Liberalism Alive and Well in America’s Churches

on July 14, 2014

Editor’s note: The original version of this article was posted by TheBlaze. Click here to read it.

Protection of the Church from the State is a job that typically includes religious leaders—at least, in terms of repelling infringements on the faithful’s right to live and work according to conviction. Strange then, that America is starting to see a number of religious leaders eager to side with a power-nabbing executive administration.

Masked by a veneer of compassionate-sounding buzzwords and initiatives, prominent Christian leaders are pushing a progressive theology rooted in a Leftist political agenda. Worse, their tactics are twisting Christian teachings, misleading and, at times, deceiving others for the sake of public policy.

Take for example the 101 clergy, theologians and faith leaders who sent a letter to President Barack Obama. This “letter of faith” asks the president to refuse to exempt faith-based groups with federal contracts from his looming executive order banning discrimination against LGBTQ persons in the workforce.

Signed by dozens of Christian clergy, including self-identified Evangelical leaders Brian McLaren and Jennifer “Femmevangelical” Crumpton, the letter read:

An executive order that allows for religious discrimination against LGBT people contradicts the order’s fundamental purpose, as well as the belief shared by more and more Americans every day, which is that LGBT people should not be treated as second-class citizens.

This cultural clash goes much deeper for many faith-based organizations than the false accusation of hate and bigotry lead on. While every Christ-follower must treat others with compassion and equal respect, we cannot ignore God’s design for sexuality and marriage (Genesis 2:20-24). To affirm sexual promiscuity—including adultery, premarital sex, or same-sex practices—denies 2,000 year of orthodox Christian teaching and moral conviction.

It is unfortunate that these faith leaders, otherwise known as the Religious Left, are casting aside the teachings of their Scripture and convictions of their brothers and sisters in Christ for the sake of Leftist policies. Meanwhile, liberalism’s inroads into the church extend beyond disputes over human sexuality or sexual conduct.

Amidst the U.S./Mexico border crisis, Religious Leftist and President Obama’s Spiritual Advisor Jim Wallis continues the mission of his George Soros-funded Evangelical Immigration Table, which calls for mass amnesty for illegal immigrants. Recalling “the most important immigration talk,” Wallis recently wrote about visiting his son’s “multiracial, multi-cultural, and multi-national” fifth grade class. When a student asked Wallis why Congress hasn’t solved the immigration crisis yet, Wallis’ answer included, “They are afraid of you.”

Wallis’ race-baiting tirade doesn’t end there. My colleague, Alexander Griswold with the Institute on Religion and Democracy, recorded Wallis telling his Wild Goose Festival audience, “There would not be a tea party in America, I will this say this, if there wasn’t a black man in the White House.”

Instead of fear-mongering fifth graders, a more truthful approach by the Rev. Wallis could have been to offer a variety of reasons why many conservatives oppose certain immigration proposals. For example, many Americans concerns include:

  • Expanding the entitlement state
  • Unsustainable welfare programs
  • Toppling local economies
  • Available resources required to ensure health and safety standards
  • Sex traffickers taking advantage of vulnerable children crossing the borders alone

Finally, liberal Christians are still raging against the Supreme Court for protecting Christian families from denying their deeply-held religious convictions. Popular blogger and religion pundit Rachel Held Evans took to Twitter after the court’s decision to express her frustration with the Hobby Lobby ruling.

Evans tweeted, “I support access to contraception because I am pro-life, not in spite of it.”

Evans ignores important facts of the case. Zero access was denied to contraception and Hobby Lobby provides for 16 of 20 forms of contraception required under the Health and Human Services mandate.

Twisting facts and distorting truth might further a Leftist political agenda, but it does nothing to reflect the Jesus Christ’s message. Accurately reflecting Christ means that his followers uphold his teachings, respect the convictions of others, tell the truth, and seek justice even when the end goal does not align with our political bias.

 

  1. Comment by MarcoPolo on July 14, 2014 at 6:00 pm

    Chelsen,
    Your points that you wish Rev. Wallis had stated, don’t in fact reflect the reality of the issue.
    •Expanding the entitlement state. You’re presuming that most, or all of the immigrants are going to apply for food stamps et al. NOT going to happen!
    •Unsustainable Welfare programs. Again, how does one without documents receive any of these? NOT a problem.
    •Toppling local economies. How exactly does that work? If these immigrants make purchases (as they invariably will), how does that topple an economy? It supports it!

