It has been a remarkable phenomenon taking place in the last few years, and the tide only seems to be getting stronger. Since the halcyon days of the Moral Majority, the Republican Party has been the proud defender of “traditional family values.” We knew that much of this support was tepid at best, but it was there nonetheless. The party platform opposed abortion, an unspeakable evil that must be opposed by anyone with basic moral sense. It stood for the “traditional family” against many initiatives pushed by the social progressives on the other side of the aisle.
But the struggle was most noticeable in the battle for a biblical definition of marriage. It is no easy thing to look into your Bible and come up with the idea that God approves of the marriage of two men or two women, requiring hermeneutical gymnastics that would amaze Gabby Douglas. Until 2012, the masses in America stood with us on the issue. Every time homosexual marriage was put on the ballot, “one man and one woman” prevailed. Even the socially liberal president Obama, the most aggressively pro-abortion president we’ve had, refused to announce his support for gay marriage until a year or so ago.
But, with a few RINO exceptions, Republicans stood foursquare and unyielding behind our convictions – that marriage was intended to be a union of one man and woman that lasted a lifetime.
Many years ago, Ed Dobson and Cal Thomas wrote a powerful book, “Blinded by Might,” which warned Christians about the fundamental difference between the church and political parties. It is nice when a political party shares our values, but we must understand that political parties have core principles that stand at odds with our mission even when some of our positions overlap. According to Dobson and Thomas, politics is about power – gaining it and maintaining it. Politicians will tend to do what they need to do to get elected and stay in office. The church is (supposed to be) about truth – proclaiming it regardless of whether it is popular or not.
That distinction has been demonstrated as truth in a startling way in the last couple of years. The media has engaged in a relentless campaign to paint those who hold to traditional marriage as bigoted, backward, hateful dolts. Slowly, the tide seemed to turn. The process got a huge shot in the arm when Obama changed his stance (to no one’s surprise) and became a supporter of gay marriage. The floodgates opened and public opinion shifted. For the first time, in the 2012 election, states voted for homosexual marriage and polls began to show that the majority in our land were in favor of, or at least accepting of, gay marriage.
Since the 2012 election in which Obama won reelection, Republicans have begun to abandon the sinking ship of “traditional marriage” demonstrating that their support was not so much rooted in principle or conviction, but in pragmatism. They supported our view largely because it was popular and would help them gain and maintain power. As soon as public opinion shifted, so did they.
Which leads me to the conclusion I stated in the title. We were used. Of course, there are Republicans of conviction and principle who will hold on to their beliefs even if it costs them at the ballot box. I’m guessing they are as rare and probably as endangered a species as pro-life Democrats. Some of the trusted luminaries of the conservative movement have already announced that they want to and want the Republican party to “get on the right side of history.”
Conservative Christians and our values were used by the Republican party as a voting bloc to win elections. We were a useful tool in their goal to wrest power from the liberal democrats and to hold it themselves. As public opinion shifts, more and more of them will “see the light” and announce that they are aboard the gay marriage train!
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to us.
1) Republicans have never made social issues a priority when they had power. Some of the most liberal and activist members of the Supreme Court are Republican appointees. Even when Republicans held power, little more than lip service was given to abortion issues. We were a voting bloc, not a conviction, for the party most of us have supported.
2) Political opportunism is anything but new. George Bush (the elder) switched his views on abortion soon after becoming Reagan’s VP candidate. Mitt Romney was a pro-choice governor of Massachusetts but at about the same time his aspirations turned toward national office, he had a moment of enlightenment at which he became pro-life. Since I think pro-life is the only moral choice, I do not deny the possibility that someone could come to his senses and see the evil of killing babies in their mother’s wombs. But the timing of that is convenient at best and craven at worst.
3) The news over the last 20 years is full of stories of “family values” hypocrites, who while proclaiming conservative values lived secret lives of dishonesty, immorality and perversion – more evidence that these values were anything but heart-passions.
A legitimate argument can be held as to just how Christian America ever was. Even Christian historians divide on the subject. Certainly, there were some biblical values built into our governing documents and we see the hand of a sovereign God guiding us. On the other hand, racism has been deeply imbued into our national existence since almost the beginning, even defended by many in “Christian America.” Hypocrisy and hidden sin have always been present.
But “Christian America” is gone (or at least mortally wounded and in the throes of death). We are no longer a nation that sees ourselves as responsible or answerable to God. Our highest value is personal happiness and comfort. Following God’s law has been replaced as a goal by a “follow your heart” ethic.
I do not know what I will do in the future. I am blessed that my congressman (Steve King) is one of the few convictional conservatives among Republicans. I vote for him with enthusiasm. But by 2016, I would be willing to wager (if I were a betting man) that the GOP will have nominated its last “traditional marriage” candidate for national office. Abortion? Not sure. Right now, the mood in America is more split concerning the unthinkable brutality of abortion. But if the mood switches so will GOP support! We were never a passion for the GOP. We were used for their purposes, to be cast away when we get in the way.
All of this is to make this point. For years, some Christians have said that we should not put our faith in political parties. Back in the heady days of the Reagan era, a lot of Christians believed that the GOP would help to restore “truth, justice and the American Way” in this land. That hope is now gone. Not only should we not trust political parties, we CANNOT! We MUST not!
We have been used for our votes. As soon as public opinion shifted, we are being cast aside for the sake of political expedience.
The only question left is whether the church is a place of conviction or not. Will we hold to what the Bible says even when we are hated for it? Will we compromise as the Democrats and Republicans have? Are we committed to the truth even if it brings cultural rejection, ostracism and even persecution, or are we another political entity seeking power and influence, willing to shift our views to maintain it?
Time will tell.
Dave,
As tough of an evaluation as this is and as sad a truth it reveals, it is uplifting for me to see more and more Christians speak on this subject. I am hoping it will wake up a stagnant church to fight with spiritual weapons for Christ’s Kingdom instead of being deceived that our Christian duty is fulfilled at the voting booth and church attendance.
Thank you brother for some much needed encouragement.
All political parties, as you mentioned, exist to get others of their party elected. Period. This is why while some have serious convictions, the rest do not. We as the church need to stick firm to the Bible; stick firm to the Lord. He is our lodestar, not public opinion. That is why I am less surprised at the shift we’re seeing in the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts were a secular organization that supported the prevailing values of our culture. That happened to be, for a long time, predominantly Christian. That is no longer, so it will follow the… Read more »
Yep.
Thanks for posting this Dave. We (Evangelical Christians) are way late in realizing that establishment Republicans never loved us or our causes. They only coveted our votes. I tend to vote Republican as the lesser of the evils since abortion is a deal breaker for me, but I am under no illusion that one party is the righteous party.
I think that is the key, Ed. Too many have seen the Republican Party as “the Christian Party” for a long time. It is not. And that is going to be increasingly apparent.
Dave, While I tend to agree with the conclusions of your last three paragraphs or so, I don’t agree, necessarily, with how you got there. I don’t know that you can base the idea of Christians systematically “being used for our votes” on one issue like gay marriage. Still, I conceded that there are many other issues that one can point to in order to make this assertion. However, this doesn’t hold true for all issues, particularly abortion. Republicans have tended to hold firm on their shared view of the murder of children, which until the gay marriage issue came… Read more »
DR, I am somewhat cynical about Republican’s (the party at least) commitment to the pro-life movement. I’m not sure that it has been much more than lip service. We will see.
Dave, This is a confession that I thought that I would never read from a person that fits your profile. I guess your honesty, transparency, openess, and committment to truth are the reasons that I highly respect and value you as a brother and a friend. I have consistently voted Republucan because of their conservative social and fiscal agenda since 1984. This past election, I cast a write-in vote for Jesus for President, but voted primarily for Republicans down line. But I must admit, I feel as if I’ve been used for the reasons your article indicates. More and more… Read more »
Dwight, interesting proposal regarding Ben Carson. Perhaps he should begin to enter the realm of politics (Surgeon General absolutely, and certainly a good choice for a Congression seat), but don’t you think 2016 Presidential candidate is quite a far-fetched possibility considering his lack of political experience? Would Republicans not be hypocrites for denouncing the inexperience of Obama and then embracing a candidate with even less experience? Also, I do have concerns over his 7th Day Adventist background. But of greater concern to me is the fact that you seem to be doing exactly what I speak of in my comment… Read more »
D R, If God’s anointing is on a man or woman to be President of the United States, experience is a non issue. Jimmy Carter & Richard Nixon were experienced politicians, so what? My name sake, Dwight Eisenhower was an experienced military leader, but not an experienced politician and he performed admirably as President. Dr. Carson has what it takes to be President. The hypocrisy of the Republicans is well established which is the subject of Dave’s post. The majority of Americans obviously didn’t buy the Republicans inexperience argument against President Obama and neither should it be a valid argument… Read more »
If you remember, Saul was anointed as well. And look what happened there. Regardless of what Americans bought as a legitimate argument, experience is important. God uses experience to prepare us for greater influence. Jesus even seems to affirm this in the Parable of the Talents. Certainly, it seems legitimate that if God is calling him to be President, He would place him in other political positions in order to gain the experience necessary to be prepared for that post. God certainly did this with many in the Bible – Samuel was under Eli, David, though anointed by God, waited… Read more »
I don’t think Dwight is saying the Dr Carson is the salvation of the country, but of the Republican party in that he could lead it to be big tented, but narrow of vision and not swayed by opinion polls because he is a man of conviction. He could be a great President, but not another Jesus and I don’t think anyone is suggesting that. I think he would either be the leader the conservatives and moderates and not a few liberals could rally behind as he leads the party with a solid and unwavering platform, or, he could be… Read more »
D. R., I will address your primary concern & then I will await an answer to my question regarding your concern about Dr. Carson’s Seventh Day Adventism affiliation. Yes!!! I absolutely without hesitation, qualification or reservation, maintain your position that nothing short of a move of God, wrought and led by the Spirit of God will save this nation from defeat. I will be meeting with a small gathering of pastors in early May praying toward this end. You are spot on in your conclusion. This is the heart of Dr. Luter & will be the theme of the upcoming… Read more »
“…his lack of political experience” I don’t buy this as a legitimate reason for not being a candidate for office. Nor should he have a track record of successful businesses or accomplishments in the work place or lesser office. He needs a vision, a calling, and Godly advisers. How many would be pastors have success or experience before they enter the pulpit? I’d say the pastor is a more important office than President and we expect so much less in the way of experience or resume than a presidential candidate. I think political naivete is undervalued because it means that… Read more »
I don’t know a huge amount about Dr. Carson, but I am very impressed with him. Unless information comes out about him that I am not aware of, I would be very enthusiastic about a Carson candidacy.
Dwight, have you read “Blinded by Might?” I think you would enjoy that book. It seems prophetic now.
Dave,
I have not read this book, but I will order it today. Sounds like a great read that perhaps inspired or certainly informed this great post.
Yes, it was formative for my views on Christianity and politics in America. I highly recommend it. Hope its still in print. You may have to go to Amazon or Ebay.
I don’t have a formed opinion yet regarding Ben Carson as a potential politician, but this past summer I watched “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story.” If you haven’t seen it, you definitely need to. Very inspiring.
Having made that previous comment, let me make another one that some might see as contradictory to the first. Nonetheless: One of the biggest problems with the Church in America today is that we have placed our faith in political parties in order to change our culture and ignored our calling and duty, our only hope – the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we have failed to proclaim Christ to the lost as well as we should have, with intense prayer and fasting, relying on the Holy Spirit and not on man-made, utilitarian methods. Until the Church… Read more »
D.R., Well stated! You have hit on the problem with the “church” in America today. Too many conservative, Bible-believing Evangelcals — including far too many Southern Baptists — have been more content using the weapons of our culture (i.e., politics) instead of using the Gospel and the spiritual weapons needed to prevail against the darkness. When we are more concerned about which political party is in office rather than how we can more effectively proclaim the Gospel, we will, as you stated, continue to be “weak and worthless in the face of a mountain of American immorality and injustice.” Thanks… Read more »
Howell, you got it exactly right. (And that doesn’t always happen!)
Dave,
Every once in a while, a blind squirrel can find an acorn 😉
Yep.
Actually, we do pretty good until someone brings up the”ruling elites” or certain acronyms like GCR or GCB.
SPOT ON!!!
Howell, I may be reading you wrong, and if so, then consider this as an aside, but I don’t think this is a either/or issue. Your statement, “Too many conservative, Bible-believing Evangelcals — including far too many Southern Baptists — have been more content using the weapons of our culture (i.e., politics) instead of using the Gospel and the spiritual weapons needed to prevail against the darkness.”, provides no statistical proof, it is merely an opinion. Now you certainly have a right to your opinion and perhaps you understand your own church, but to blanket that SBC wide or anywhere… Read more »
Nate, Thanks for the comment. Let me clarify. While one I wrote is my opinion, I believe it is informed by what I have observed in our church culture (yes, including some within the church I pastor) particularly during this past Presidential election. I did not say “most” Southern Baptists, but surely there are “too many” (we can quibble on how many is too many) who have been more content to try to change our culture through politics than change it through prayer. My statement is an observation, but was not intended to be a blanket indictment upon the SBC… Read more »
D.R. Likes the wrong type of BBQ
Dave,
I meant to say that Dr. Carson delivered the same speech to our church that he delivered at the most recent Presidential prayer breakfast that caused so much controversy. I did not make this clear in my earlier comment.
