Christian leaders around the world have pledged to work with and support Donald Trump as the new President of the United States. Evangelical Christians were credited by prominent religious leaders as being key to his victory.
Tony Campolo, former spiritual adviser to Bill Clinton, credited evangelical Christians for the win. He said: "The triumph of Donald Trump may signal 'the last hurrah' of white male evangelicals in America, or it may mean that their influence is once again on the rise. We will have to wait and see. But there is no question that his victory was largely due to their support.
"His victory is likely to get evangelicals to do some soul-searching as to who they are, and why they were swept up in supporting a man whose rhetoric played upon fear of immigrants, fear of Muslims, an anti-scientific disbelief in global warming, overt racism and sexist attitudes that are contrary to Scripture."
Amaris Cole, editor of Evangelical Alliance IDEA, told Christian Today: "The presidential campaign has been fraught, divisive and long. Even among the evangelical community there was a huge divide, with 65 per cent of white evangelicals voting for Trump and 62 per cent of non-white evangelicals voting for Clinton.
"Now the decision has been made, and it's time for both sides to come together and pray for their new president, and all those who have woken up feeling disappointed with this result. Wouldn't it be great if the Church led the way in demonstrating reconciliation between those who have been at war in the last few weeks?
"We know the Church is on the front line, serving those in need. I'm praying the Church in America will come together to ensure this vital work continues – whatever policies the next four years will bring."
Ben Kwashi, Archbishop of Jos in the Anglican Church of Nigeria, said: "We have joined in prayers and watched with keen interest the US elections, it is now over and one person Donald Trump is elected. The parties may be different but the overriding interest is the nation of America. America has a God-given place in the history and affairs of the world.
"We have high hopes that the plight of troubled parts of the world will be priority of foreign policy, we hope that terrorism around the world and especially in Africa will be of concern to America.
"We also hope that freedom of religion and thought will be upheld and seen to be in practised in all democratic nations in the world. America has another chance to show its best in generosity, sacrifice, excellence and leadership in all goodness and faith."
Barack Obama tried to reassure Americans following the shock result. He said in a video recorded for BuzzFeed: "Let's face it. This has been an exhausting, stressful and sometimes downright weird election for all of us.
"But here's what I want everybody to know: While we've certainly seen some new things this time around, what isn't new is that our democracy has always been rowdy and raucous. We've been through tough and divisive elections before and we've always come out stronger for it. Remember, no matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning and America will still be the greatest nation on earth."
There were many comparisons with the UK's Brexit upset when a majority of voters defied pollsters and pundits to take the country out of the European Union.
UKIP's Nigel Farage said Trump's win in Florida was like the Brexit vote in Sunderland, when 61 per cent thwarted expectations by voting to leave the EU, and tweeted that the election result was even bigger than Brexit:
Looks like 2016 is going to be the year of two big political revolutions @realDonaldTrump. Would be bigger than Brexit! pic.twitter.com/jqANN6UU49
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) November 9, 2016 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Dr Mike Evans of Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem said he offered his support to the president elect. "I would also like to reiterate one simple truth believed by hundreds of millions of Christians around the world: the success of this new administration will remain fully centered upon its commitment to the State of Israel. May the new administration be a friend and an ally to Israel to a greater degree than any previous administration. The clearest indication of this commitment would be the immediate transfer of the Embassy of the United States to Jerusalem."
Dr Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church and immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention, congratulated Trump. "I pray sincerely that God might grant wisdom to our new commander in chief to lead our nation in righteousness and toward peace and justice. This is a time to rebuild and to reconcile, to lock arms with our fellow Americans and work with our elected officials for a better future," he said. "We must remember that the task of protecting our rights to life and religious freedom is as much the responsibility of the average American as it is of the individual sitting in the Oval Office."
Fear and worship should be reserved only for God, who alone deserves to be our source of ultimate hope and security, he added.
Pastor Paula White of New Destiny Christian Center said: "Far more than what divides us, this election has revealed what unites us. I have never seen such solidarity between evangelicals and Catholics, Pentecostals, charismatics and Baptists. We were brought together with a mutual love for our country and through a mutual faith in God. The election started the conversation but what will come from these new and renewed relationships will have far more impact than anything that could be realized through the election of any politician. We aren't ending this season so much entering a new one, ready to love the world together to a degree greater than we ever could alone."
Bishop Joseph D'Souza of the Good Shepherd Church of India said: "Over the span of my life, I have respected and admired the office of the US presidency. Perhaps no other individual has a greater responsibility and expectation bestowed upon himself to lead. I wish Donald Trump the fortitude needed to carry such an enormous task.
"Today, the world needs America's strength more than ever. We are living in tumultuous times, and it is in moments like these that international cooperation for the sake of peace and justice is imperative. But we also need America's kindness. The United States, though relatively young historically, has long been a source of hope to all those who desire their countries – and indeed, their children –have a future filled with opportunity."
Hispanic evangelical leader Samuel Rodriguez told Christian Today: "Now that the presidential election is finally behind us, our nation must put partisan politics and divisive rhetoric behind us as well." Referring to the symbols of the Republican and Democratic Parties, he said: "Instead of the agenda of the donkey or the elephant, Christians must be about the Lamb's agenda.
"We can and we must continue the fight to reconcile Billy Graham's message of righteousness with Dr Martin Luther King's march for justice. The moment we, as Christian voters, are co-opted by any given political party or ideology, we lose our legitimacy to speak truth to power. Looking ahead, now is the time to rise up as the Body of Christ and as an independent voice that holds political leaders on both sides of the aisle accountable to policies that don't aim left or right, but toward righteousness and justice, for all.
"We pray for the safe keeping of our democracy as we transition to the new Donald Trump Administration and we pray that God will continue to bless and prosper our nation in the coming months and years ahead."
Dr David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, said: "This presidential election has been a moment in history when God has reminded us that our ultimate citizenship is indeed in heaven, and not on earth. While we love America, as Christians we are sojourners and pilgrims, and like the heroes of our faith we are looking for a better country beyond this earthly one, to the heavenly city God has prepared for us. Let us then continue walking by faith, not by sight, placing our trust in God's eternal promises and not in the fleeting machinations of men."
He committed his church to praying for the Trump administration: "We pray that God might have mercy on our nation and that our leaders might know and fear Him, for as the Scriptures say, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. This is a time when we must hold fast to our calling to be good citizens and to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, pointing those around us toward our hope in Christ and breathing life wherever there is despair. Presidents come and go, but our God remains forever and he will be on his throne on November 9 as he was on November 8 and as he will be for all of eternity."