    •Available resources (like Police, Fire rescue, etc.) These individuals will do everything they can to stay below the radar, thusly, not calling local authorities for even the most life threatening problems. Again, NOT likely a problem.
    •Sex trafficking. Since this is already a critical concern of any society, is it likely that more immigrants translate to more sex slaves for those “employing” them? This problem can be dealt with as a sex crime on either side of the border. Equal problem, not just the US’s.

    And because you still consider sexual orientation to be a choice, it is unlikely that you will ever see the LGBT community as anything other than a sinful part of our world. That is sad.

  2. Comment by virginiagentleman on July 17, 2014 at 11:07 am

    If you think it is impossible for illegal immigrants to obtain the “documentation” necessary to apply for food stamps and other identification to find work, send me your bank account information so I can deposit $1M in it. Trust me!

  3. Comment by MarcoPolo on July 17, 2014 at 12:14 pm

    Dear, VirginiaGentleman,
    I think you’re reiterating the same talking points (paranoid, unfounded fears) of the current Republican party. Including voter fraud, which is not a significant problem either.
    Post the facts to these concerns, and I’ll send my deposit slip.

  4. Comment by virginiagentleman on July 18, 2014 at 2:41 am

    http://cis.org/IdentityTheft

    This took me three seconds to find over 1M hits on the topic “fraudulent identification, illegal immigrants” – please attach your account information.

  5. Comment by MarcoPolo on July 18, 2014 at 8:20 am

    I would gladly send my banking information, but it is currently being used by an elderly Guatemalan gentleman.
    Thanks for your due diligence and forthright efforts to clarify your point. A good read for any concerned citizen.

  6. Comment by Tex Taylor on July 24, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    I think you’re reiterating the same talking points (paranoid, unfounded
    fears) of the current Republican party. Including voter fraud, which is
    not a significant problem either.

    Then why has voter fraud been reported in 46 states to date? The real lie is blanket Democratic voters masquerading as caring individuals leading a chorus of suppressing minority vote by intimidation. Georgia which has implemented voter ID actually saw an increase in minority turnout.

    So my question to you would be armed with these facts, why would you be against anything that would assure a fair vote when you had to show an ID to enter the Democratic Convention?

  7. Comment by MarcoPolo on July 24, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    Tex,
    I’m all for a fair vote! What gave you any idea that I would oppose that?!
    I do know that the various States, like Louisiana, Mississippi, and I believe South Carolina, have implemented measures to dissuade minorities from voting by sending false information about polling locations and additional identification, just as it was done during Jim Crow days. The suggestion is that minorities will likely vote Democrat, and the Republicans find very creative ways to make it difficult, if not impossible for them to vote.

  8. Comment by Tex Taylor on July 25, 2014 at 2:12 am

    You know? Or you’ve read? Well here’s what I know. In the 2012 election, in certain precincts in the Philadelphia area, a mathematical impossibility ensued.

    More people voted, all but a few for Barack Obama, than were registered. Now isn’t that utterly amazing, from the same precincts where a corrupt Attorney General by the name of Eric Holder refused to prosecute two thugs armed with clubs and good standing members of the New Black Panther Party?

    But then according to you and your “sources”, there’s no significant problem with ‘voter fraud.’

    Here’s what I think, Marco. See this article? Well, I think it is large part talking about gentlemen like you. A thin veneer of religiosity masked around Democratic agitprop.

  9. Comment by Ben Welliver on July 14, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    Another shameless publicity ho….
    When you fail as a pastor (those empty pews can be awfully depressing!), do something “controversial” and “shocking,” because the secular media just LUV a Christian who acts like a pagan.

    Funny thing though, the secular people not their approval, but they still stay away from church.

    When will the religious Left figure this out?

  10. Comment by Karl von Buddenbrock on August 2, 2014 at 1:45 am

    Nice one Chelsen! From http://www.pastor-karl.net.

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