Dwight
I would love to hear him sometime.
“Not only should we not trust political parties, we CANNOT! We MUST not!” AMEN!!!! We have been used. Political parties are NOT THE KINGDOM OF GOD!! God does NOT NEED them and I am sure he detests their willingness to conform and twist and use pragmatism just to gain power. Actually “used” is not the word for what has happened to us, PLAYED AND PLAYED WELL, is more like it. Many Pastors and preachers have let the politicians turn the Great Gospel of our Lord into a moralistic, compromising, pragmatic and patriotic dead religion. All the while singing to the… Read more »
I still think there are many good, Christian, “family values” Republicans. You mentioned Steve King. He is not alone. Not by a mile.
Besides, if my only choices are: (a) to be used by Republicans, or (b) to be abused by Democrats, I will choose (a) every time.
Pendulums swing. It’s high time for Republicans to run a social conservative for the White House again. This pragmatic, country club stuff isn’t working.
Rick,
Would you accept that we don’t need to relegate ourselves to only those two options though? I mean there are other parties in the USA. Are we obligated to vote only for those who might win?
In my opinion, Clinton won in 1992 because 18% of the electorate threw their votes in the trash by supporting Ross Perot. If instead they had voted for one of the two legitimate options, Bush would have been elected and no one would have ever heard of Monica Lewinsky.
Grouse if you must, but I believe we have a two-party system. I vote for the lesser of two evils, whether they “use” me or not.
The eternal battle between the ideal and the real.
If we settle for the lesser of two evils, we tend to always be presented with two evils as our options. If we hold out for the ideal, the greater evil often wins.
No grousing. I’ll quickly admit we have a two party system. We have it though because we accepted it.
Like Dave said the battle between the ideal and the real. As an individual who has never voted (now who is inciting grousing), I am being increasingly swayed to participate not to prevent the greatest evil but because I have a Christian obligation to the ideal. Just $0.02 … the going rate of a spleen these days…
Wow. You have really never voted? While I admire your idealism, I would not write in “Jesus” at the ballot box. He’ll take care of that Himself one day. In the meantime, someone very imperfect will have to lead, preferably a Republican, since they are generally a good bit less imperfect than the Democrats.
As for the going rate of a spleen, I think two cents is a bit high.
Rick, I would never write Jesus on a ballot because He hasn’t asked us to establish the kingdom like that. He is King of kings and Lord of lords now. He is reigning now. He doesn’t need to be voted President of a vapor of a historical country. So I actually don’t even see that as the ideal. I believe the ideal would be to vote the candidate who best supports Biblical truth made evident in laws. And I think this includes what the government should be in charge of fiscally. And because of this I could only very rarely… Read more »
Thank you btw for this: “This pragmatic, country club stuff isn’t working.”
“Besides, if my only choices are: (a) to be used by Republicans, or (b) to be abused by Democrats, I will choose (a) every time. ”
‘used’? ‘abused’?
‘lost and harassed and without a shepherd’?
No.
You HAVE a Shepherd.
Follow Him.
Christiane,
The context of this post is the involvement of Christians in the political arena. Dave did not really talk about Jesus in his original post either. It was unnecessary to rebuke me as though I were confusing the political leadership of parties with the spiritual leadership of Christ.
Yep.
Hi RICK, my comment did sound abrupt . . . sorry for the tone of it HOWEVER . . . IF you think about it, being ‘used’ is a form of manipulation except when you understand what you are letting yourself in for . . . it is then, that you have made a choice, and are responsible for that choice . . . and you can no longer claim that you were being ‘used’ if you are complicit by agreeing to go along with being ‘used’ voluntarily I don’t know if that made sense . . . I hope… Read more »
Thanks, and yes, I see your point. Have a blessed evening.
I would be willing to wager my spleen, Rick, that Republicans will NOT run a social conservative next time.
Okay, Dave, but how does this work? First, are officers of the SBC permitted to gamble their body parts? Second, do I have to put up my spleen as well, so the winner has two and the loser has none? Or is it simply, win and you keep your own spleen, but lose and it’s mine? In that scenario, I don’t really lose anything either way. The troubling thing, Dave, and I want to say this as gently as possible, is that I really do not want your spleen anyway. Here you are offering me something that is of great… Read more »
You, sir, are a nerd.
