jeffress, the Dallas megachurch pastor, admires Trump as a political battler. On the campaign trail, he has visited churches of various denominations, including some new-age churches with music and dancing. ![]() When in Florida, Trump has sometimes attended an Episcopal church in Palm Beach for Easter and Christmas Eve services. He has not claimed membership in any particular congregation, and during his presidency he attended worship services infrequently. Trump was raised as a Presbyterian, but told Religion News Service in 2020 that he had shifted to identifying as a nondenominational Christian. “There is simply too much baggage … A statesman would realize that fact and make way for someone else to lead. Trump to be the 2024 Republican nominee,” Mohler added. Trump is certainly one of those presidents.” ![]() “Christians begin with the clear biblical truth that no sinful human being has a perfect character, but even as we grade presidents on something of a curve, some stand out as particularly lacking in character,” Mohler said. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, backed Trump in 2020 but said recently on his radio show that he’s now had enough. “Then we need to pray for him that his personal life comes in line with that.”Īs strong as Trump’s support is among conservative Christians, some prominent figures in those ranks are seeking alternatives in the GOP campaign. “President Trump has stood up for the values that we hold dear,” Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, Iowa, told The Associated Press in April. “In many ways, Christians feel like they are in an existential cultural war between good and evil, and they want a warrior like Donald Trump who can win,” Jeffress added.Ī Des Moines Register Iowa Poll in March found that he was viewed favorably by 58% of evangelicals, compared to 19% ahead of the 2016 caucuses. “They are smart enough to know the difference between choosing a president and choosing a pastor.” “Conservative Christians continue to overwhelmingly support Donald Trump because of his biblical policies, not his personal piety,” Jeffress told The Associated Press via email. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence tout their Christian faith. ![]() ![]() Robert Jeffress, pastor of an evangelical megachurch in Dallas, has been a staunch supporter of Trump since his first campaign for president and is sticking by him even as rivals like South Carolina Sen. He’s now the clear front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, even after he recently was found liable for sexually abusing a New York woman in 1996 and was indicted in a criminal case related to hush money payments to a porn actress. If some observers initially viewed this as an unsustainable alliance, it’s different now.Ĭertain achievements during Trump’s presidency – notably appointments that shifted the Supreme Court to the right – have solidified that support. For eight years, Donald Trump has managed to secure the support of many evangelical and conservative Christians despite behavior that often seemed at odds with teachings espoused by Christ in the Gospels.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |