Hi Lennart, Sent from my iPhone
> On Dec 7, 2016, at 17:23, Lennart Johansson <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Hi Ernie, > > There's an "agenda" for some, no doubt, but for most I think it might be a > fear of extinction in any kind of public place (and maybe more). Right or > wrong. To speak of an "agenda", to me, implies intention and I don't think > that's what's drove the average evangelical that voted for Mr. Trump. My > $0.02 :) You are probably right. But the evangelical elite certainly has a political agenda; not just religious liberty but also anti-abortion, etc. And that seems to be front and center with the new cabinet picks. E > > // Lennart > > Sent from my phone. > > >> On Dec 7, 2016, at 17:33, Centroids <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Strange times. A profane Trump could actually help evangelicals advance >> their political agenda more than a devout one. >> >> But at what cost? >> >> E >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>> On Dec 7, 2016, at 15:26, BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical >>> Centrist Community <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> Trump's religious dealmaking pays dividends >>> Katie Glueck ("Politico," December 7, 2016) >>> Nine days before the election, Donald Trump was backstage at a rally in >>> Warren, Michigan, listening to a fiery South Carolina preacher-turned-top >>> surrogate prayerfully predicting victory. >>> >>> After pastor Mark Burns finished relaying religiously hued reassurances in >>> a private conversation ahead of Trump’s speech, the then-candidate turned >>> to Burns’ wife and offered his own, classically Trumpian expression of >>> faith: He handed her a crucifix necklace made, in typical Trump style, of >>> gold. >>> >>> “We don’t need a religious president,” said Burns, who was touched by the >>> gift and recounted the story in a recent interview. “We need a president >>> who can build relationships with people.” >>> >>> And for the New York businessman who prides himself on deal-making >>> aptitude, building relationships — often by making policy promises that go >>> well beyond what previous, more traditionally conservative candidates have >>> pledged — has defined his outreach to the network of previously wary >>> Christian leaders who helped him win the presidency. And now, that >>> transactional cycle seems likely to shape his White House agenda on issues >>> of interest to the religious right. >>> >>> It’s a strikingly different approach from that of the most recent >>> Republican president, George W. Bush, himself a born-again Christian who >>> wore his faith on his sleeve and communicated about religion far more >>> fluently than Trump does. >>> >>> But as much as religious conservative leaders respected Bush’s personal >>> evangelical bona fides, they say that Trump — a man who has struggled to >>> articulate his faith principles and is unapologetic about his >>> tabloid-worthy personal life — has made more concrete commitments. They >>> range from his pledge to appoint only Supreme Court justices who oppose >>> abortion rights — a commitment Bush wouldn’t make — to his vow to defund >>> Planned Parenthood. >>> >>> Trump offered those promises as he sought to shore up more support from the >>> evangelical community during the campaign, and it worked: He ultimately won >>> the support of nearly every politically prominent Christian leader and >>> landed 81 percent of the evangelical vote, a higher percentage than Bush >>> netted in 2004. >>> >>> “I think that he understood that his best and likely only chance to win the >>> nomination and ultimately the presidency was to compete for and win the >>> support of voters of faith,” said Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and >>> Freedom Coalition, who says he considers Trump a friend. >>> >>> As Trump heads to the White House, the leaders who helped guide his policy >>> promises, lending him credibility with evangelical voters in the process, >>> say he is still keeping them in his orbit as the transition process >>> unfolds, aware of the role their community played in getting him to the >>> presidency in the first place. >>> >>> The first sign that these leaders will continue to have influence after >>> helping him win: He is keeping intact his evangelical advisory board, >>> according to several members of the group, who say that there continues to >>> be a weekly conference call, facilitated by Pam Pryor, a member of Trump’s >>> transition team with a background in conservative politics, including a >>> stint with Sarah Palin. She was not made available for an interview, and >>> the Trump transition team didn’t respond to detailed requests for comment. >>> >>> “Mr. Trump evidently told his staff he wanted to keep the advisory board >>> intact, he wanted us to continue to meet, to give him advice, and I will >>> tell you, I have been surprised at the level to which the transition team >>> has solicited our input on personnel,” said Richard Land, a longtime leader >>> in Southern Baptist politics, who said top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway has >>> also checked in with the group since the election. >>> >>> Members of the board are already making plans to be in Washington for the >>> National Prayer Breakfast, slated for Feb. 2 — less than two weeks after >>> Trump’s inauguration, and likely the first high-profile faith event of >>> Trump’s presidency. There are discussions underway for the board to meet in >>> person in Washington. And they have already been asked by the transition >>> team to provide names for key slots in the administration, including for >>> faith-based offices. >>> >>> “I will say, having been involved with administrations from Reagan’s >>> forward, this is the most solicitous that any incoming administration has >>> been for input from evangelicals concerning personnel decisions that I’ve >>> experienced,” Land said, going on to add, “It’s come from Pam’s office, and >>> she has said, ‘He’s very grateful for the faith community, he wants your >>> input.’ That didn’t even happen under George W. Bush. They were willing to >>> take our recommendations, but they didn’t actively solicit them three times >>> before inauguration.” >>> >>> What Trump himself believes, and how he will practice, is a more open >>> question, and one he doesn’t spend much time addressing publicly — and >>> while his evangelical advisers hope he goes to church, they aren’t >>> stressing the issue right now. >>> >>> Trump has attended church since the election, making a stop at a >>> Presbyterian church in Bedminster, New Jersey, near Trump National Golf >>> Club, late last month. Trump is a Presbyterian, and speculation is already >>> underway over whether, and where, he might go to church regularly in >>> Washington. >>> >>> He has not yet reached out to National Presbyterian Church, which has a >>> rich political history — Ronald Reagan attended services there, Dwight D. >>> Eisenhower laid a cornerstone there — though the Rev. David Renwick, the >>> senior pastor there, said that while the congregation is politically >>> diverse, theologically the church would align well with the views of many >>> of the conservative members of Trump’s evangelical advisory board. >>> >>> Marble Collegiate Church, the Manhattan church Trump’s family attended >>> growing up, was more progressive — and Norman Vincent Peale, its pastor for >>> more than 50 years, embraced the same transactional approach Trump has >>> applied to his business, political and religiously political dealings >>> alike, said Gwenda Blair, a prominent biographer of the Trump family. >>> >>> “I think Norman Vincent Peale is the definition of a kind of transactional >>> religion where it’s all about getting ahead,” said Blair, who has also >>> written about Peale’s effect on the Trumps. >>> >>> Trump, though no longer a member of Marble Collegiate Church, has >>> repeatedly pointed to Peale — who died in 1993 — as an important part of >>> his spiritual life. >>> >>> “Norman Vincent Peale’s message was, do whatever it takes to be successful, >>> everything is transactional,” Blair said. “Trump, in more recent times, his >>> appearing in public and holding a Bible and very occasionally saying he’s a >>> man of faith and a churchgoer… it’s been expedient. It may be true, but >>> those have certainly been statements that have been presented pretty >>> transparently, in an expedient way. Everything from obvious unfamiliarity >>> with the Bible to deploying these [displays of faith] only in circumstances >>> considered to be advantageous … only when appearing in front of an audience >>> where that would be especially useful.” >>> >>> Members of the evangelical advisory board certainly don’t question Trump’s >>> faith, but they tend to be more voluble in describing his policy promises >>> than in the particulars of what he believes. And to them, that’s what >>> matters most. >>> >>> “I’ve discovered over the last 18 months that President-elect Trump’s faith >>> is very important to him but is also very personal with him, which is why I >>> don’t discuss it publicly,” said Robert Jeffress, the pastor at First >>> Baptist Church in Dallas and another member of Trump’s advisory board. >>> “Like many faith leaders, I’m very encouraged by President-elect Trump’s >>> strong commitment to protecting the religious liberties of Christians, as >>> well as people of all faiths.” >>> >>> Trump has had deeper conversations about his faith with retired >>> neurosurgeon Ben Carson, his pick to head the Department of Housing and >>> Urban Development, sources say (Carson wasn’t available for an interview). >>> But aside from Peale, the other major spiritual influence most frequently >>> cited has been Paula White, a televangelist Trump discovered when he saw >>> her on television. She has been associated with “prosperity gospel,” a >>> controversial doctrine that echoes the transactional nature of Peale’s >>> preaching in emphasizing the belief that God wants people to be successful >>> — and, in the case of prosperity gospel, specifically, rich. >>> >>> Members of Trump’s evangelical advisory board pointed to White, both during >>> the campaign and recently, when asked about his religious influences. She >>> is also on the council. >>> >>> “God is not new to Mr. Trump,” she said in an interview with POLITICO over >>> the summer (she wasn’t reachable for a follow-up conversation this week), >>> as she also distanced herself from the “prosperity gospel” label. “He >>> absolutely has a heart and a hunger and a relationship with God.” >>> >>> Still, publicly, Trump has certainly struggled to express what that >>> relationship looks like. One of his first major perceived gaffes, in the >>> eyes of evangelical leaders, came in the summer of 2015, when at a >>> Christian confab in Iowa he said he had never asked God for forgiveness. At >>> the beginning of this year, he botched the pronunciation of a key Bible >>> verse. >>> >>> And during a call with his evangelical advisory council, he drew rebukes >>> from members of the board when he got transactional — about going to heaven. >>> >>> “He said, ‘the only way I’m going to get to heaven is by repealing the >>> Johnson amendment,’” which restricts tax-exempt churches from engaging in >>> political activity, Land recalled. “Immediately, one of our people on the >>> call said, ‘No, sir, the only way you’re going to get to heaven is by >>> trusting Jesus Christ as your personal savior.’ Mr. Trump said, ‘Thank you >>> for reminding me.’” >>> >>> -- >>> -- >>> Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community >>> <[email protected]> >>> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism >>> Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org >>> >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> -- >> -- >> Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community >> <[email protected]> >> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism >> Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org >> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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