While Democrats were busy debating this weekend (they hoped you wouldn’t notice!), media mogul and Republican frontrunner Donald J. Trump made a pit stop at Liberty University to shore up some evangelical support. While Trump received some criticism for referring to Second Corinthians as “Two Corinthians,” his real problem at Liberty was his lack of connection with conservative Christian issues.
“We’re going to protect Christianity,” Trump declared, adding “I hear this is a major theme right here.” Ouch. What better proof that Trump doesn’t understand the struggles of conservative Christians in the public square?
The mogul said he would “protect Christianity,” but he never suggested how. Not once did he mention abortion, gay marriage, the morality of conservative economics, or religious liberty. Instead, he talked about “banding together” and mentioned the Christians in Syria who had been beheaded (a serious issue, but far from limited to Christians).
To his credit, Trump did quote the Bible—”Two Corinthians 3:17…Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” This quote drew worse than derision from a prominent leader in the Southern Baptist Church, Russell Moore.
“Trading in the gospel of Jesus Christ for political power is not liberty but slavery,” Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, tweeted on Monday. “This would be hilarious if it weren’t so counter to the mission of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
