The Guardian reports that Trump accused Methodist pastor and Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton of mocking Jesus at his Kansas rally.

The denomination is apparently less important than the nomination.

There is a peculiar arrogance in treating another person's faith as a credential that becomes defective when it fails to produce the preferred vote. The theological examination appears to have one question, and it is printed on the ballot. A candidate can spend years thinking about the Gospels and still fail to identify the correct Republican.

Make powerful people uncomfortable.
Subscribe to Democrawonk.

Trump's accusation is an accusation, not an established fact. But its political usefulness is plain: a disagreement with the president can be presented as a disagreement with a substantially higher authority. Conveniently, only one of those authorities is standing at the microphone.

This is not a demand that pastors be spared political criticism. Their positions are fair subjects for argument, like anybody else's. It is an objection to the president awarding himself ecclesiastical jurisdiction whenever a religious voter looks inconvenient.

The presidential endorsement already has enough institutional accessories. It does not need a department for inspecting souls.

Hamilton is running for the Senate. Trump seems to be checking whether the church filled the vacancy correctly.