The Church of Trump: How He s Infusing Christianity Into His Movement – The New York Times

In this moment, Mr. Trump s audience is his congregation, and the former president their pastor as he delivers a roughly 15-minute finale that evokes an evangelical altar call, the emotional tradition that concludes some Christian services in which attendees come forward to commit to their savior.

The great silent majority is rising like never before and under our leadership, he recites from a teleprompter in a typical version of the script. We will pray to God for our strength and for our liberty. We will pray for God and we will pray with God. We are one movement, one people, one family and one glorious nation under God.

The meditative ritual might appear incongruent with the raucous epicenter of the nation s conservative movement, but Mr. Trump s political creed stands as one of the starkest examples of his effort to transform the Republican Party into a kind of Church of Trump. His insistence on absolute devotion and fealty can be seen at every level of the party, from Congress to the Republican National Committee to rank-and-file voters.

Mr. Trump s ability to turn his supporters passion into piety is crucial to understanding how he remains the undisputed Republican leader despite guiding his party to repeated political failures and while facing dozens of felony charges in four criminal cases. His success at portraying those prosecutions as persecutions and warning, without merit, that his followers could be targeted next has fueled enthusiasm for his candidacy and placed him, once again, in a position to capture the White House.

via 1ft.io

Those darn Christians. That darn Trump.