{"id":13283,"date":"2019-10-16T11:41:42","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T15:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=13283"},"modified":"2019-10-16T11:41:42","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T15:41:42","slug":"ralph-reed-evangelicals-moral-obligation-support-president-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2019\/10\/ralph-reed-evangelicals-moral-obligation-support-president-trump","title":{"rendered":"Ralph Reed: Evangelicals Have a Moral Obligation to Support President Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Christopher<\/a>
Christopher Halloran\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conservative political activist Ralph Reed argues in a book due out before the 2020 general election that American evangelicals \u201chave a moral obligation to enthusiastically back\u201d the president, according to Politico<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Faith and Freedom Coalition founder has been one of Trump\u2019s strongest Christian supporters following Trump\u2019s presidential nomination in 2016 and has assisted Trump in garnering momentum and support\u00a0from evangelical voters.<\/p>\n

The original title for the book was \u201cRender to God and Trump,\u201d according to the book\u2019s description first obtained by Politico<\/em>. This is a reference to the well-known biblical verse, \u201cRender to Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

This message from Jesus in Matthew 22 has been used in politics to justify obedience to government. Now, based on the book\u2019s description, Reed will argue for the same obedience to Trump.<\/p>\n

Regnery Publishing, who are publishing Reed\u2019s book did acknowledge the book\u2019s existence but said the title is \u201cFor God and Country: The Christian case for Trump.\u201d When reached out to by Politico<\/em>, they declined to comment on the reason for the title change.<\/p>\n

In the book, Reed argues evangelicals have a duty to defend the president against \u201cthe stridently anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and pro-abortion agenda of the progressive left,\u201d the book\u2019s description notes.<\/p>\n

It is also said that the book will refute claims by religious and nonreligious critics that white evangelical Protestants \u201crevealed themselves to be political prostitutes and hypocrites\u201d by overwhelmingly backing Trump, a twice-divorced, admitted womanizer, Politico<\/em> reports.<\/p>\n

\u201cCritics charge that evangelical Trump supporters \u2026 have so thoroughly compromised their witness that they are now disqualified from speaking out on moral issues in the future,\u201d the description says.<\/p>\n

During his presidency, Trump has made decisions that have sparked debate within the Christian community. Many would say these decisions support his faith beliefs. One big example was his Jerusalem move, making the announcement that the U.S. would officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital and prepare to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the Holy City. Evangelicals and Catholics reacted in different ways.<\/p>\n

American evangelicals, especially those close to President Donald Trump praised President Trump\u2019s Jerusalem decision, hailing his announcement that the United States now recognizes Jerusalem as Israel\u2019s capital. Pope Francis, however, spoke of his \u201cdeep concern\u201d about the situation created by President Trump\u2019s move, given the disruption of a delicate equilibrium in the governances of the sacred city and its holy sites. He warned of \u201cincreased hatred, conflict, violence and suffering in Jerusalem and the Holy Land\u201d as a likely result of President Trump\u2019s initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are ministry leaders and prophetic voices who are convinced God brought Donald Trump, who had said for many years that he was not at all interested in running for public office, to this place for this time,\u201d author Stephen E. Strang wrote. \u201cIt may well be that Trump was sent by God as a bull in a china shop to break up the globalist agenda and interrupt the left\u2019s campaign to remake America in their own image. A man with a milder, gentler, less aggressive personality could never hope to take on the forces within the political establishment and prosper, which explains why Donald Trump was the perfect choice for this hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

So is President Trump truly born-again? Is he the best candidate for Evangelical votes? For evangelicals, \u201caccepting Christ\u201d and being born-again is at the heart of becoming a genuine Christian. It refers to acknowledging sin and declaring the need for Jesus Christ as Savior. To be \u201cborn again\u201d literally means \u201cborn from above.\u201d When you are born again, you experience a spiritual transformation, a total change of heart. To be born again is to be saved.<\/p>\n

While some believe that Trump has had a born-again conversion and should maintain support from Evangelical voters, others don’t. What are your thoughts?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Conservative political activist Ralph Reed argues in a book due out before the 2020 general election that American evangelicals \u201chave a moral obligation to enthusiastically back\u201d the president, according to Politico. 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