Donald Trump suggested on Monday that “Bible literacy” classes were making a comeback in public schools and suggested that was a good thing. Many people were surprised by the tweet since Trump isn’t exactly known for his God-fearing ways.
And as Trump’s former pastor noted, in any case, the president can’t exactly speak with much authority on the subject.
Pastor David Lewicki responded to Trump’s tweet on Tuesday morning, explaining how he served as a pastor at New York City’s Marble Collegiate Church for about five years in the mid-aughts.
Despite being on the member rolls, Trump never showed. Not to Bible study ― and not even to a service, according to Lewicki.
“I assure you, he had the ‘option’ to come to Bible study. He never ‘opted’ in,” Lewicki wrote. “Nor did he ever actually enter the church doors. Not one time.”
I was @realDonaldTrump [1]'s pastor for 5 years @MarbleChurch [2]. I assure you, he had the "option" to come to Bible study. He never "opted" in. Nor did he ever actually enter the church doors. Not one time. https://t.co/hf06e6LyRz [3]
— David Lewicki (@dlewicki) January 29, 2019 [4]
At one point, the president did attend Marble. The Trump family migrated to the Manhattan church from a Presbyterian establishment near their home in Queens during the 1960s, when Marble was led by the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale. The president’s father was a particular fan of Peale, a famous minister who authored The Power of Positive Thinking.
On the campaign trail, Trump spoke about his religious upbringing and even name-checked Marble, where he married his first wife.
In a rare move, though, the church issued a statement clarifying that Trump was not an “active” member.
But come on, we all know that Trump doesn’t go to church and doesn’t read the Bible.
In an August 2015 interview with Bloomberg TV, Trump explained that he personally objected to same-sex marriage “from the standpoint of Bible,” which led interviewer Mark Halperin to ask Trump about his favorite verse or verses, which Trump refused to name.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to get into it, because to me that’s very personal,” Trump said. “You know, when I talk about the Bible, it’s very personal, so I don’t want to get into verses.”
“There’s no verse that means a lot to you?” Halperin asked. “That you think about or say?”
“The Bible means a lot to me, but I don’t want to get into specifics,” Trump said.
“Even to cite a verse that you like?”
“No, I don’t want to do that.”
Another question: “Are you an Old Testament or a New Testament guy?”
“Probably equal,” Trump said. “I think it’s just an incredible, the whole Bible is an incredible—”
Trump trailed off for a brief second, then continued.
“I joke very much so,” he said. “They always hold up ‘The Art of the Deal.’ I say, ‘My second favorite book of all time.’”
WATCH:
Trump has also claimed he’s a regular churchgoer, and even takes Communion.
If by “Communion,” one means “little cracker.”
“When I drink my little wine — which is about the only wine I drink — and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,” he said in July 2015 [5].