Rick,
That was brilliant. I needed a good laugh. Thanks.
Dwight
Don’t encourage him!!
it was funny 🙂
Touche for Rick.
lol
David
“The only question left is whether the church is a place of conviction or not. Will we hold to what the Bible says even when we are hated for it?” You do not need to look to far for the answer just look how your church, my church, and everyones church who reads your article handles the Divorce issue amongst the congregation. How does that stand up with what is taught within Scripture? The church gave up long ago the moral ground regarding marriage from a biblical perspective. I am not so sure who uses who when it comes to… Read more »
You all are probably good pastors or ministers of the Bible , but , lousy brick layers and electricians . So it is with actually being a politician – not just getting elected . When you attempt to sit in that chair you’re either qualified or you’re not – and most of you are not . Listening to other people’s view points is a lesson that’s important if you are to succeed in any endeavor and not to consider yourselveselves experts in most fields including politics .
People mention third parties, and I have a lot to say about that, but I will try to keep it short. So long as third parties (current and future) focus on a top down approach to elections, that is they focus on running a candidate for President and nothing else, they are doomed to fail. If as Conservative Christians we want to be serious about changing the party system, getting free of Republicans that are lukewarm to us, then we have to start not from to the top down, but from the bottom up. Rather then spending time and money… Read more »
I have been having trouble seeing the American political system as anything but a lost cause. That doesn’t mean I will give up, but it means that I will not look to the Republican Party or even to the government to do the work that matters.
You are exactly right. Conservative Evangelical Christians in America have lost their prophetic voice because they’ve been chasing after the Republican party. The leaders have had to buy into GOP policy and as a result, find themselves supporting non-Christian, and even anti-Christian positions on some issues, and practices in others. We’re portrayed as being supportive of a health care and health care finance system that is crooked, corrupt, and takes advantage of the neediest people. We have leaders who waste time and are distracted by stupid rumors, like the location of the President’s birth. We want to claim the moral… Read more »
Tell us how you really feel, Lee.
Interesting comment. I think I agree with about 95% of it. Maybe 97%.
As I understand it, the dividing line (or at least a major dividing line) on this issue has to do with our understanding of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18–20: Is our task, as the Church, and as disciples of Jesus, to Christianize the nations (understood either as societal structures, cultures, or geo-political nation/states) or is it to make disciples of individuals from among all the ethnic groups of the world, and to gather them into the counter-cultural entity known as the Church, which functions as a sign of the coming Kingdom? As I understand it Christianizing the nations, in… Read more »
I still say that your blog posts on patriotism and the mission of the church through the years should be brought together into a book. Right after you finish the one on ecclesiology.
I cringe whenever I hear the words “Christian Republican”. I understand it use, but it seems to imply a dual loyalty that I dont think is possible. It sounds even worse when you think of “Christian” being just the adjective to “Republican”, the noun. It makes “Republican” look like the main identifier Either way, I think it was Paul Washer who said (paraphrase) that when you combine Christianity with a political party, “you degrade Christianity”. I think he also said that whether the issue is left-wing or right-wing, “both are wings of the same corrupt bird”. I think that is… Read more »
“Evangelical Christians”…the cheapest date in politics.
Wow. That is tweet-worthy.
I WILL reissue this giving full credit to Adam G in NC.
I disagree that we’ve been “used”. What did we do that we haven’t volunteered for? And if we’ve put trust in a political organization, just how Biblical would THAT be? From one side of our mouth, we claim that a minority of the population is born-again Christian, yet from the other side we express surprise that the majority of people now favor same-sex marriage, and abortion. That seems a pretty good definition of “double mindedness”, to me. Frankly, it’s about time that the church is beginning to look like folks whose home is not the USA, or even earth. Folks… Read more »
Bob,
To piggyback of your last sentence. I have heard a similar thing said about education. It was something to the effect that “God will keep prayer out of school so that we’ll realize our children shouldn’t be there.”
I’m not arguing the validity of the point. Just seeing a growing trend of Christian thinking. Thank you for your words.
Prayer will stay in schools as long as there are math tests in schools.
Prayer in school was never the issue. Teachers and (others in authority) and the school system itself sanctioning prayer was the issue. And from a Christian perspective, the building of a structure of civil religion should have been recognized. As Christians we need to accurately understand and articulate the issues.
