海角大神

The Rev. James Linzey, a retired Army chaplain and vocal leader among some conservative Evangelicals, sums up his ardent support for Donald Trump with a simple observation:

鈥淏ecause he tells it like it is, and he exudes honesty and transparency, and that he鈥檚 the kind of person who is not going to deceive us,鈥� says Reverend Linzey, who now heads the Military Bible Association in Escondido, Calif., and who publicly endorsed the Manhattan billionaire on Thursday. 鈥淓vangelicals are tired of being deceived by wolves in sheep鈥檚 clothing.鈥�

Indeed, even as the evangelical minister praises Mr. Trump as 鈥渟omeone with the teeth to lead,鈥� his support for the nominal Presbyterian, who has been married three times and has said he doesn鈥檛 really ask God for forgiveness when he does something wrong, expresses as much Linzey鈥檚 deep-seated frustration with the GOP after watching the country change in ways he finds unsettling.聽

鈥淭he Republican party has failed to take care of even one major issue that concerns conservatives and Evangelicals over the past many years,鈥� Linzey says. 鈥淎nd if we can get a candidate that will tackle at least one major issue, that alone will be an accomplishment for the Republican Party,鈥� he says, referring to illegal immigration, Trump鈥檚 signature issue so far.

Trump has completely dominated the GOP鈥檚 summer political season, of course, and currently tops polls measuring every segment of the GOP electorate, including 30 percent of Republican voters nationwide, according to .

But why have 海角大神 Evangelicals, still one of the more powerful constituencies in the Republican Party, flocked to Trump in nearly equal numbers? Trump told voters that he doesn鈥檛 鈥渂ring God into that picture鈥� when he does something wrong, but simply tries to make it right himself. And he seemed less than devout when he described taking communion: 鈥淲hen we go in church and I drink the little wine, which is about the only wine I drink, and I eat the little cracker 鈥� I guess that鈥檚 a form of asking forgiveness,鈥� Trump said.

For a significant number of white Evangelicals, who tend to vote overwhelmingly Republican, Trump鈥檚 lack of religious bona fides is more than made up for by his oversized personality, outsider status, and free-wheeling ability to express the anger and frustration many feel.

鈥淓vangelicals are losing ground in America,鈥� says Carter Turner, professor of religious studies at Radford University in Virginia, citing the recent Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage and the decline of religion among the young. 聽鈥淪o I think the evangelical optimism that grew steadily from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s is waning, and I believe it鈥檚 causing a lot of fear, anxiety, and frustration.鈥�

鈥淭rump taps into that because he appears to feel the same way,鈥� Professor Turner continues. 鈥淗e speaks their rage. Trump talks a lot about an America that once was and that will return if he is elected.聽He's running to defeat all the things Evangelicals fear most 鈥� an internationally weak America, moral relativism, the cultural and economic takeover of America by foreigners 鈥� and so they see him as their best chance to make America the country God intended it to be.鈥澛�

Political observers caution that Trump鈥檚 significant popularity among Evangelicals is coming months before the nominating contests begin, while 16 other candidates claim their share of this voting bloc鈥檚 support, which in years past has accounted for nearly a quarter of those voting in national elections.

And for the first time, a Monmouth poll of Iowa voters last week found that Evangelicals, arguably the most powerful voting bloc within the Iowa GOP, were beginning to turn toward retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who polled support from 29 percent of religious conservatives to Trump鈥檚 23 percent. In previous caucuses, Iowa voters, including most Iowa Evangelicals, chose former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008 and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in 2012 鈥� both of whom espouse deep religious commitments.聽

Some experts see Trump鈥檚 support among Evangelicals 鈥� and even among other segments of the Republican base 鈥� as a kind of early emotional release valve of frustration and rage. 聽

"Honestly, I think his appeal right now runs shallow,鈥� says Joseph Valenzano, professor of communication at the University of Dayton, who focuses on politics and religion. 鈥淧eople haven't fully vetted candidates, but what Trump has done is use an almost purely emotional appeal to the Republican base, which capitalizes on their anger toward the establishment and Washington.鈥�

鈥淭his includes Evangelicals,鈥� Professor Valenzano continues. 鈥淚 also believe he draws well with them now because there is likely a sense among this element of the Republican Party that their seeming standard bearers 鈥� Huckabee and Santorum 鈥� in the field have been tried and failed.鈥�

Which in part explains the current surge of Dr. Carson in Iowa, who is in a statistical tie with Trump as many Evangelicals have galvanized around the retired neurosurgeon. And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has courted religious conservatives assiduously from the start of his campaign, and who has been one of the few GOP candidates to praise Trump鈥檚 impact on the race, has also begun to increase his support among the faithful.

On Thursday, Trump signed a 鈥減ledge鈥� to support the Republican nominee for president, and to forgo a third-party run. Some critics believe this may tarnish the billionaire鈥檚 appeal as an outsider. And on a conservative radio show later, Trump stumbled over detailed foreign policy questions, embarrassing the business mogul.

At the press conference, Trump was asked about the Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis, who was jailed on Thursday by a federal judge, who held her in contempt for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Ms. Davis has asserted her religious freedom of conscience 鈥� an issue more and more important to many religious conservatives after the Supreme Court ruling. "I don't know enough about that," Trump said about the issue. "Was she jailed? I, we don't know."聽

But if the Trump juggernaut has otherwise shown few signs of waning, the political power of Evangelicals in elections may be entering a new, unsettling era for Republican Party politics, experts say. Traditional loyalties and powerful ties to the GOP may no longer be as mutually beneficial as they have been in the past.

鈥淥verall, the evangelical vote is still important to the Republican base,鈥� writes Bill Leonard, professor at Wake Forest University鈥檚 School of Divinity and an expert on contemporary American religious life, in an e-mail. 鈥淏ut the politicians are confronted with how much they want to reflect those dogmas in a society in which one in five adults, and one in three Millennials is a 'none' without religious affiliation or connection." 聽

鈥淭his election cycle, many evangelicals realize that they have lost considerable culture privilege and are speaking less as a 鈥榤oral majority,鈥� than a clear 鈥榤oral minority鈥�,鈥� Professor Leonard continues. And with the rise of 鈥渘ones鈥� in a more socially liberal society, many see 鈥渁 daunting prospect as evangelicals address the future.鈥