Attendees hold signs as Donald Trump, 2016 Republican presidential nominee speaks during a campaign event in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Credit:Matthew Staver Across the state Trump is leading Hillary Clinton by nearly 8 percent. A Pew poll in July found nearly 80 percent of Christian evangelicals would vote for Trump, more than cast a vote for the Mormon Mitt Romney in 2012. But Beam prays daily on this and he cannot bring himself to endorse Trump, whatever the views of his listeners. "I've lost some listeners over this, I have friends of mine who are clear that Trump is the lesser of two evils," he says. This is an argument Beam himself has made in the past in races where there was not an obvious choice for the conservative Christian voter, such as in 2012.

Southern Baptist Evangelical academic, radio host and pastor, Dr Tony Beam - and his pistol. Credit:Nick O'Malley "When I voted for Romney and I voted for [John] McCain, I never bought the idea that I was voting for the lesser of two evils, because I didn't believe that either one of those gentlemen were evil, I believe that they were honorable men that I had a disagreement with. "With Trump, I believe his motivations are bad, I think I have got two evils. "I can vote for a man who I believe is honorable, someone who will hold the office of presidency as a sacred trust. I can vote for that person even if I disagree with him. I don't believe Donald Trump will do that." Given Trump's character - prima facie evidence suggests his has more than a passing acquaintance with at least five, perhaps six, of the seven deadly sins - evangelical leaders have shown considerable moral elasticity in defending their defence of Trump.

I can vote for a man who I believe is honorable, someone who will hold the office of presidency as a sacred trust. I can vote for that person even if I disagree with him. I don't believe Donald Trump will do that. Dr Tony Beam, Southern Baptist evangelical pastor One particularly vocal supporter has been the Reverend Jerry Falwell Jr, the president of the world's largest christian university, Liberty University, which was founded by his father in Virginia. Falwell's father was also the founder of the Moral Majority political movement, which rallied evangelicals, who had previously been apolitical, behind Ronald Reagan. After endorsing Trump, Falwell invited Trump to speak at Liberty, giving him a significant platform from which to address not only the student body, but the nation's estimated 94 million evangelicals. "Christianity, it's under siege," said Trump early in the speech, deftly touching upon one the key issues for evangelicals. From there though the address went downhill. Attempting to hit the crowd of around 10,000 students with some apposite Bible verse, Trump pronounced, "Two Corinthians, 3:17, that's the whole ballgame." He must have been baffled when the students started tittering at him. They knew he was trying to refer to "Second Corinthians."

Characteristically Trump did not take responsibility for the stuff-up, rather he blamed Tony Perkins the founder of the militantly anti-abortion Family Research Council. "Tony Perkins wrote that out for me -- he actually wrote out 2, he wrote out the number 2 Corinthians," Trump said. "I took exactly what Tony said, and I said, 'Well Tony has to know better than anybody.'" Either way it didn't bother Falwell, who is very forgiving of Trump. After the tape of Trump boasting about grabbing women by the genitals was released Falwell responded by quoting the candidate's own talking points. "You have to look at actions, not words," he said. "All I know is when Trump was asked in the debate last night if he had ever assaulted a woman, he said no." But not everyone at Liberty has been willing to overlook Trump's character. Dustin Wahl, an undergraduate at Liberty was one of a handful of students who issued a statement that read in part, "We are Liberty students who are disappointed with President Falwell's endorsement and are tired of being associated with one of the worst presidential candidates in American history. Donald Trump does not represent our values and we want nothing to do with him." Though Falwell has dismissed the group as small and unrepresentative, Wahl told Fairfax media that so far around 3500 people had signed the document, at least 2000 of whom used Liberty University email addresses to do so. Wahl believes Falwell, and many other evangelicals are drawn to Trump for two main reasons. They believe that political correctness is stifling expressions of Christian faith and they fear that Hillary Clinton will appoint liberal-leaning Supreme Court judges who will continue to extend gay rights, oppose religious liberty and support abortion.

Wahl says he does not believe Trump's claim to have found Christ in recent months, and he does not believe most evangelicals believe it either. (At his rallies many of Trump's supporters tell me they do believe Trump has recently developed a relationship with Christ.) But Wahl says as long as Trump maintains his anti-abortion line it does not bother them. This point was underscored during the third presidential debate when Trump attacked late term abortion and Clinton defended the right to chose. He will not cast a vote for either candidate, but he wants the world to know that Trump does not represent of the values of generosity and kindness that are taught on campus. He says many students politely disagree with him, many others have said they would sign but fear some sort of recrimination from the administration. A very small handful of Trump supporters have pursued the rebels with a hateful social media campaign. While many evangelicals have opted to back Trump despite his Christian failings, the Mormon Church has proved to be far more morally consistent in their opposition to his campaign. As far back as December 2015, prompted by Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the US, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints issued a statement in support of religious liberty that was clearly aimed at Trump.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral in regard to party politics and election campaigns. However, it is not neutral in relation to religious freedom," the statement began, going on to quote two statements by the Church's founder in support of that position. "If it has been demonstrated that I have been willing to die for a 'Mormon', I am bold to declare before Heaven that I am just as ready to die in defending the rights of a Presbyterian, a Baptist or a good man of any denomination; for the same principle which would trample upon the rights of the Latter-day Saints would trample upon the rights of the Roman Catholics, or of any other denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves. It is a love of liberty which inspires my soul — civil and religious liberty to the whole of the human race," read one of them. According to Pew Research Mormons are the most consistently pro-Republican of any religious group in the US. But Mormons are breaking ranks. Normally Utah, the seat of the LDS church, is normally one of the most reliably Republican strongholds in the country. The most recent polling shows that Clinton is now just four points behind Trump 24 to 27 per cent, with a little known local candidate, Evan McMullin on 31 per cent. McMullin even has a longshot strategy to win the White House. The way he reads it in the event of a tie in the electoral college the House of Representatives gets to select the president from the top three candidates. He will be third. Back in South Carolina Dr Beam says he is distressed at the division this election has caused not just within the nation, but within the Republican Party and among evangelical Christians.

He believes many will vote for him out fear. "They are afraid of Hillary Clinton, they are afraid of what she will do, they are afraid that she will take away their rights, their religious liberty." Many evangelicals were appalled by the Supreme Court's finding in favour of the right of gays to marry, and they believe a Clinton administration will force them to accept what they see as a progressive agenda in their churches and schools. Donald Trump, they believe, stands against that. "When they look at Donald Trump that is what they see and that is more important to them than his character flaws or anything that he says or even does," says Dr Beam. "When I look at Donald Trump I don't see someone that loves America and wants to make America great again. I see a reality show TV host who got a new gig - running for president of the United States. He has got plenty of money, now he wants the power that goes with it."