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'He wears the armor of God': evangelicals hail Trump's church photo op [View all]
Source: The Guardian
'He wears the armor of God': evangelicals hail Trump's church photo op
The president’s appeal to his base amid protests was derided by some Christians. Others saw a victory in a world of evil
Matthew Teague in Fairhope, Alabama
@MatthewTeague
Wed 3 Jun 2020 11.00 BST
Last modified on Wed 3 Jun 2020 11.01 BST
No one accuses Donald Trump of subtlety. When the US president raised a Bible overhead on Monday evening outside St John’s Episcopal church in Washington DC, the sign was unmistakable: an appeal to his evangelical base for loyalty, as protests and riots roared across America.
Not every Christian answered the call. The Rev Gini Gerbasi, an Episcopal priest, said police used teargas to drive her and others from St John’s before Trump’s appearance. “They turned holy ground into a battleground,” she told Religion News Service.
But many of Trump’s evangelical supporters, far from Washingtons political stage, saw the move as a victory in a world rife with evil.
“My whole family was flabbergasted,” said Benjamin Horbowy, 37.
The Horbowys had gathered in Tallahassee, Florida, to watch live as Trump walked from the White House to St John’s. “My mother just shouted out, ‘God give him strength! He’s doing a Jericho walk!’”
-snip-
The president’s appeal to his base amid protests was derided by some Christians. Others saw a victory in a world of evil
Matthew Teague in Fairhope, Alabama
@MatthewTeague
Wed 3 Jun 2020 11.00 BST
Last modified on Wed 3 Jun 2020 11.01 BST
No one accuses Donald Trump of subtlety. When the US president raised a Bible overhead on Monday evening outside St John’s Episcopal church in Washington DC, the sign was unmistakable: an appeal to his evangelical base for loyalty, as protests and riots roared across America.
Not every Christian answered the call. The Rev Gini Gerbasi, an Episcopal priest, said police used teargas to drive her and others from St John’s before Trump’s appearance. “They turned holy ground into a battleground,” she told Religion News Service.
But many of Trump’s evangelical supporters, far from Washingtons political stage, saw the move as a victory in a world rife with evil.
“My whole family was flabbergasted,” said Benjamin Horbowy, 37.
The Horbowys had gathered in Tallahassee, Florida, to watch live as Trump walked from the White House to St John’s. “My mother just shouted out, ‘God give him strength! He’s doing a Jericho walk!’”
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/03/donald-trump-church-photo-op-evangelicals
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