ONE-TIME SEGREGATIONIST DENOMINATION SEEKS TO ASSUAGE ITS GUILT BY ATTACKING GOP FRONTRUNNER
A leader of the Southern Baptist church recently penned a column for The New York Times that represents the formerly racist denomination’s most aggressive effort at cultural appeasement yet. Entitled “A White Church No More,” the column (as its title suggests) seeks to portray the current iteration of the denomination as one of tolerance and diversity.
Of course it’s real mission was more overtly political: Portraying presumptive “Republican” presidential nominee Donald Trump as a purveyor of hate – and urging evangelical Christians to oppose his candidacy so as to be on the “right side of Jesus.”
Lord have mercy …
“The next Billy Graham probably will speak only Spanish or Arabic or Persian or Mandarin,” Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore wrote – adding that “the vital core of American evangelicalism today can be found in churches that are multiethnic and increasingly dominated by immigrant communities.”
Nothing wrong with that … although this is some pretty heady rhetoric coming from the church that was founded on slavery as a God-given right, which embraced white supremacy as God’s natural order and which aggressively fought against the civil rights of minorities during the 1960s.
Does a member of this church seriously presume to lecture us on political correctness?
Apparently so …
This election has cast light on the darkness of pent-up nativism and bigotry all over the country. There are not-so-coded messages denouncing African-Americans and immigrants; concern about racial justice and national unity is ridiculed as ‘political correctness.’ Religious minorities are scapegoated for the sins of others, with basic religious freedoms for them called into question. Many of those who have criticized Mr. Trump’s vision for America have faced threats and intimidation from the ‘alt-right’ of white supremacists and nativists who hide behind avatars on social media.
Hold up … is this the Southern Baptist Church? Or is it Al Sharpton? Because we’re confused.
Last time we checked there were plenty of black Americans who supported Trump’s campaign … including one whose 17-year-old son was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant.
We’re curious: How is Trump’s immigration policy a “not-so-coded message” against those black Americans? More specifically, how is it racist toward any American victimized by their government’s bone-headed immigration policies?
Anyway, Moore concluded his column with these lines …
The man on the throne in heaven is a dark-skinned, Aramaic-speaking “foreigner” who is probably not all that impressed by chants of “Make America great again.”
Subtle, huh …
Moore’s contempt for Trump is nothing new. He’s previously referred to the GOP candidate as a “golden calf” – in reference to the idol worship of the Old Testament. He also blasted Liberty University for hosting Trump earlier this year, accusing the school of “trading the gospel of Jesus Christ for political power.”
That’s funny … seems to us political power in America is amassed at a far faster clip by kowtowing to the PC thought police, not standing up to them.
Anyway, in addition to his column Moore appeared on CBS News’ Face The Nation to deride Trump’s presidential bid as “reality television moral sewage.”
Because that’s not hateful rhetoric at all … right?
“Now we have a Republican Party that seems ready not only to surrender on the culture wars but to join the other side,” Moore said.
He went on to say the nomination of Trump by the GOP would represent “an embrace of the very kind of moral and cultural decadence that conservatives have been saying for a long time is the problem.”
Ugh.
Again, Moore’s overbearing sanctimony conveniently forgets that his denomination aligned itself with racist white Democrats for decades before becoming “compassionate conservatives” (a.k.a. status quo fiscal liberals) during the reign of George W. Bush.
Now they apparently want to join the “Medicaid Jesus” wing of the GOP – bashing Trump’s “hate speech” every chance they get.
Jeez …
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: There should be no race or religion in government. There should be only fair and not fair. That’s it.
To the extent evangelicals feel compelled to enter the public sphere and speak as to matters of race, though, Southern Baptists should be the very last ones to stand up.
After all, they have many, many, many decades left to atone for their sins against liberty before presuming to lead some full immersion alter call.