Church Denies Donald Trump — ‘He Is Not An Active Member’

Donald Trump has been denied by the church he says he frequently attends. The church is hardly the first entity to openly distance itself from the politician, but this one may have come as something of a surprise. After the presidential hopeful spoke of his religious beliefs, declaring himself a regular attendee of Marble Collegiate Church and a lover of the Bible, he was called out, asked to share a favorite Bible verse. Though Trump talked his way through that, it wasn’t long before the church responded, making an official statement that they don’t consider Trump an “active member.”

Salon reported on Friday that Donald Trump had failed to name any verse in the Bible when asked in an interview. Trump instead explained that, while he loves the Bible, the subject is too personal for an interview. It was also mentioned here that Trump says he frequently attends services at Marble Collegiate Church — noting, of course, that because of his campaign travels, he isn’t able to attend every service.

However, by the next day, Marble Collegiate had responded to a request by the Blaze for a statement regarding Trump’s attendance — and in that statement, the church declared that the candidate is not an active member.

“Donald Trump has had a longstanding history with Marble Collegiate Church, where his parents were for years active members and one of his children was baptized. However, as he indicates, he is a Presbyterian, and is not an active member of Marble.”

Note that the church mentions Trump’s religious preference, and suggests an association, but does not directly state that this is the reason he is not considered a member. It’s also not clear whether the church routinely discloses membership, or lack thereof, of worshipers.

However, something else about the church Donald Trump claims for his own is clear: they preach a message of acceptance. On their website, they describe their values — mentioning welcome, acceptance, diversity, and virtually every other wording that suggests loving each individual on his own path, numerous times.

“Here all persons are loved as sacred sons and daughters of God, and are openly included at Marble regardless of race, sexual orientation or background.”

A church expressing acceptance of all races and backgrounds might find distancing itself from Donald Trump, who has been permanently marked by his declaration of candidacy, in which he expressed feelings about Mexican immigrants that left many taken aback, a wise P.R. move.

If so, the church is far from alone — Macy’s, NBC, and Univision have all already spoken out to make it clear that Donald Trump does not represent the values of their respective companies.

[Photo by: Scott Olson / Getty Images]