Donald J. Trump, the White Evangelicals, and Martin Luther: A Hypothesis. (January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Berlinerblau, Jacques
• Is Part Of: Interpretation. Volume 73:Number 1(2019:Jan.)
• Page Start: 18
• Page End: 30
• Publication Date: 2019-01
• Subjects: "Christian Prince" -- Church and state -- Evangelical Christians -- Family values -- Luther, Martin -- Moral Majority -- President of the United States -- Republican Party -- Trump, Donald; Theology -- Periodicals; 230.04105
• DOI: 10.1177/0020964318802818
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0020-9643

Abstract

At first consideration, it would appear that Donald Trump would be the least likely Republican presidential candidate to win the votes of conservative white Evangelicals. And yet the thrice married, crude-talking, religiously unsophisticated, reality show star who has been accused of sexual assault won 81% of the white Evangelical vote in the 2016 presidential election. This essay explores the remote but interesting possibility that some of Martin Luther's ideas about the "Christian Prince" may have seeped into the collective consciousness of today's Evangelicals. Luther's tractate "On Secular Authority: How Far Does the Obedience Owed to it Extend?" meshes interestingly with how white Evangelicals conceptualize their support for President Trump.