“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot. Just one more time.”
That was President Donald Trump’s plea last night (Sept. 9) in Dallas, Texas, as he addressed Republicans gathered there for what was billed as a “midterm convention.” It’s not a convention in the sense of what happens in presidential election years since there are no delegates and they’re not voting on anything. But Trump wanted a big event. So it mostly features him overshadowing the Republican candidates actually on the ballot. And given his incredibly low approval rating, Democrats probably hope people will think about Trump as they mark their ballots.
Like any big party convention, this year’s two-day event includes religious appeals. And as usually occurs at such partisan shindigs, it’s not necessarily a good thing. When a political party invokes the Bible or faith, they often do so to make religion serve their partisan interests. Last night was no different. So in this issue of A Public Witness, I’ll take you through some of the highlights (or, uh, lowlights) of faith appeals.
C-SPAN screengrab
Earlier this week, the Republican National Committee announced its speakers for the convention. Three pastors made the list: Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas area, Lorenzo Sewell of 180 Church in Detroit, and Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas. The three of them speaking at a Trump rally is about as surprising as the pope speaking at the Vatican. All three of these MAGAchurch pastors have been longtime outspoken supporters of Trump and have repeatedly spoken at Trump events. Sewell and Jeffress have even welcomed Trump onto stage at their churches.
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