>>> CHRISTIANITY TODAY ONE OF THE PREMIER EVANGELICAL
PUBLICATIONS IN AMERICA
CONTINUES TO STAND BY ITS
EDITORIAL CALLING FOR TRUMP TO
BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE.
YESTERDAY AFTER SUFFERING A
BARRAGE OF CRITICISM FROM THE
PRESIDENT AND HIS SUPPORTERS,
CHRISTIANITY REAFFIRMED ITS
STANCE, WE HOLD FAST TO OUR VIEW
THAT THE WHOLEHEARTED
EVANGELICAL EMBRACE OF TRUMP HAS
BEEN ENORMOUSLY COSTLY.
EVANGELICALS WHO SUPPORT TRUMP
HAVE BEEN VOCALLY CRITICAL OF
THE PUBLICATION, THE CHRISTIAN
POST PUBLISHED A LIST OF 200
LEADERS CONDEMNING THE CALL FOR
TRUMP’S REMOVAL.
TRUMP’S REMOVAL. THE LIST INCLUDES PEOPLE LIKE
RALPH REED, AND FORMER
CONGRESSWOMAN MICHELE BACHMANN.
ALL OF THIS HAS TRIGGERED A
FASCINATING CONVERSATION ABOUT
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
WHITE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN
MOVEMENT AND THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES.
JOINING ME NOW IS SOMEONE WHO’S
THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT CHRISTIAN
THEOLOGY POLITICS, REVEREND
WILLIAM BARR
WILLIAM BARR WILLIAM BARBER, COALITION LEADER
OF THE POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN.
I’M CURIOUS WHAT YOU MADE OF THE
EDITORIAL ITSELF.
EDITORIAL ITSELF. >> WELL, FIRST, CHRIS, WHEN YOU
THINK ABOUT CHRISTIAN MORAL
CRITIQUE IN A VIEWPOINT, RACIST
VOTER SUPPRESSION, RACIST
ATTACKS ON LATINOS, TAKING
PEOPLE’S HEALTH CARE, REFUSING
TO ADDRESS POVERTY ARE ALL
VIOLATIONS OF CHRISTIAN
MORALITY, ARE ALL SINFUL, AND
ARE ALL THE WRONG DIRECTION FOR
A NATION.
A NATION. SO WHEN CHRISTIANITY TODAY SAYS
THAT WHATEVER THE BENEFITS OF
TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY, THEY MUST
STAND AGAINST HIS IMMORALITY, IT
KIND OF REINFORCES THIS
DISTORTED MORAL NARRATIVE THAT
YOU FOCUS ON THE PERSON AND NOT
THE POLICIES.
THE POLICIES. AND I MEAN, I CAN ACTUALLY
CELEBRATE AS AN EVANGELICAL THAT
THEY TOOK THE STAND, I
UNDERSTAND THE OFFICE GETTING
ALL KINDS OF MEAN SPIRITED HATE
AND WHATNOT, BUT IT’S TROUBLING
BECAUSE TO SUGGEST THAT THE
IMMORALITY OF DONALD TRUMP IS
JUST PERSONAL IS KIND OF A
DANGEROUS FOCUS ON PERSONAL
PIETY AND NOT PUBLIC POLICY,
WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE FOCUS OF
THE SCRIPTURE.
THE SCRIPTURE. IT’S ALMOST LIKE SAYING IF HE
WAS JUST A NICER GUY, THEN HIS
POLICIES WOULD MEET THE STANDARD
OF CHRISTIAN MORALITY, AND THAT
IN ITSELF IS VERY PROBLEMATIC.
>> BUT THAT PART THAT COMES DOWN
TO A DEEPLY CONTESTED QUESTION
IN AMERICAN LIFE, RIGHT, BETWEEN
PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS,
AND PARTICULARLY WITHIN THE
CHRISTIAN TRADITION, ALONG LOTS
OF DIFFERENT LINES ABOUT YOU
KNOW, WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY
BIBLICAL POLICY OR WHAT IS
MORALLY DEFENSIBLE POLICY, AND
OBVIOUSLY WHILE EVANGELICAL
CHRISTIANS IN THIS COUNTRY HAVE
FOCUSED A LOT ON ABORTION, A LOT
ON JUDGES AND NOT THAT MUCH ON
MANY OF THE ISSUES YOU JUST
TALKED ABOUT.
TALKED ABOUT. >> WELL, AND IN MANY WAYS THEY
SAY A LOT ABOUT WHAT GOD SAYS SO
LITTLE AND SO LITTLE ABOUT WHAT
GOD SAYS SO MUCH.
IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WE’RE
HAVING A MASS POOR PEOPLE’S
ASSEMBLY AND A MORAL MARCH ON
WASHINGTON IN JUNE TO CHALLENGE
THIS KIND OF LIMITED MORALITY
BECAUSE IT’S JUST NOT BIBLICAL.
