Jerry Falwell married the "religious right" to the Republican party with his "Moral Majority" back in the 70's and 80's, based on a false but effective claim that the Republican party was much better aligned with his version of Christianity because of "family values." Never mind that Republican economic policy was tilted in favor of the rich in every conceivable way, that working parents were saddled with the bulk of the tax burden while the wealthy walked away without paying taxes in most cases. The one thing that brought the two groups together, aside from the fact that most white Evangelical Christians of the Falwell-type mold were, themselves, upper middle class and as such, tend to favor politics which primarily benefit upper middle class whites, was opposition to abortion.
That's really been the bottom line through the whole thing. Somehow, being aligned on this single issue makes you a champion of family values, righteous, Godly and Christian. And siding with the other side, whether you support abortion rights or not, makes you evil. I can almost guarantee that in any discussion with an Evangelical Christian over the intersection of their politics with their faith, abortion is going to be the centerpiece of the discussion and it will be (pardon the pun) the trump card that gets played in objection to any other value or perspective in the discussion.
I think there is a whole lot more to it than that.
Personally, my view on the morality of abortion is shaped completely by my Christian faith. That's where it is informed and where it is lived out. Beyond that, I could write a whole lot on what I think the government's position on it should be. You can argue for a long time about the Christian influence on the founding fathers and whether or not the establishment clause means "separation of church and state." As a Christian, I believe life, and human "personhood" begins at conception, and I don't believe abortion should be used as birth control. But outside of an exclusively religious environment, there are all kinds of different interpretations and perspectives, and the establishment clause requires the government to make decisions in consideration of all of those.
If laws are going to be passed limiting access to it, then some responsibility must be assumed by the government for contributing to a woman's decision not to have one. For most women who have one, it's a last resort among very few options resulting from circumstances. And that's where the difference lies between abortion being about politics and candidates getting votes, and genuine desire to at least help with the circumstances in which most women contemplating one feel that it the only choice.
And if you're going to be passionate about restricting access to abortion, shouldn't that passion rise to the same level when considering government policy that would actually address the issues of poverty, rape and incest, and fear that are root causes of virtually all abortions in this country? The Obama administration provided several avenues of assistance that helped alleviate some of the pressure on women considering abortion and the numbers of abortions went down substantially. The right wing media ignored it, Republicans prefer an all-or-nothing approach.
Evangelicals claim that human intellect and effort alone is not capable of resolving humanity's problems, yet they are waiting around for the government to do something about abortion instead of stepping up and doing something about it with all that political passion, energy and money. Where are those Christian denominations, organizations and churches working to help by ministering to the needs of those who, because of poverty, family dysfunction, fear, mental illness or multiple other life circumstances, consider abortion? There are some ministries out there, though almost half of the charitable organizations who provide things like temporary housing, employment, food, medical care and other assistance enabling women to keep their babies are not Christian or religious-based, and those that do exist are few and far between. If the kind of effort that is put into politics to resolve the issue were put into ministry that helps meet the needs of those who feel abortion is their only choice, the numbers would drop significantly.
My convictions about abortion are shaped by my Christian faith, and my actions will be governed by that, not by waiting around until politicians have milked all the votes they can get out of it before actually getting around to doing something about it. The shortcomings of the GOP's "all or nothing" approach leads me to conclude that voting for candidates with bad character or who are inept and incompetent just because they give lip service to a negotiated position on abortion isn't enough for me to support the GOP. I need a whole lot more than that.
The GOP is Out of Step With Christian Values
I used to think saying the Republicans were 'the party of the rich' was my Dad's way of avoiding a political discussion. But he honestly believed that they were and in spite of being a died-in-the-wool, down to earth Baptist, would never vote Republican. He thought their coziness with Jerry Falwell was insincere, and instead of pushing him closer to the GOP, it discredited Falwell's image in his mind. He was a mechanic, worked in civil service and was keenly aware of the politics that surrounded economic and labor issues and affected those who worked for a living. He measured Republican lack of sympathy and support for the working class by the words and deeds of Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. I measure it by tax cuts for the wealthy, coupled with the inevitable increases for everyone else, which has happened twice in this century under Republican-controlled government.
For Republicans, the term social justice is equated with political liberalism. But the fact of the matter is that all through the Bible, "social justice" is the broader term for the "works" that follow the application of the gospel itself, even though many Evangelicals now exhibit distain for use of the term "social justice" because of Republican influence. The Christian gospel teaches that only God, not human intellect and reason, is capable of resolving humanity's problems which are the result of sinfulness and separation from God But the response to the gospel is not mere spiritual acknowledgement. You cannot earn God's favor by your works, including social justice, but they are the evidence of a life that has been transformed by the gospel.
The apostle James wrote that "Faith without works is dead." Jesus himself, when responding to envoys from John the Baptist asking him if he was the Christ said, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have good news preached to them."
