Shouts of “Jesus, Jesus“ Erupted as Trump Urged Faith Leaders to Vote to Save the Nation

On October 21, 2024, Donald Trump attended the “11th-Hour Faith Leaders Meeting” in North Carolina to rally evangelical pastors and Christian leaders in order to get them to vote for Donald Trump. Ben Carson, a Seventh-day Adventist, participated in this “praise and worship“ service that blended faith and politics in a way that raises serious concerns about the separation of church and state. [1] At this event, Donald Trump said that the hand of God preserved his life so he could make America great again. He claimed that it was time for Christians to take back their country because Christianity was the soul of America, not a threat. At different times the crowd would shout “Jesus, Jesus” and “USA, USA” as Donald Trump urged Christians to get out and vote.  While religion plays a significant role in the lives of many Americans, using it as a political campaign tool allows faith groups to be exploited for their own political ends. This undermines the nature of the church, because spiritu