Dems hope Gospel message gives the faithful an alternative to Trump

NEW YORK (AP) â€" When Pete Buttigieg launched his first statewide television ad in South Carolina two months ago, its opening lines may have sounded familiar to a churchgoer.

The ad opens with footage from a speech by the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor in which Buttigieg says that if he's elected president, Americans wouldn't have to ask themselves, "Whatever happened to, 'I was hungry and you fed me? I was a stranger and you welcomed me?' "

Buttigieg is hardly the first Democrat to invoke the biblical verses of Matthew 25 in which Jesus Christ reminds his followers that their true measure comes from how they treat "the least of these my brethren." Former President Barack Obama quoted from that biblical passage in 2008, while addressing popular megachurch pastor Rick Warren's congregation during his first White House bid, and a political action committee that helped Obama's campaign that year was dubbed the Matthew 25 Network.

As conservative evangelicals continue to make up a critical part of President Donald Trump's base, the message of Matthew 25 â€" which calls for feeding the hungry and giving a stranger safe harbor â€" allows Democrats to try to make a strong contrast between the spirit of their policymaking and that of Trump's.

Trump has rallied the support of evangelical Christians through his anti-abortion initiatives. He has also appointed conservative judges and changed federal guidelines to strengthen protections for students who want to pray or worship in public schools.

Terry Schilling, who runs the conservative American Principles Project, said he has been delighted by Trump's record in office, including his understanding of religious freedom and, above all, his stance on abortion. Schilling spoke while handing out signs paid for by the Trump campaign at the March for Life anti-abortion rally in Washington in January.

Several current Democratic presidential candidates have routinely discussed their faith.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for one, has invoked Matthew 25's verses about "the least of these" more than a half-dozen times in public forums since her campaign started, including this month at a New Hampshire town hall when she urged a more compassionate immigration policy. She has emphasized the passage since her political career began, also citing it during her 2012 Senate campaign.

Matthew 25's "universal theme" resonates beyond the Christian faith, said Derrick Harkins, the veteran pastor who now serves as the Democratic National Committee's national director of interfaith outreach. Harkins likened the New Testament passage to the Jewish value of tikkun olam, or positive acts to heal the world, which Bernie Sanders' Jewish outreach director has cited in talking about the non-observant Jewish senator's interpretation of his faith identity.

"It gives traction to one's religious identity. It gives a tactile, real contrast â€" not only what do I believe, but what do I do in light of that belief?" Harkins said in an interview.

Part of the strength of Matthew 25, Harkins said, is that "even if you're not a biblical scholar, you can speak with authenticity around those themes if they're important to you." And even those with differences of opinion on other aspects of religious identity, he added, can agree that "it makes sense to care for people who are hurting."

Darren Dochuk, an associate professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, connected the Democratic engagement with Matthew 25's message to a broader effort "to carry the mantle of a potentially if not large but animated progressive Christian left."

"There's also a certain sense of urgency to answer back and to win over as broad a constituency as possible, even cut into what is a pretty solid bloc of Christians â€" certainly evangelical Christians, that's going to stick with Trump," Dochuk said.

Eric Sapp, a longtime faith adviser to Democratic candidates who now leads the data firm Public Democracy, said that talking about the values conveyed by Matthew 25 is "a very simple way to convey a deep truth and faith positioning."

"It can be exceptionally effective when used that way, and used as a way to unify, to show I'm connecting with you, not this is why you're wrong," said Sapp.

This report includes material from the Washington Post.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomedme, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.''

Part of Matthew 25 and its exhortation to treat "the least of these" with kindness