The evening began with music performed by a choir of unmasked singers. Then Byron Foxx, an evangelist with the bellowing voice of a southern preacher, took the stage and presided over what he called a “God and country” meeting.
The event included hymns, prayers and scripture, but its speakers’ rhetoric was more typical of political rallies. While there is no evidence that the individuals who spoke at this and similar events acted illegally, the churches and nonprofits that organised them are legally barred from participating in partisan politics.
Those who spoke from the pulpit, framed by a giant US flag covering a cross, spoke about “spiritual warfare” and the need to “maximise the Christian vote”.