The Old Testament prophet Micah writes, "He has told you, O mortal, what is good . And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? The entire three year ministry of Jesus follows that pattern. The gospel is redemption, the response to it is "doing justice and living kindness and walking humbly with God," whether that means racial equality or helping the poor.
I don't see the Republican approach to health care, which is to consider it a "market driven industry" and in which the price of goods and services provided is directly established by the demand that is created by human pain and suffering. Health care is a basic human right and as such, society as a whole bears responsibility for making sure it is provided and equally accessible to everyone regardless of their financial status. We're a long way from that ideal, largely because of Republican resistance to it.
But the biggest failure of the GOP to claim consistency with Evangelical Christian principles, or at least, with Biblically established Evangelical teaching sans the bias of right wing politics, is in one specific area. It has exchanged its values, morals and integrity in exchange for the political favor of a man whose character and lifestyle are virtually the opposite of those found in the Bible.
Does Character Matter?
How does a party lay claim to being the "righteous" because of its belief in one particular moral perspective, the party of "family values", the party of "law and order," and do such a bad job of picking its leaders? As long as Trump is considered the "leader" of the GOP and has influence over its nominees and candidates, and is still considered to be legitimate and viable by Republicans himself, I will not support the GOP. I would not cast a single vote for anyone who would support Trump in any way.
Dr. Adrian Rogers, long time pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church of Memphis, Tennessee and a former two-time President of the Southern Baptist Convention preached a sermon in 1998 which outlined his beliefs regarding the character of those who sought and served in public office in the United States. Dr. Rogers' words were considered one of the best standards for the expression of Evangelical belief at the time, which, as you may remember, was right about the time of the investigation into Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
But Rogers does not specifically mention Clinton. He simply goes to the Bible, specifically the book of Proverbs, and outlines principles which he believed applied to the character of anyone serving in office in the United States. His words can't be taken back, since he passed away several years ago, before Trump came on the scene. I don't think he would have revised his theology or preaching to give Trump a pass like most other Evangelical leaders have done.
"I want the hands of those who hold the heart of this nation to be clean. Clean hands and a pure heart are necessary for godly leadership and godly leadership is a prerequisite to blessing," according to Dr. Rogers, citing Proverbs 29:2 in support. He goes on to make these points:
- A leader must be righteous. Proverbs 16:12 and Romans 13:4
- A leader must be wise. Proverbs 8:12, 15-16.
- A leader must be absolutely honest. "Liars and leaders are not the same. If a man is a liar, he has a character flaw that goes all the way to the core of his being. People are not liars because they tell lies. They tell lies because they are liars. (emphasis mine) Proverbs 20:28; Proverbs 17:7
- A leader must choose wise leaders. Proverbs 25:4-5, Proverbs 29:12
- A leader must be sexually moral. Proverbs 31:1-3. If we as a nation laugh off the sexual sins of our leaders, should we be surprised if our children treat immorality lightly? (emphasis mine) If a leader cannot keep their most sacred promise of all, the promise made to their spouse before almighty God, how can they be trusted to keep any other promise?
- A leader must protect the weak. Proverbs 31:8-9, Psalm 94:20-21, Jeremiah 22:17, Habakkuk 2:12
Trump's character, image, fame and personal reputation are built on his immoral behavior. His public humiliation of his first two wives was legendary, made-for-television stuff that attracted attention and which he used to build ratings. He made a good chunk of his fortune in business ventures that sold immoral behavior for money, including gambling casinos, nightclubs and bars, and strip clubs. Though he has dissolved his "entertainment" enterprises for the most part, he still has one operational strip club and a traveling group of strippers who make the rounds of his golf resorts.
His lying and fraudulent business dealings are the subject of several books, and his failures to honor contracts and pay off debts is another one of his legendary claims to fame. When he decided to get serious about running for President in 2016, he had his "fixer" (and what honest person needs a fixer?) take care of a few loose ends he thought might not go over well in public, since they were very recent, including paying off porn stars with whom he had affairs.
It's not hard to jump from that to lying about election fraud, abuse of the power of the presidency for personal profit and "deal making" to get around laws and subvert the constitution. And this isn't hidden, people. Trump put it all out there for everyone to see. It's who he wants you to believe he is. He can't live in any other world.
Dr. Rogers has laid out a crystal clear Evangelical Christian perspective declaring that character does matter in a constitutional Republic when a Christian goes to the polls to vote. Character does indeed matter, and the fact that the Republican party has made deliberate choices in nominating Trump for the Presidency twice, and continuing to recognize him as the party leader even after he incited an insurrection and attempted a coup, among other numerous seditious acts means that the GOP has abandoned any claim to being a party of morals and principles and has become the party of "win at all costs."
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