I find myself often complaining when Christian organizations don’t come right out and say that currently labeled “Evangelicals” have kidnapped the true meaning of their religion and have replaced it with their own political version. I search out where someone is speaking out on this topic and here is one of them. You might want to read the whole article if this is of interest to you:
“Is Roy Moore a hill on which Evangelicals are prepared to die? As for me and my house, ‘Hell no, we won’t go,’” said Evangelical theologian Rev. Dr. Peter Heltzel, Associate Professor of Theology at New York Theological Seminary, asking the crisis question and answering it…
One of the key organizers of The Boston Declaration, Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey, Associate Dean at Boston University School of Theology, contrasted the Gospel teachings with what is being peddled as Christianity today in some conservative circles, both religious and political. She said:
We are here because Jesus taught us to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” We are here because we take the parable of the Good Samaritan to heart. We are here because we refuse to allow Christianity to be co-opted by the likes of people who support abuse of women, the closing of our nation to the immigrant in need and the normalizing of lie after lie after lie.
Finally, we are here because we believe our nation yearns to hear from us this day and to watch for how our commitment as Christian theologians continues into the election season of next year.
Rev. Dr. David Wilhite, professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University, said with great intensity that “Evangelical is a category I can’t use any more. Evangelicals have come to misrepresent Christianity. The heart of Evangelicalism is keeping the Gospel call at the heart of all we do.”
I absolutely detested the fact that some from Alabama are comparing Roy Moore’s persecution to that of Jesus. Some say it was all right for Moore to “date” 14-year-olds when he was in his 30s since Joseph was much older than Mary when she was married! I widely recognize that by picking and choosing, the Bible can be used to say just about anything, but come on!!
It will be interesting to see just how the Alabama voters, many of which are Southern Baptist vote on this issue on Tuesday. Will they continue to disappoint me as they have on so many other issues, or will they step up and follow the core messages of Jesus.
RJ's Corner 
I would be very surprised and hopeful IF Roy Moore does not win.
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It seems that many Christians (even Evangelicals) share the same feelings and opinions. See opinion column from todays IndyStar.
Once we go down the path of “the ends justify the means” then there is nothing stopping us from using that for anything. Including using the “means” of genetic testing as an “ends” of justify aborting a fetus that displays any abnormality such as Downs or other handicap.
Bob
Swarens: Evangelicals follow Trump, Moore into moral swamp
Tim Swarens, tim.swarens@indystar.com Published 6:00 a.m. ET Dec. 1, 2017
If Alabama Republican and accused child molester Roy Moore is elected to the U.S. Senate this month — three recent polls indicate he’s on track to win — it will be largely because of support from voters who say that following Jesus is their highest calling in life.
How can that be?
Well, conservatives’ distrust of the news media can’t be discounted. Many simply don’t trust reports, no matter how well documented, that Moore may have sexually abused a 14-year-old and assaulted a 16-year-old girl in the 1970s.
But a bigger factor is the adoption by many conservative Christians of an “end justifies the means” approach to politics.
It’s why many Alabama voters are sticking with Moore now. And why many evangelicals across the country stuck with Donald Trump last year, despite multiple accusations of sexual harassment and too many other disqualifying actions and traits to list here.
Back in the day, say 2012, evangelicals concerned themselves with standing up for moral behavior and against moral relativism. The “end justifies the means” was seen as a decidedly unbiblical approach to decision-making.
These days, for far too many believers, such principles are deemed secondary to the overriding importance of winning a U.S. Senate seat or controlling the White House.
In one of the more morally tortured pieces I’ve read of late, Tully Borland, an associate professor of philosophy at Ouachita Baptist University, tried to make a case in The Federalist as for “Why Alabamians Should Vote for Roy Moore.”
Borland’s position boils down to this: It’s better to elect an accused child molester (Moore) than a candidate who supports legalized abortion (Democrat Doug Jones).
Columnist and former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan made the same argument this week. “Why would Christian conservatives in good conscience go to the polls Dec. 12 and vote for Judge Roy Moore, despite the charges of sexual misconduct with teenagers leveled against him?” Buchanan wrote. “Answer: That Alabama Senate race could determine whether Roe v. Wade is overturned. The lives of millions of unborn may be the stakes.”
As a pro-life evangelical, I find Borland and Buchanan’s “excuse evil for the greater good” approach appalling.
If credible allegations of sexual abuse aren’t enough to knock out a candidate, what crime would be disqualifying in their eyes? How low must a pro-life Republican sink before they and other evangelicals would withdraw their support? Is any transgression, short of wearing an “I’m With Her” button, acceptable as long as a candidate promises to somehow overturn Roe v. Wade?
Speaking of which, Buchanan stretches credibility with his assertion that the outcome of the Alabama Senate race might be a deciding factor in the Supreme Court overturning its nearly 45-year precedent on abortion. It’s the type of over-hyped rhetoric that political fund-raisers on both sides of the issue toss out to rouse the rabble.
In reality, even if Moore loses, Republicans will still hold a 51-seat Senate majority, along with retaining Vice President Mike Pence’s tie-breaking vote in reserve, for at least the next year. The conservative transform of the federal judiciary that Buchanan longs for will continue unless voters in much of the nation say otherwise in 2018.
Besides, if such considerations really were of highest priority for evangelicals, they would’ve thrown their support behind Moore’s primary opponent, sitting Sen. Luther Strange, who would be cruising to election today. As it stands, Moore may lose a seat that a reliably conservative Strange could have worn out for many years.
Instead, they followed Roy Moore into a moral swamp. Just as many evangelicals followed Donald Trump down the same twisted path a year ago.
That swamp doesn’t lead to higher ground. It only sucks the lost and reckless deeper into the muck.
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Thanks for the thoughts and the article Bob, it was very enlightening.
It is just so tragic that a good portion of Christ’s church has turned to the dark side. If I was a conspiracy guy I would say this sounds like the perfect scenario for the Anti-Christ to appear.
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