đ Defining the Iowa evangelicals who support Trump: Is going to church a requirement? đ
Monday's caucuses mark the presidential campaign's first formal test at the ballot box
By Bobby Ross Jr.
Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers!
U.S. pastors are struggling with post-pandemic burnout: A survey indicates half considered quitting since 2020, The Associated Pressâ Peter Smith reports.
U.S. attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions increased 360% in the three months that ended Sunday, according to Anti-Defamation League data cited by the Washington Timesâ Mark A. Kellner.
And online Bible reading continued to increase in 2023, Lifeway Researchâs Marissa Postell Sullivan notes.
This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start with the evangelicals supporting former President Donald Trump in Mondayâs Iowa caucuses.
What To Know: The Big Story
2024 voting starts: What will happen Monday in the presidential campaignâs first formal test at the ballot box?
âDonald Trump seems to have locked down a majority of the evangelical Iowan vote in this year's Republican caucuses, even as local leaders have tried to steer them toward his competitor, Ron DeSantis,â Axiosâ Linh Ta writes.
But who are these evangelicals?
âThey are not just the churchgoing, conservative activists who once dominated the G.O.P.,â according to the New York Timesâ Ruth Graham and Charles Homans.
The Times explains:
Being evangelical once suggested regular church attendance, a focus on salvation and conversion and strongly held views on specific issues such as abortion. Today, it is as often used to describe a cultural and political identity: one in which Christians are considered a persecuted minority, traditional institutions are viewed skeptically and Mr. Trump looms large.
âPolitics has become the master identity,â said Ryan Burge, an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor. âEverything else lines up behind partisanship.â
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, scholar Thomas S. Kidd laments:
Some self-identified evangelical voters donât even attend church. Many in the media seem to define âevangelicalsâ as white Republicans who consider themselves religious. Such a definition, in both a spiritual and a historical sense, is ludicrous.
âBob Vander Plaats is a kingmakerâ: Reporting from Urbandale, Iowa, Christianity Todayâs Harvest Prude interviews a key evangelical leader who is urging Christian voters to move on from Trump.
But are such voters still listening to his advice?
He remains confident, according to the magazine:
Vander Plaats is bullish that Iowa polling is getting it wrong, and that Trumpâs support may be more fragile than it appears: âIowa always, always, always breaks late. I believe theyâre going to break late again,â he told CT.
Faith in Trump: Iowaâs Christian conservatives follow their faith when voting, and some say it leads them to Trump, according to The Associated Pressâ Michelle L. Price.
âI think heâs an imperfect individual just like the rest of us, but I think God used that man to govern in godly principles,â Cliff Carey, a 73-year-old member of a Des Moines church, told AP.
His sister-in-law, Cindy Carey, offered a similar assessment to the wire service: âI wouldnât vote for him as my pastor. I want him to lead our nation back to that city on a hill, shining city on a hill.â
ReligionUnplugged.comâs own Clemente Lisi details the faith backgrounds of the candidates, including Trump, DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Read more analysis on Trump and evangelical voters from GetReligionâs Richard Ostling.
Power Up: The Weekâs Best Reads
1. Same-sex blessings: âThe Catholic bishops of Africa collectively rejected one of Pope Francisâ most controversial liberalizations â permission for priests to bless same-sex couples â saying that such blessings âwould cause confusion and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities.ââ
So reports the Wall Street Journalâs Francis X. Rocca.
The controversy reflects the doctrinal fault lines within Catholicism, according to Universal syndicate columnist Terry Mattingly.
Itâs not just Catholics: How to deal with same-sex unions is a question fracturing multiple major Christian denominations, The Associated Pressâ David Crary notes.
2. âSoldiers of Christâ killing: âThe gory details â covered widely in Korean news outlets in the U.S. â have shocked the large Korean community in metro Atlanta. Community leaders say the case is a wake-up call for Korean Americans to be more vigilant about religious cults and potential threats to new arrivals from South Korea.â
The Associated Pressâ Sudhin Thanawala reports from Lawrenceville, Georgia.
3. Parable about Americaâs soul: âA new podcast version of âWitnessâ is both thriller filled with so-called driveway moments and an insightful story of Americaâs crisis of faith.â
Religion News Serviceâs Bob Smietana goes behind the scenes.
More Top Reads
A group of Jewish students sued Harvard University, saying it allowed the school to become a bastion of antisemitism, the Wall Street Journalâs Alyssa Lukpat reports. ⌠âGod & Country,â a new documentary produced by Rob Reiner, spotlights the filmmakerâs view of Christian nationalismâs threat to democracy, the Washington Postâs Michelle Boorstein notes. ⌠From a dump in Egypt to a criminal case in Oxford to a seminary in Texas, a tiny piece of papyrus traveled a strange path, Christianity Todayâs Daniel Silliman explains. ⌠Who was the revered rabbi whose New York synagogue was the scene of a brawl over an illegal tunnel? The Associated Pressâ Peter Smith offers insight. ⌠A prominent Black church in New York has been sued for gender bias by a woman who sought to be its senior pastor, APâs Darren Sands reports. ⌠Some Christian homeless shelters are strict, and some are loose, but theyâre all trying to address a growing problem, Marvin Olasky writes at The Dispatch. ⌠David Frenchâs church small group immediately started organizing meals when his wife, Nancy, was diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of breast cancer, the New York Times columnist shares in a moving personal reflection.
Inside The Godbeat
Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, The Forward has hired its first full-time Israel correspondent in nearly seven years: Susan Greene.
The Colorado journalist won a Pulitzer Prize as part of the Denver Post team that covered the 2000 Columbine High School massacre.
Charging Station: ICYMI
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.
âHouston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud â one of this seasonâs rising stars in the NFL â isnât just known for throwing touchdown passes and getting his team into the playoffs,â ReligionUnplugged.comâs Clemente Lisi notes.
âStroud also made headlines for his faith after thanking Jesus following his teamâs 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts this past Saturday, earning the team a spot in the playoffs that start this weekend.â
The Final Plug
I spent the first part of the week on a reporting trip to Nashville, Tennessee.
A funny thing happened at the airport rental car counter: I learned that my Oklahoma driverâs license expired Dec. 31.
Thankfully, friends and kind Uber drivers were happy to take me where I needed to go â and I always enjoy my time in Middle Tennessee.
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
Bobby Ross Jr. writes the Weekend Plug-in column for ReligionUnplugged.com and serves as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.