A conversation with Donald Trump

“Dr. Ronnie Floyd articulately and lovingly explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ          to Donald J. Trump today.”

The towers are big in this city, and the personalities in this hotel feel even bigger. I’m in New York City today, and had the opportunity to attend a meeting with Donald Trump and fellow evangelical leaders.

NOT ENDORSING

My attendance at this meeting should not be interpreted as an endorsement by either the church I pastor or myself personally. If Secretary Clinton invited me to a similar meeting, I’d fly to the Big Apple and do it all over again.

PURPOSE & ATTENDEES

The purpose of this meeting was to have a conversation with the presumptive GOP nominee and evangelical leaders to discuss important issues to evangelicals in America, and see where Mr. Trump stands.

The room constituted a wide range of leaders from across the evangelical spectrum. From David Jeremiah, to Robert Jeffress, to Jack Graham, to James Robison, to Kirk Cameron, to Carl Lentz, to Jentezen Franklin, to James Dobson, to George Barna, to Jerry Falwell Jr., to Ronnie Floyd, to Paula White and many more, it was filled with varying sects of evangelical big wigs. As a younger whippersnapper preacher, I was staring at some who were friends and many who are celebrities in my own little world.

From a political standpoint, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson and, of course, Donald Trump were all in the room.

ADDRESSING CONCERNS

Evangelicals, in general, are concerned with religious liberty, being pro life, Israel and a few other topics. We talked about all of these things in a very conversational way.

ACHIEVING MY GOAL

My number one goal was to make sure that someone in our group would straight up share the Gospel with Donald Trump. Dr. Ronnie Floyd articulately and lovingly explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Donald J. Trump today. Dr. Floyd had a prepared question, and before he read it, he explained the truth of Jesus Christ. If nothing else happened from this meeting, I’m glad the presumptive GOP nominee heard about Jesus Christ.

ISRAEL

David Jeremiah asked Mr. Trump about his stance on Israel. Trump’s response was that he is “100 percent for Israel.” He went on to explain how much he disliked the Iran deal and said President Obama has forsaken Israel. I wish Trump would explain in greater detail what “100 percent for Israel” means, but time was limited, and I liked the generality I heard, but wish there was more specificity in regard to God’s Holy Land.

PRO LIFE

I’ve seen the old video of Trump stating he was pro choice. It makes me cringe. He claims to have changed his mind, and is now pro life. He said he would appoint Supreme Court justices who are pro life and would use the Federalist Society as his gold standard. So, I was pleased with that.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the meeting was fruitful. Donald Trump heard from most of the influential leaders of evangelicalism in America today, and knows exactly where most evangelicals want America to go in pertinence to issues impacting Christianity and overall religious liberty.

I’m sure I will receive some heat from people simply because I came, but no pusillanimous kerfuffle could keep me from influencing the possible next President of the United States.

Some have asked, “Was it all a political show?” No. It really felt like an opportunity to understand where each of us stands. Election Day on November 8 is towering on the American horizon. I hope this conversation will help evangelical leaders determine for whom to vote.

Source:   Jeremy Roberts

Dr. Jeremy Roberts, 28, is the Pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN. Previously, he pastored Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Lenoir City, Tennessee and First Baptist Church of Blue Ridge, Texas. Dr. Roberts currently serves as a professor at Tennessee Temple University. Dr. Roberts served on staff with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia. Make sure and check out his website.