Capitol and Cathedral
As politics and religion observers make sense of one of the most momentous faith stories of the 2016 campaign, I submit these five takeaways from Trump's June 21 "conversation" with evangelical leaders. Read more
As politics and religion observers make sense of one of the most momentous faith stories of the 2016 campaign, I submit these five takeaways from Trump's June 21 "conversation" with evangelical leaders. Read more
The subset of evangelical leaders that remains resolutely opposed to Donald Trump's presidential campaign is not backing down. I really thought that, by now, as Trump consolidated support among the Republican Party coalition, #NeverTrump evangelicals would concede that, while personally opposed to Trump, whether or not a Christian should vote for him is a matter of conscience on which faithful evangelicals can disagree. Read more
Today in New York, a little-known religious-right nonprofit is facilitating a meeting between presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and more than 1,000 influencers hailing from disparate branches of American evangelicalism. TIME’s Elizabeth Dias had the most comprehensive report in advance of the event, which I previewed yesterday. In addition to private meetings with a steering committee of organizers and fundraisers, Trump answered some pre-selected questions from past heavyweights of the Christian right political movement, including Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer, and... Read more
Last month, TIME religion reporter Elizabeth Dias broke an important story about a large group of evangelical leaders meeting with Donald Trump in New York on June 21. The conventional wisdom of 2015 was that Trump could not win the nomination. And the conventional wisdom this year was that vast swaths of the GOP establishment would not support him. But in a somewhat surprising turn of events, the Republican Party coalition (such as it is) began dutifully coalescing behind the... Read more
(Note: This is part of a series of posts that highlight some of the best news and commentary writing on the role of faith in the 2016 election. See my previous posts from earlier in June.) Here are some stories from the past week that I found especially interesting or insightful. Writing for The New York Times, Buzzfeed senior political writer McKay Coppins gives a good rundown of Trump’s Mormon problem. While Mormons make up only about 3 percent to 6... Read more
Video of Donald Trump's speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition's June 10 conference in Washington. Trump was introduced by Ralph Reed, a fixture of evangelical political activism. Read more
As #SBC16 wraps up, I argue that church bodies are much less concerned with national politics than most people assume. Yes, the gospel has political implications. People of good faith and good will can disagree about them. I have opinions about these questions, and have pushed Southern Baptists on them in person and in print. If you think the Southern Baptist Convention is all about politics, you simply don’t know what you’re talking about. Read more
Compilation of Christian leaders' reactions to the mass shooting June 12 at an Orlando, Florida nightclub. Includes pastors, bishops, and lay leaders from Florida and around the United States. Read more
Some time soon, I may write about how the horrendous massacre in Orlando, Florida is affecting the presidential race: candidates’ responses, faith leaders’ statements, etc. Right now is not that time. No one close to me was killed at the Pulse nightclub on South Orange Avenue. But my heart breaks for my hometown, and especially of course for all the people who are mourning loved ones after this chilling tragedy. Read more
(Note: This is the second in a series of posts that highlight some of the best news and commentary writing on the role of faith in the 2016 election. See my post from earlier in June.) Here are some highlights from the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority 2016 conference. I will most frequently highlight writers who specialize in covering religion. But this post spotlights a few journalists who covered or commented on the event. Charlie Pierce of Esquire offers... Read more
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