An Ultra-Capitalist Christian Sect Is Taking Center Stage At The RNC, Thanks To Donald Trump

The Republican Party unveiled its list of speakers for their upcoming national convention this week, presenting reporters with a slate of dignitaries meant to represent a spectrum of voices within the modern GOP. Most of those listed are elected officials and right-wing heroes such as Tim Tebow, but hidden among schedule the is the relatively unknown Rev. Mark Burns, an enigmatic and sometimes gaffe-prone African American pastor from South Carolina who has made a name for himself stumping for Trump on the campaign trail.

It’d be easy to dismiss Burns’ mention as humdrum, or even predictable. The pastor is a reliable Trump surrogate, and while it’s relatively rare for a religious professional to deliver an address instead of a prayer at a convention of either party, Republicans — long bolstered by the Religious Right and their legions of “values voters” — are hardly strangers to fusions of faith and politics.

Still, Burns’ presence onstage will represent a noteworthy — and altogether new — shift in the religious character of the Republican Party. Here’s why....
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/07/14/3798418/prosperity-gospel-political-moment/