Georgia will Choose Which is "True Christian"


While some would call it political theater, I would call Georgia's Senate election tomorrow "religious theater." It is the perfect confrontation between two Christian camps who have been at each other's throats almost since the beginning of this country. It is between the an old South white lady, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and a black social gospel Baptist preacher, Raphael Warnock. A prominent scholar on religion, Professor Stephen Prothero, outlined nicely the two competing branches of Christianity.  

Current Senator Loeffler is all about the version of Christianity some call Trump Republicanism. It is quite simple, if you are against abortion you are a good Christian. If you are for abortion rights, not Christian at all.  It seems like only yesterday the line in the sand was gay marriage and "family values." This year it is abortion.

Rev. Warnok is from the Martin Luther King school of the social gospel. The Jesus in the Bible talked of caring for the poor and today we should be doing the same thing. Rev. Warnok is unapologetic about supporting abortion rights. It is not important like concern for the poor. He dismisses the notion President Trump is a Christian in good standing if his only Christian credential is appointing anti abortion judges.

Everyone with an arms length objective view of Christianity knows there is only legitimate version of the faith. It is the one "I" practice. Every other version is flawed. It would be ironic if the majority of voters in Bible-Belt Georgia decided the correct one is not the anti abortion version but instead the abortion rights version.  It almost happened in a recent Georgia governor's race. I've been visiting Georgia for years and always had the impression it was ripe for a political earthquake. Of course, it may not happen this time.

I've made the observation here many times that pushing abortion forward as the single most important political measure of one's Christian faith was a most peculiar development. It was peculiar because the Bible does not condemn abortion. It is condemned only following the favorite words in Christian theology, "What this means is...."

Comments

  1. HenryJanuary 4, 2021 at 4:49 PM

    "I've made the observation here many times that pushing abortion forward as the single most important political measure of one's Christian faith was a most peculiar development."

    That sword cuts both ways and is not limited to a Christian issue. The singular litmus test within the demo party as an approved national political candidate is one's stance on pro-choice issues. All matters revolve around this democrat single-issue politics. Period. 1st and 2nd Amendment issues for democrats are only of a minor concern for them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jon LindgrenJanuary 4, 2021 at 5:04 PM

    Henry -- I can only repeat, pushing abortion forward as the single most important issue of one's Christian faith is a most peculiar development because the Bible does not condemn abortion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HenryJanuary 4, 2021 at 5:25 PM

      Very little time is expended on pro-bort/pro-life issues in my personal experience outside of this blog. Jesus Christ's work on the cross atoning for sin is the single most important issue and the most discussed. On your platform, this topic receives little attention. The frequent abortion topic is a function of you and the priority you assess to it.

      As far as your characterizing abortion as the single most important issue, that is either a lack of understanding or worse yet, a straw man to be knocked down.

      Delete
    2. Jon LindgrenJanuary 4, 2021 at 7:44 PM

      Henry--"Very little time is expended..."

      I wasn't referring to your personal life nor mine. I was referring to leaders in the faith and surveys. Plus, I have read that Trump himself said at every stop people should vote for him because of his anti abortion Supreme Court appointments.

      Your explanation is a typical way the conservative parts of the faith handle things. Before the election there is one issue that was supposed to have swayed even those who disliked Trump. It was all about anti abortion supremes. Now when abortion lost its, "Oh, it really wasn't about abortion at all."

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maybe the "Original Sin" Should be Reassigned

Image
We can all agree most Catholic priests are fine people and not guilty of sexual abuse. What Catholics must face, however, it that their church harbors executives who are dishonest . There is an incredible story about the Argentine Bishop Zanchetta. The Pope worked with him in Argentina and they are considered friends. Around 2015 Zanchetta sent nude pictures of himself and they began circulating world wide. He also was too friendly with young seminarians and some left because of him.  Three different officials say they made formal complaints to the Vatican about Zanchetta between 2015 and 2017. Yet, in 2018, the Vatican claimed it was unaware of any complaints about Zanchetta. This might be a good time to repeat the Catholic hierarchy claims to have the sole authority handed down from Jesus to what the faith stands for. It condemns as sinners those who practice birth control, have abortions and gay sexual relationships. Handing the hierarchy this responsibility would make som
Read more

The Religious Capitol Invaders May Yet Win

Image
So much about U.S. society and religion can be learned from the Civil War and what happened afterwards. After its defeat, the South started a myth about the unethical soldiers from the North. The South fought for principles of God and states rights. The North did not. It was the South, this propaganda told the country, that had the high moral ground.  The Capitol invaders, encouraged by Trump, swallowed the myth that Biden's election was stolen. Thus, they think they held and still hold the high moral ground. This was reinforced by the cross and prayers during the invasion. Even with Trump is gone, we will see political opportunists like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley stroking crowds and feeding the same lies as Trump. Like "the South will rise again" these gullible followers will talk of victory over the unclean. After the Civil War the South rallied around the phrase, Lost Cause. For decades, and maybe to this day, there are ceremonies remembering fallen martyrs, Re
Read more

Father Frank Pavone, the Ultimate Crook

Image
Recently, the Vatican defrocked Frank Pavone. His diehard fans are outraged. This is because he cleverly manipulated his fans and the press all the while living well from donations and, apparently, abusing some women. By making abortion the "sin" of the century, and himself the main opposition to this one sin, he himself could get away with any sin he pleased.  As the link points out, Pavone was the perfect priest for the Trump era. Trump is so self-important laws have no role in his life. He felt accountable to no one. Women were there to be had. Pavone and Trump are interchangeable.  Pavone was very successful raising money. In his mind, abortion was so important in Catholic beliefs and he was so important in anti-abortion the money he raised opposing it was his to do with what he liked. The Catholic Church, the brand name he used to raise this money, thought the money belonged to it. When he gave the Vatican the bird, it gave him walking papers. With polls showing the majo
Read more