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Convention solidified GOP faith community

Republican leaders solidified their base among Christian conservatives at last week’s Republican National Convention as speaker after speaker delivered positive, uplifting messages about God, country, preserving our liberties and individual freedoms.

From Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s opening prayer to kick off the four-day convention to President Trump’s acceptance speech for the nomination on the final night, a parade of speakers - a number of them average Americans from pivotal swing states - told how their faith and God-given freedoms under the Constitution formed the foundation for their lives and individual successes.

An estimated 100 evangelical leaders were on the South Lawn of the White House to hear President Trump’s acceptance speech for the party’s nomination. Some major religious leaders, including Cardinal Dolan and Franklin Graham, were criticized for involving themselves in a political event.

In response, Cardinal Dolan tweeted that as a priest, one of his most sacred obligations is to try to respond positively whenever he’s invited to pray and that he would have “happily” done the same for the Democratic National Convention if asked. In fact, he gave a closing prayer at the Democratic convention in 2012.

Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham who gave the prayer on the final night of the convention, also said he would have offered a prayer at the Democratic National Convention had he been invited.

Although his public prayer was neutral - asking God to unite a divided nation and praying for God’s protection over the president and vice president - Graham was more forceful in remarks after the convention. He said that the difference between the two parties were stark and that it was up to the American voters to decide whether to support socialism or stay with the Constitution that has guided the nation for over 200 years.

Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of Billy Graham, also spoke, calling President Trump a “fierce advocate” of faith.

Vice President Mike Pence delivered a bold speech, stating: “We can bend our knee to Christ in faith and stand for our flag in freedom.”

Other political figures who strongly proclaimed their faith included Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; and Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations, who described a vision for America under Trump “where every believer can worship without fear” and “where every girl and boy, every woman and man of every race and religion has the best shot at the best life.”

Two prominent black leaders also spoke about the importance that faith had in their lives. Sen. Tim Scott, the highest-ranking Black Republican in Congress, painted Democrats as wanting to radically transform America; and Daniel Cameron, the first African-American attorney general of Kentucky, blistered Democrat Joe Biden for stating in an interview that black voters torn between voting for him and Trump “ain’t black.”

Cameron said that the politics of identity, cancellation, and mob rule are not acceptable to him and that Republicans trust that people can think for themselves and to pursue your American dream however they see fit.”

Donald Trump Jr., son of the president, said that people of faith are under attack, and that it was disturbing to see worshippers blocked from attending church during the COVID-19 pandemic while radicals causing mass chaos in the streets of Democratically led cities get a pass.

Two famous names from the football world, Herschel Walker and legendary coach Lou Holtz, both had inspiring messages while endorsing Trump’s re-election. Walker said he prays every night that God gives his friend - the president - four more years.

Sister Deirdre “Dede” Byrne, a Catholic nun, delivered an emotionally charged speech on the right to life for the unborn. A former surgeon, Army colonel and missionary member, Sister Byrne proclaimed Trump the most pro-life president that this nation has ever had, pointing out that he defends life at all stages in the debate over late-term abortions.

The parents of the late Kayla Mueller, the Christian aid worker who was kidnapped, tortured and enslaved by ISIS leaders in Syria, were also very emotional in talking about their daughter’s death. They were critical of the Obama administration for not doing more to try to facilitate their daughter’s release while thanking the Trump administration for going after and eliminating terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Another moving moment was seeing a panel of overseas detainees returned to the U.S. Each one briefly thanked the president for his role in working toward their freedom.

Many progressives and liberal Democrats don’t consider religion having a role in society. A recent Pew Research survey, meanwhile, showed that 82 percent of white evangelicals and 55 percent of all Christians said they planned to vote for Trump’s re-election.

With Christian conservatives forming such a solid voting base, Democrats who dismiss their influence in close elections do so at their own peril.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com