Trump to Become a Born Again Christian
A Born-Again Donald Trump? Believe It, Evangelical Leader Says
Has Donald J. Trump get a born-again Christian?
That is the proffer of James C. Dobson, i of America's leading evangelicals, who said Mr. Trump had recently come "to have a relationship with Christ" and was now "a baby Christian."
Dr. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family and one of the country's most prominent social conservatives, gave his business relationship at a meeting Mr. Trump had in New York on Tuesday with hundreds of Christian conservatives.
In an interview recorded at the outcome past a Pennsylvania pastor, the Rev. Michael Anthony, Dr. Dobson said he knew the person who had led Mr. Trump to Christ, though he did not name him.
"I don't know when it was, only it has non been long," Dr. Dobson said. "I believe he really made a delivery, merely he's a baby Christian."
Mr. Anthony posted the interview to his blog on Friday. Dr. Dobson could not be reached on Saturday, and Promise Hicks, the Trump campaign spokeswoman, did non respond Saturday to a request for details.
Mr. Trump stumbled at times final year when speaking well-nigh faith. At 1 signal he said that he had never asked for God's forgiveness. And after repeating on the entrada trail that the Bible was his favorite book, ahead of his ain "Art of the Deal," Mr. Trump declined to proper name a favorite verse. "The Bible means a lot to me, only I don't want to get into specifics," he told Bloomberg Television.
Mr. Trump, a Presbyterian, questioned the faith of Hillary Clinton, a Methodist, at a meeting with a smaller grouping of evangelical leaders on Tuesday, saying, "We don't know anything about Hillary in terms of religion."
During the New York meeting, Mr. Trump fabricated no mention of being born over again. Information technology is a possibility certain to cause chortles in some corners, but information technology could also open up doors in others for the thrice-married presumptive Republican nominee for president.
For evangelicals, "accepting Christ" is at the center of becoming a genuine Christian, and refers to acknowledging sin and declaring the need for Jesus Christ equally savior.
"The expectation evangelicals take is of a radical change, a 180-degree plough from the life of sin to following Christ," said Kedron Bardwell, a political scientific discipline professor at Simpson College in Iowa, who is the son of an evangelical pastor.
With new believers, this is oft done in prayer with another Christian, which may take been what Dr. Dobson was referring to when he said that he knew the person who had "led him to Christ."
Mr. Trump won a majority of evangelical voters in the Republican primaries, though some prominent conservative Christian leaders kept their distance. Dr. Dobson endorsed Senator Ted Cruz.
Since Mr. Trump clinched the nomination in May, some of those leaders have rallied to him, including Ralph Reed.
In his interview, Dr. Dobson conceded that Mr. Trump did non exactly fit the typical mold of an evangelical.
"He used the word 'hell' iv or five times," he said. "He doesn't know our linguistic communication." He added that Mr. Trump "refers a lot to religion and not much to faith and belief."
For evangelicals, the heart of Christianity is a religion-based dependence on God. They often dissimilarity this with what they characterize equally merely "religion," which they view every bit more rules and rituals-based.
Dr. Dobson joked that Christians should take it easy on Mr. Trump for what some might perceive every bit slip-ups.
"You got to cutting him some slack," Dr. Dobson said. "He didn't grow upwards similar we did."
Mr. Anthony referred to the Damascus-road conversion of Saul, a zealous Pharisee, who later became the Apostle Paul: "He didn't know the linguistic communication either."
Dr. Dobson agreed.
"I call back there's promise for him," Dr. Dobson said. "And I think there'southward hope for us."
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/us/politics/a-born-again-donald-trump-believe-it-evangelical-leader-says.html
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