Donald Trump went to church in Iowa, got a sermon


Donald Trump is not perhaps what you might call a Christian's Christian, but the leading Republican presidential candidate went to services at the First Presbyterian Church in Muscatine, Iowa, on Sunday, along with some reporters he invited to record the event. Trump, a Christian who was raised Presbyterian, appears to have been greeted warmly by the congregation, but some of the readings, and the sermon, caught his ear, he told reporters afterward.
One reading, about the importance of humility, included this sentence, The Associated Press reports: "Can you imagine eye telling hand, 'Get lost, I don't need you' or hearing the head telling the foot, 'You're fired, your job has been phased out?'" After church, a reporter asked him about his Apprentice catch phrase appearing in the reading, and Trump said: "I heard that.... I wondered if that was for me. They didn't even know I was coming, so I doubt it. But it's an appropriate phrase."
In the sermon, the Rev. Dr. Pamela Saturnia preached about the need to accept, as Jesus did, "those who are the most unloved, the most discriminated against, the most forgotten in our community and in our world." She specifically mentioned "the Syrian refugees" and "the Mexican migrants," two groups Trump famously wants to keep out or kick out of the U.S. Trump left two $50 bills in the collection plate. As The New York Times notes, Trump is getting serious about winning Iowa — including staying at a Holiday Inn Express — and part of winning includes trying to pry Christian voters away from Sen. Ted Cruz (R).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the video below, Stephen Colbert notes that Trump isn't as fluent in Christianity as Cruz, or most other people who go to church or read the Bible. Watch and, if you don't already know, learn the correct way to say "2 Corinthians." Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Why are American conservatives clashing with Pope Leo?
Talking Points Comments on immigration and abortion draw backlash
-
9 haunted hotels where things definitely go bump in the night
The Week Recommends Don’t fear these spirited spots. Embrace them.
-
Saudi comedy fest exposes free speech schism in stand-up
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The decision by some of stand-up’s biggest names to attend a festival in a nation infamous for its censorship has the comedy world picking sides and settling old scores
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle