The vast majority of evangelical Christians in the United States voted for Donald Trump because he opposes abortion, according leading Baptist Albert Mohler.
In his Briefing podcast, Mohler cites post-election research that showed that 86 per cent of US evangelicals who voted, voted for Trump.
Mohler says the reasons for this cannot be solely based on Trump's persona, or a populist mandate for change.
"Instead, I would argue that what is revealed in that statistic is the overwhelming urgency of the issue of sanctity of human life and the fate of the unborn.
"I believe it was the issue of abortion and the future of the United States Supreme Court that probably meant more than anything else to evangelicals in making this decision.
"Faced with the choice between the two major party candidates, it was clear that a majority of evangelicals decided to vote for the candidate who was well-known to be crude and egotistical and even perverse, over the candidate who was also known to be sinister and conspiratorial and avidly pro-abortion."
They also voted for Trump because of any number of other "major moral issues", says Mohler.
He says a political upset is always a big story. "This one is a particularly big story."
It indicates a "resurgence of populism" in the US and has sent "shockwaves" throughout the American political system and foreign capitals.
"There is declared a revolution that is now going to be led by Donald Trump as the President of the United States."
He says it also represents a "repudiation" of Hillary Clinton. The "revolution" of the vote cannot be discounted. He says it cannot be stated for certain whether voters had voted against Clinton or for Trump.
Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says something is happening in American politics that goes beyong traditional Republican and Democrat rivalry. Trump has a "mercurial" personality which is not the norm in conventional politics.
He calls on Trump to be a "statesman" and to be President for all the Americans who did not vote for him as well as those who did.
Mohler says Trump has the opportunity to "remake" the Republican Party in his own image. In electing Trump, the American public has taken a "significant risk" which is revealing of the pent-up anxiety in the US electorate. The UK's Brexit vote was another illustration of this.
Mohler says Trump was running as the agent of massive change, the repudiation of the American elite and a continuation of the great American experiment. The desire for change was so strong that a majority of voters were willing to overlook Trump's character flaws.
He calls for Americans to pray "eagerly and fervently" for Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence.
Russell Moore, who heads the Southern Baptist Ethics And Religious Liberty Commission, also calls today for prayers for the President-elect.
"No matter what our differences politically or religiously, surely we can all agree that this campaign has been demoralizing and even traumatizing for most of the country," says Moore. "So what should evangelical Christians do now?"
The first thing, is to pray for Trump, he says. He cites Timothy 2 and Romans 13.
"The Bible commands us to pray for 'all who are in high positions'. Moreover, the Scripture tells us to give 'honor to whom honor is due'. Many of us have deep differences with our new president, and would have no matter which candidate had been elected, but we must pray that he will succeed in leading our country with wisdom and justice."
The sort of conservatism that many of had hoped for, a multiethnic, constitutionally-anchored, forward-looking conservatism, has been replaced in the Republican Party by something else, he added. There is also a politics of sexual revolution across the board. "This means that conservative evangelicals are politically homeless—whether they know it or not," writes Moore.
Christians must now maintain a "prophetic clarity" that is willing to call to repentance everything that is unjust and anti-Christ, whether that is the abortion culture, the divorce culture, or issues around race.
We can be the people who tell the truth, whether it helps or hurts our so-called "allies" or our so-called "enemies."
"The most important lesson we should learn is that the church must stand against the way politics has become a religion, and religion has become politics."
Christians must remember they are not primarily Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or progressives.
"We are the church of the resurrected and triumphant Lord Jesus Christ. We have survived everything from the rage of Nero to that of Middle Eastern terrorist cells."
Christians do best when "alive with the gospel".
The election is important for the country, but not "ultimate for our cosmos".
Moore concludes: "Perhaps this electoral shakeup means that President Trump will lead America to be great again. I hope so. But regardless, whatever happens to America, we must seek the Kingdom first again."
