Not Speaking Out Makes Conservative, Evangelical Christians Complicit in the Immorality and Worldliness of Their Endorsed Politicians

 Baptist News Global: Matt Gaetz is a Southern Baptist Who Appears to Get a Pass

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  John 3:19, NRSV

The world is full of false, phony religion, scams which play on people's fears and superstitions, and become means by which control over the lives of people can be achieved by manipulation, brow-beating, guilt-tripping and outright misrepresentation and lying.  It's very difficult to come to the realization that something in which so much faith and trust was invested is not really taken seriously by some of the very people whose influence led to making a commitment to the practice of Christian faith, through a particular denominational, sectarian interpretation.  

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, it's not difficult to figure out that one of the primary themes in children's and youth ministry is sexual purity.  Remaining chaste until marriage was a core doctrine that ranked right up there with the inerrancy of the Bible and the divinity of Jesus.  About the only thing worse, the way it was taught and idolized, was becoming gay or lesbian.  It was taught as a sin against oneself, something that, once it was done, could not be restored ever again, a potential marriage-busting secret that would be a lifelong scar.  

For all the effort put into this emphasis, research into the subject never showed an appreciable difference in the rates of premarital sexual activity between conservative religious youth, and those who were not raised in a church.  For all the emphasis and the talk, the high-mindedness and almost turning sexual purity into an idol, what we see transpiring in the Southern Baptist convention, and in most conservative, Evangelical, far right wing Republican circles, is rank hypocrisy in practice. 

Part of the problem is that this isn't a branch of Christianity that has a high regard or respect for women. They can't seem to see the inconsistency between the way they view women, which is that they are always in a role that is subservient and submissive to men, and the fact that they don't have a handle on controlling sexual purity.  They've picked up the ancient cultural biases that were present when the New Testament was written, but they ignore the actual text of the Christian gospel which, while noting unique roles for both men and women in the church, also elevates women to a position of equality with men, in terms of humanity, intellect and conduct.  And yet, the cultural biases are what seem to be read into the text for the purpose of defining the role of women in the church, rather than the intention that Jesus clearly stated, and left open to his apostles to clarify.  

The Southern Baptists just had a major sexual abuse scandal exposed by two Texas daily newspapers, The Houston Chronicle and The San Antonio Express News.  This particular expose only dealt with cases that had been reported, verified and adjudicated.  Tipped off by victims who had reported abuse that had occurred at the hands of pastors and church leaders, and had their reports covered up at the denominational level, the denomination's leadership has delayed, resisted and obfuscated when it comes to getting to the bottom of what's going on.  The rank and file membership of the denomination has demanded action with overwhelmingly huge affirmative votes at their annual convention, only to have their desires stymied by a balking bureaucracy bent on protecting the reputation of some of the denomination's prominent, prestigious pastors and denominational leadership.  

One of the denomination's most prominent pastors, who served as its President for two terms, and then was promoted into leadership at its North American Mission Board was implicated in the investigation, and confessed to an "inappropriate relationship."  He then got four of his close friends to take him through what they called a "restoration," in which he became repentant, and they pronounced him "restored" to his conference and preaching ministry business, which nets him millions in annual income.  

Sound familiar?  

No wonder these people are not all that upset with the bankrupt moral character of Donald Trump and the cronies he is assembling to make up his administration.  Their own moral character is lacking, and whatever power or influence they are after is more important to them than character.  So they've invented all kinds of excuses to justify their association with evil, and they're ignoring the pathological lying, deceit, misogyny and abuse of women, and the complete and utter moral bankruptcy of Trump and his entourage.  

In spite of known character flaws, moral impurity, illegal conduct and being untrustworthy liars, all things which the late Dr. Adrian Rogers, a highly respected Southern Baptist pastor and denominational officer, said disqualifies any candidate running for political office in the United States. So their support makes them complicit in his evil, and guilty of the sins they condemn in others.