The release of an audio recording that revealsDonald Trumpbragging about sexual assault and groping womens genitals hasnt put a dent in evangelicals support for the Republican presidential nominee. To these Christians, Trump is no more a sinner than the rest of us.A whopping 69 percent of white evangelical Protestant voters currently favor Trump, according to recent data from Public Religion Research Institute. Its a stunning majority for a candidate whose xenophobia, promiscuity and belligerence make him an unlikely pick for Christians who have claimed amoral high ground in previous election cycles.But morality ' in personal character and behavior ' is becoming less and less important to evangelical Christians in selecting elected officials. According tothe survey by PRRI, 72 percent of white evangelical Protestants say an elected official can act ethically even if they commit transgressions in their personal life. Thats a 42-point jump since PRRI last asked the question in 2011, and its more than 10 percentage points higher than the general public.Its also higher than the percentages of other Christians.Six in ten white mainline Protestants and nearly as many Catholics believe honesty and ethical integrity dont necessarily match up with personal behavior. Thats up from 38 percent and 42 percent, respectively, in 2011.Religiously unaffiliated Americans fall behind evangelicals by 12 percentage points and have remained constant in their views. Roughly 60 percent in both 2016 and 2011 said they believed elected officials who behave immorally in their personal lives can still act ethically in their public duties.The jump in white evangelicals is stark, given that the group that was once least likely to forgive personal immorality in public officials is now the one most likely to do so.Were all sinners, every one of us, Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Christian college Liberty University, told Rita Cosby on WABC Radio in defense of Trumps boasting about sexually assaulting women. Weve all done things we wish we hadnt. Were never going to have a perfect candidate unless Jesus Christ is on the ballot.Many of Trumps Christian supporters claim the candidate will guide the country on a more ethical path byappointing Supreme Court judges who will oppose abortion and ensure legal protection for those who reject same-sex marriage.A growing contingent of evangelicals and Christian conservatives are speaking out against Trump, however. Several days after the audios release, leading evangelical magazine Christianity Today published an editorial publicly denouncing the candidate.Megachurch pastor James MacDonald, a member of Trumps own evangelical advisory council, sent an email to others in the group callingthe Republican nominee lecherous and worthless. And prominent evangelical theologian and former Trump supporter Wayne Grudem published a columncondemning the nominees moral character and urging him to withdraw from the election.Christian women across denominations have also been vocal in rebuking Trump for his disparaging comments about women and other marginalized groups. And theyve taken Christian Trump-ers to task for supporting a candidate with such a track record.The Christian message of forgiveness should no longer be co-opted to maintain men in places of power, especially not the office of the President of the United States,Dr. Laura Levens, professor of Christian Mission at the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky, told The Huffington Post for a previous article.It is time that Christians begin speaking about the humanity and dignity of women, and of everyone.Editors note: Donald Trump regularlyincitespolitical violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe,racist, misogynist and birther who hasrepeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims1.6 billion members of an entire religionfromentering the U.S.Donate below to support the groups Donald Trump has insulted. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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