Here:
When asked if asking for forgiveness was central to his faith, Mr. Trump replied, “I try not make mistakes where I have to ask forgiveness”. When pressed about repentance in an interview with Anderson Cooper of CNN, he replied, “I think repenting is terrific. Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness if I am not making mistakes? I work hard, I’m an honorable person.”
He really does speak for many Americans. His theological Shibboleth rings true in many ears.
With the media ... lurching forward with everything this guy says, just waiting for him to bury himself, it is fascinating media. I read some who thought his Iowa comments would spell the end of him. “How could any evangelical vote for him after he said such things?”
I laughed. [He] is actually resonating with many spiritual Americans who are untethered [from] biblical Christianity. Far from marking the end of Trump’s relevance, his comments make relevant in a whole new way. “Trump’s a guy who works hard, knows he’s not perfect, and tries his best? And, he is religious. See, he just said so. This is a guy like me!”
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That's right.
Donald Trump is a mainline Protestant of the Presbyterian variety. For him as for many others of his ilk the specific Biblical language about repentance and being made "new" might as well be Swahili. But this country used to be full of such people, and they helped make America great. Since 2007 their numbers are down about 5 million, to 36 million adults, mostly white.
Pew has the data here.
The thing is, their numbers are actually larger since they've unaffiliated or reaffiliated outside the mainline.
And that's one reason why Trump is polling in first place for the GOP nomination as we speak. This is still a Protestant country, at least for a little while longer.
