In Evangelical circles, one occasionally hears the term “cafeteria Christian” — colorful shorthand for those so-called believers in Jesus who otherwise pick and choose those aspects of His teachings which they’ll, in fact, obey. Needless to say — at least it ought to be needless — the notion of someone being a Christ follower but actually only selectively accepting His commandments and principles is about as antithetical to biblical discipleship as you’ll find. Bottom line: Is the Son of God Lord of all (see: Rom 10:9; Col 2:6)? Including over every nook and cranny of a person’s life? Or do an individual’s preferences take precedence over the Savior’s authority?
Which brings me to Stacey Abrams. The current Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate turned up this summer at Woodstock’s African Methodist Episcopal Church. There, writes Jonathon Van Maren, she “decided to use her church campaign speech to sermonize on abortion. According to Abrams, the problem with today’s pro-life politicians—and pastors—is theological illiteracy”:
“I was trained to read and understand the Bible…” she blustered. (As became promptly evident, she ought to have clarified: “poorly trained”.)
“I will tell you this,” she continued indignantly. “There is nothing about the decision to eliminate access to abortion care that is grounded in anything other than cruelty and meanness and danger in the state of Georgia. Nothing!”
With tart succinctness, Van Maren comments that her stab at a “Christian” defense of killing unborn babies makes it “pretty clear that Abrams understands almost nothing about Scripture, embryology, or morality”.
Embarrassingly, the congregation lapped up her codswallop. With applause.
But putting aside the discrete issue of abortion, this incident prompts a more macro question: When did it suddenly become legitimate for a candidate for public office to use a church setting to declaim on matters with undeniably political implications? What about the church/state “separation” that obsesses the progressive set most of the time? Where are those ominous warnings of “Theocracy!! … Ayatollah!!” which rumble to the surface anytime a conservative pol alludes, with even a whiff of religiosity, to a policy matter?
Van Maren aptly observes that,
[I]f Abrams were a Republican there would be voices on both the Left and the Right decrying “Christian nationalism” and condemning campaign stumping at a church. … “White evangelicals” are smeared in dozens of think pieces by both progressives and by plenty of evangelical pundits—but I can’t imagine those same writers condemning black evangelicals for having Stacey Abrams defending abortion in the name of God at the front of a church during campaign season.
The lawyer/former GA state rep is trolling for votes in a house of worship — she openly attacked her GOP opponent Brian Kemp — and this time her Donkey Party allies go mum on their usual “establishment of religion” bugaboo? Curious, isn’t it?
Not to be outdone in this supposedly forbidden nexus of ecclesiasticism and Washington, D.C., Vice President Kamala Harris recently rah-rahed a convocation of faith leaders regarding their alleged role in preserving legalized child-murder. Standing behind the seal of her office before roughly 2,000 men and women gathered at Houston, TX’s National Baptist Convention, Harris heralded the sacrosanct nature of abortion, urging attendees to “help lead us forward” in guaranteeing “women can make decisions about their own future.” (Hint: That’s anodyne code for lawful filicide).
It’s unreported if anyone challenged the VP about the right of unborn women to have a say about their increasingly dicey futures…
Taking a page from Stacey Abrams’ playbook, Harris blathered, “As so many of us did, I learned in the Bible of the many teachings of the ever-present tension between darkness and light. And I learned in these moments how important it is to recognize the power of faith.”
Oh my …
She’s correct themes of “darkness” and “light” pervade Holy Writ … but talk about confounding your metaphors! Madame Vice-President is suggesting that keeping abortion mills thrumming is all sunshine and glory while rescuing babies from Infanticide Inc. is the work of stygian forces. It’s a claim as audaciously witless as it is blasphemous.
One thing you certainly won’t find? Christian-phobic fanatics on the Left kvetching about Kamala Harris’s crossing some mythical “constitutional” line by mentioning the Bible. Her co-mingling of the two G’s — God and Government — draws nary a peep from her peeps. She’d have to be a Republican, you see, to set off that progressive alarm.
Additionally, this pair of notables are accorded a sturdy shield against criticism not only because of their sex (female) but also their race (black). If they were lesbian they’d nail the trifecta … practically untouchable. (Karine Jean-Pierre, I’m looking at you …).
Of course, how can Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi go unmentioned in this discussion? The Lady from San Francisco has the galling habit of waxing “Christian-y” whenever it suits her godless agenda. Doubt me? Google “Pelosi” and “quoting Bible”. You’ll discover, rather promptly, what I mean.
Late last month at a nebulously titled “reproductive health roundtable”, she breathlessly reprehended pro-life initiatives as “sinful”.
“[O]ne word that pervades through all of the discussion was the word of ‘justice.’ The fact that this is such an assault on women of color and women – lower income families is just sinful. It’s sinful. It’s wrong that they would be able to say to women what they think women should be doing with their lives and their bodies. But it’s sinful, the injustice of it all.”
Once more unremarked are the assaults on pre-born women occurring every time an abortionist extinguishes a fetus with XX chromosomes. (By the way, these procedures disproportionately target pre-born women of color.) Pelosi’s gravely tossing around terms like “justice”, “injustice” and “sinful” (three times!) doesn’t sanitize that gruesome reality; and doesn’t fortify her hideous argument.
Nearly three millennia ago, the Prophet Isaiah could have been describing the eighty-two-year-old Congresswoman when he deplored “those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness.” (Darkness? Light? Kamala Harris, take note.)
Now for the hair-gelled cherry atop this Scripture-twisting pile of hypocrisy …
An ACLJ email this week passed along breaking news that California Governor Gavin Newsom
JUST launched a billboard campaign across seven pro-life states, quoting Christ’s words to solicit abortion: ‘Need an abortion? California is ready to help. . . . “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.” -Mark 12:31’
This is the very definition of depraved evil. It’s sadistic.” [Emphasis in original]
Don’t be duped. Beneath the slickly coiffed exterior, “Gruesome Newsom” is a cynical vampire, aiming to juice his career ambitions with the blood of in utero human beings. He’s pandering to women who’ve somehow throttled their sublime, maternal instinct; and to weakling men, who are designed to be society’s primary protectors but are stepping aside instead as thousands of Golden State babies are sacrificed annually.
Here’s hoping some life-affirming entrepreneur sponsors billboards down the road from Newsom’s travesties which post another verse of Scripture: “’You shall not murder.’” — Exodus 20:13″.
The usual anti-religious liberty suspects would ululate over such a tactic, no denying. For consistency’s sake, will they bristle at Newsom, et al as well?
I’m not waiting …
To all these pro-abort cheerleaders I’ll cite one closing biblical mandate: “Rescue those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to the slaughter, Oh hold them back!” (Prov 24:11 NASB)
Nowadays, that injunction couldn’t find much better application than toward multitudes of completely helpless little ones whose deaths are being urged on by know-nothing, Scripture-misquoting fiends lusting after political power.
