Donald Trump prepares for meeting with 900 Christian leaders on June 21
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will be having a closed-door meeting with 900 evangelical and social conservative leaders on Tuesday, June 21, in New York. It will be a time when questions on different issues such as religious freedom, sanctity of life, and the Supreme Court will be discussed.
"Of the more than 50,000 questions that came in, many of them focused on those three issues. Others focused on issues related to leadership, national security, and faith," Johnnie Moore, the spokesperson for My Faith Votes, told The Christian Post. "We democratized the solicitation of questions so that this meeting would be even more representative of Christians in America than the 900 people in attendance."
My Faith Votes is a non-partisan organization that is focused on engaging Christians who did not vote in 2012, which totals to around 25 million people. Together with United in Purpose, the group organized the meeting called "A Conversation About America's Future with Donald Trump and Ben Carson," which Moore said is not an attempt to persuade anyone; rather, it is "to better introduce everyone to one another." It is a "conversation," not an "inquisition" or a "coronation."
Moore expects the discussion to be "honest, clear, and direct but not hostile or confrontational," adding that "the tone will be entirely respectful, if not friendly."
"The Trump campaign has been unbelievably cooperative to commit such time with these leaders," Moore said, adding that it is a diverse group, the largest gathering of Christian leaders he had seen in his lifetime.
Moreover, the Christian leaders will not beTrump's guests; rather, he will be their guest. As such, Moore credited him for agreeing to a meeting that is not within his control.
While the names of those who will be present at the meeting have not been disclosed, there are reports that among them are: Ronnie Floyd, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention; Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America; James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family; and Gary Bauer, president of American Values, just to name a few. Retired neurosurgeon and former candidate Ben Carson will deliver an address to the attendees.
"I believe that the most important effect of the June 21 meeting is the fact that all these leaders are also coming together in prayer for our nation," Moore said. "The greatest benefit Donald Trump will receive from this group is their commitment to pray for him and to pray for all of our nation's candidates in all races and our incumbent leaders."
There is a similar meeting being discussed with the camp of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but the event organizers are still waiting for her reply.