NOW, THERE MAY BE A LOT OF
DISCUSSION, BUT WHEN YOU GO TO
THE BIBLE, WE’RE IN THE
CHRISTMAS SEASON, FOR INSTANCE,
AND ISAIAH 9, THE CHRISTMAS
SEASON SAYS AND THE GOVERNMENT
SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDERS AND
OVER HIS KINGDOM ESTABLISHING
AND UPHOLDING WITH JUSTICE AND
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
RIGHTEOUSNESS. THE NEXT VERSE SAYS BUT WITH
RIGHTEOUSNESS HE WILL JUDGE THE
NEEDY AND JUST AS HE WILL GIVE
DECISIONS FOR THE POOR.
AND WHEN JESUS STARTED HIS
MINISTRY, LUKE CHAPTER 4, HE
SAID THE GOSPEL IS ABOUT GOOD
NEWS TO THE POOR, THE BROKEN,
THE SICK, THE IMPRISONED OR
UNACCEPTED.
UNACCEPTED. SO YOU CAN ARGUE THAT THE THINGS
THEY TALK ABOUT ARE THE MAIN
ISSUES BUT THEY’RE NOT THE MAIN
ISSUES IN SCRIPTURE.
THEY’RE NOT THE MAIN ISSUES IN
THE MOUTH OF JESUS.
IT’S MORE OF A POLITICAL
DECISION FUNDED BY A LOT OF
MONEY TO TRY TO USE RELIGION TO
CONSECRATE A LOT OF INJUSTICE
AND NOT TO CRITIQUE THE REAL
INJUSTICES AND THE SOCIAL
INJUSTICES OF OUR SOCIETY.
EVEN JOY TO THE WORLD SAYS HE
RULES THE WORLD WITH TRUTH AND
GRACE AND MAKES THE NATIONS
PROVE THE LIGHT OF HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS OR HIS JUSTICE.
WE NEED -- I AM GLAD, IF THIS IS
WHAT IT TOOK, WE NEED TO HAVE
THIS CONVERSATION JUST LIKE THE
ABOLITIONISTS HAD THE
CONVERSATIONS AGAINST THE SLAVE
HOLDERS AND JUST LIKE THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT HAD A
CONVERSATION OVER AGAINST THOSE
WHO PURPORTED JIM CROW AND TRIED
TO USE CHRISTIANITY TO SUPPORT
JIM CROW.
JIM CROW. >> DO YOU THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO ARE PERSUADABLE GIVEN HOW
POLARIZED THINGS ARE?
>> I REALLY DO.
I’M MEETING THEM ALL OVER.
WE MUST DO MORE MOBILIZING,
ORGANIZING, REGISTERING,
ORGANIZING, REGISTERING, EDUCATING VOTERS, PEOPLE FOR THE
MOVEMENT LEADING TO JUNE 2020,
THIS MASS POOR PEOPLE’S
ASSEMBLY, AND THE BACK HILLS OF
KENTUCKY AND DOWN IN ALABAMA AND
MISSISSIPPI, WE ARE FINDING A
LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DECIDED
TO READ THEIR BIBLES NOT JUST
LISTEN TO, READ AND LISTEN TO
FALLWELL AND REALLY READ WHAT
THE GOSPEL SAYS, AND THEY KNOW
SOMETHING IS DEEPLY TROUBLING.
THERE’S SOMETHING DEEPLY
TROUBLING THEY ARE SAYING WHEN
SOMEBODY CAN SAY THEIR AGAINST
ABORTION BUT THEY’RE FOR TAKING
HEALTH CARE ONCE PEOPLE GET
HERE.
HERE. THEY’RE FOR TAX CUTS FOR THE
WEALTHY, BUT THEY’RE AGAINST
LIVING WAGES HERE WHEN THE BIBLE
CLEARLY INSTRUCTS US TO PAY THE
LABORER.
LABORER. YOU KNOW, THEY’RE FOR THE
CAPITAL BEING IN JERUSALEM, BUT
THEY’RE NOT FOR DEALING WITH THE
POVERTY AND THE PROBLEM OF
CAPITAL AMONG THE POOR HERE IN
THIS COUNTRY.
THIS COUNTRY. I DO BELIEVE AND I’M MEETING
PEOPLE ALL OVER WHITE AND BLACK,
MANY WHO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS
EVANGELICAL BUT THEY STOPPED
DOING IT BECAUSE THE WAY THE
EVANGELICAL TITLE HAD BEEN
HIJACKED AND WE MUST RECOVER IT
AND TAKE IT BACK.
>> YEAH, THAT’S ONE OF THE LAST
PARTS OF THAT EDITORIAL.