Franklin Graham does not believe the woman. In response to the jury verdict awarding E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million from Donald Trump for defaming her by denying he raped her, America’s most famous evangelist stood by his man. Graham tweeted…
Heritage Foundation: Reagan’s favorite think tank reborn for Trump 2.0
The Heritage Foundation, one of America’s most influential conservative think tanks and advocacy organizations, has changed its core values to accommodate Donald Trump. Heritage was founded in 1973 by brewer Joseph Coors and Paul Weyrich, a former John Birch Society…
What grief, denial and fear have to do with the evangelical fascination with Trump
“Whether Trump means it or not is kind of irrelevant because he’s saying the things to people who are hurting,” filmmaker Michael Moore told a gathering of voters in his 2016 documentary TrumpLand. “It’s why every beaten down, nameless, forgotten working stiff who…
Trump’s Groundhog Day, the insurrection that refuses to stop
I planned to write this essay about January 6 as an anniversary piece. Because I am a public speech teacher, it has felt particularly cruel for conservatives to deny what happened on that dark day. When Donald Trump Jr. sarcastically…
What ever happened to Barabbas?
Barabbas! Oh, Barabbas! What happened to you after you were freed from prison? Did you become a celebrity with the religious leaders who encouraged the crowd to call for your release? Did you thank Jesus for his sacrifice? Did you…
More evangelical leaders on board Trump train for 2024
Growing numbers of conservative evangelical leaders are on board the Trump train as the former president chugs his way toward the 2024 GOP nomination. And those numbers could increase more now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dropped out of…
Mike Johnson and Steve Bannon spar over whether it is ‘God’s will’ that Joe Biden is president
The conservative Southern Baptist speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, who sought to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, now says it is “God’s will” that Joe Biden is president. That didn’t sit well with another of…
Iowa and the zombie myth about white evangelical support for Trump
Heading into the Iowa caucuses, the Republican presidential candidate standings looked to be as frozen as the snow-covered ground. The last results from the storied Iowa Poll, conducted by J. Ann Selzer from Jan. 7 to 12, showed Donald Trump with…
The ‘god’ many American Christians worship
Driving along Highway 27 in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., in mid-September 2021, motorists were surprised to see a billboard bearing a phrase from the Bible they had often heard during the Christmas season in their churches: “Unto us a son is…