John
Dave, Time magazine ran a cover article that provides an interesting timeline related to the public shift on same-sex marriage. There are interesting social/cultural/political points along the way that we might find interesting laid beside the Thomas book you mentioned. Also, I wonder if one of the ways we might consider pushing against political tides would be to capture the very political move of Jesus. By political I do not mean party affiliation. Instead I am thinking of what it meant for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem having announced a new politic for all people – the Kingdom of God.… Read more »
[rant on] Umm…I think you’re looking at it the wrong way, Dave. The two parties (especially in a two-party v. a parliamentary system) are each coalitions of people who have some shared interests who work together. To win general elections they put forward candidates that first appeal to the portions of their base and then to unaligned independents and possibly to the opposite base. The problem you’re actually pointing out is that a majority of Americans now support gay marriage. The parties have very little choice but to respond to the majority or they’re doomed to being minority parties. To… Read more »
I fail at linking: the news article
Sorry for the length of the rant. I got on a roll. 😉
Good stuff, Greg. I agree.
Oh man, where to start. First, I hate people who say I told you so, so I won’t, but I would like to point out that I’ve been saying the very things said in this post, on this site in comments, for over two years. If you’ll go back and look I have referenced the Cal Thomas book at least a dozen times. I’ve been called liberal, told that I voted for Obama (I didn’t), accused of being pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, and God knows what else, and gotten hateful emails, etc. If after all that we can finally have a… Read more »
Ryan, Can you tell me from Scripture where politics became the realm of the dammed? I grew up in a missionary kid and all my life I have observed the church doing the type of things you call for that you imply are outside of politics. Lastly not sure why it is acceptable to slander/malign Dr Land. you say ,” It will strip all of these things from a group of people who have manipulated the church into all of these things for the sake of their own personal agendas and gains.” I know Dr Land well enough to realize… Read more »
I’m not sure where I said politics is the “realm of the damned” but I think God’s Word counsels us against making war as the world does- Ephesians 6:12, counsels us to avoid getting into useless quarrels and to instead seek peace and the common good- Titus 3, and calls us to live good lives under whatever government God chooses to place us under- 1 Peter 2. As far as Richard Land goes, I can point you to one very public incident- Glen Beck’s Black Robe Regiment. What gain was it for the Kingdom for Dr. Land to put himself… Read more »
Amen Ryan. Me too.
John
Perhaps the shift from moral imperatives grounded immutably in the Word of God…to moral values…should have been a harbinger of things to come.
“Values” change with the shifting sands of public sentiment.
Divine imperatives do not change.
Rick Patrick: “Besides, if my only choices are: (a) to be used by Republicans, or (b) to be abused by Democrats, I will choose (a) every time.”
Adapting: Besides, if my only choices are: (a) to be used by God, or (b) to be abused by Satan, I will choose (a) every time.
Me too, Rick!
Glad you figured it out, Dave. Republicans have been buying Evangelical votes for years, paying lip service to biblical morality in order to advance a crony-capitalist agenda (a few exceptions noted).
Evangelicals seem to be easy marks for those who want to foster group think. All one has to do is call Al Gore a wack job and we’ll believe the next fifty things he says without question. We’re so afraid of being completely marginalized that we grab on to any powerful-popular person who professes to be a Christian.
[Thanks Dave. Sharing something I ran into while on the web. Reaction?] (The following paper was inspired by Bill O’Reilly whose TV show favors God Dumpers and not “Bible Thumpers.” Quotes are from “Vital Quotations” by Emerson West.) DANGEROUS BIBLE THUMPERS OF AMERICA ROBERT E. LEE: “In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.” (p. 21) DANIEL WEBSTER: “If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper.” (p. 21) JOHN QUINCY ADAMS: “I have made it a practice for several years… Read more »
So you want to claim a diest who cut pages and sections out of his Bible- Jefferson, a man who did not believe that God was involved with the world beyond creating it- Franklin, and the leader of the army who fought against those who wanted to end the human misery that was slavery- Lee as members of the Religious Right?
God help us. No wonder our churches are shrinking and our culture is falling apart.
So – you take two examples – no three – out of a whole list of quotes – as proof of your thesis? Is it true that a Deist is always wrong? Or that a Deist being right one time makes the whole argument suspect? Or the fact that a God fearing man such as Robert E. Lee being imperfect and having flaws makes the whole argument above superfluous? No wonder the churches are shrinking and the culture is falling apart, for you swallow a camel while straining a knat, and are willing to snipe at friends rather than focus… Read more »
The quotes demonstrate that our leaders in general had a respect for religion and saw themselves as responsible to God for what they were doing.
It hardly makes them precursors to the religious right.