Trump Can't Get His Bible Right

Showing that his ignorance knows even fewer bounds than previously thought, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump messed up a Bible quote Monday while speaking to a crowd at Liberty University. Other candidates don't really do this. And his mistake was pretty bad, too. Trump didn't get the quote wrong, but rather — even more embarrassingly — misnamed an entire book. Students were required to attend the event, where The Donald spoke about "Two Corinthians 3:17," calling it the "whole ballgame." Unfortunately for him, it's "Second Corinthians," not "Two," which caused every pro-Trump evangelical in the room to wince, and some others to laugh.

He did go on to quote the verse correctly, but he may have had help, given that it's plastered all over campus. The verse is Liberty University's "school verse," and is on prominent display, etched into many campus buildings. It reads: "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." In his speech, he claimed that Christianity is "under siege," and that he can do something about it. "We're going to protect Christianity. I can say that. I don't have to be politically correct," he told the audience.

The school is one of the largest Christian universities in the country, with more than 14,000 students on campus and 100,000 online. Although the school itself does not endorse candidates (and Democrats sometimes speak there too), Jerry Falwell, Jr. seemed particularly ebullient when introducing Trump. "Donald Trump is a breath of fresh air," Falwell said to the crowd. "The American public is finally ready to elect a candidate who is not a career politician but rather who has succeeded in real life." For whatever reason, he's willing to forgive Trump's looseness with the Good Book. But in case he needs it, here are some politicians who can get Trump back on holy track.

Ted Cruz

Despite believing in what are arguably gross misinterpretations, Cruz knows his Bible. His dad was a pastor, after all. He quoted Matthew 11:28 when talking about immigration in Iowa: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Too bad he ignored all the stories about welcoming the stranger and treating others as you would like to be treated. That's something of a significant theme in the Bible.

Marco Rubio

Maybe Trump should have taken a page from Rubio's book and read from the book itself. That's what Rubio did at a family leadership conference in Iowa. He read from Luke 12:48: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

Jeb Bush

Trump could also have gone the route Jeb has taken and spoken in terms of Jesus, not necessarily the Bible itself. "I realized that Jesus was my savior and I accepted him in the late 1980s," Bush said on Virginia’s Regent University campus. Trump, meanwhile, hasn't even asked God for forgiveness.

Ben Carson

This guy could quote Bible verses until the cows came home. He has shared his favorite many times, like on Fox News with Megyn Kelly and at campaign rallies. It's Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

Hillary Clinton

Even the Democrats — who generally do not attract the Bible-thumping fans — can outmaneuver Trump. A lifelong Methodist, Hillary Clinton won over a minister in May with her kind words on the study of scripture. "You're doing what is the most important thing to do; it's continuing to study and learn what the scripture says and what it means," she said in South Carolina.

Bernie Sanders

Even this "not particularly religious" Jewish candidate has quoted the Christian Bible better than Trump. Also speaking at Liberty University, he quoted the Golden Rule, Matthew 7:12: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them to do to you, for this sums up the war and the prophets." He went on to quote Amos 5:24 as well: "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream."

Trump may be ahead in the polls for the GOP presidential nomination, but it isn't because of his Christian knowledge. For his sake, he should either pray it doesn't matter or crack a Bible. He can probably find a copy in one of his many hotel rooms.