Why Do They Get Away With It and We Don't?

The parade of incompetent, corrupt, sexually promiscuous buffoons and druggies that Trump is nominating for positions in his administration reminded me of someone from the recent past who, while he may not fall in exactly the same category as the assorted deplorables Trump is choosing, is one of those extremists on the far right who, regardless of the incredible lack of integrity and ethics in public comments that they make, manage not only to escape criticism or accountability, but somehow get rewarded for their insanity.  

Let me introduce you to Wiley Drake.  Drake is pastor of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, California, or, at least, he was a decade ago when some of these events happened. Originally from Arkansas, Drake is an activist of sorts who turned his church recreational building into a makeshift homeless shelter without consultation with the neighbors or the city of Buena Park.  Then, when city officials tried to enforce ordinances that were, in effect, the will of the people, he played the role of the poor, persecuted guy who was being harassed by liberal government officials for just trying to do some good.  

He was convicted of violating building and property usage codes  I don't know whether he served time or paid a fine, but eventually the church sought, and got, the permits necessary for operating the shelter and kitchen they operated. Turning a relatively unused church building into a homeless shelter and kitchen is a good thing, of course.  But the attention was focused on the fight with the government officials to get it done, and not to the homeless who were attracted to the shelter.  

The church also houses a radio station, hosting Drake's own program which is a combination of ultra conservative religious mish-mash and social issue advocacy, particularly raging against the usual targets of abortion rights activists, and the LGBTQ community.  But he made a name for himself among his Southern Baptist brethren by calling for "imprecatory prayer" against President Barack Obama.  For those who may not recognize that term, an imprecatory prayer is a prayer for someone to die as punishment for disobedience to God. It's mentioned in the Old Testament, most frequently in the Psalms, associated with King David who prayed for God to deliver him from his enemies and there are occasional, less subtle prayers asking God to deliver the death of an enemy.  

But imprecatory prayers are not part of the Christian gospel.  In fact, Jesus turns this idea completely upside down early on, instructing his followers not to resist an "evildoer," but to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies, and pray for their persecutors, not against them.  Noting that in the context of Christianity, one of its essential core doctrines is the belief that Jesus is divine, is the son of God and was sent to reveal God to humanity, these words of Jesus take precedence over everything in the Old Testament, imprecatory prayer would be an act of disobedience to Christ.   

But yes, there are people who actually do this, believe in it and think they are right.  Doctrinal and theological conformity are the driving forces behind conservative Evangelicals, who's criticism of any form of Christianity that doesn't conform to their basic interpretations or definitions can be caustic and condemning.  That now includes lock step agreement on politics.  They have created a hierarchy of humanity, ranking those who do not share their religious convictions or believe that being Christian means also being Republican as unworthy of consideration of the sanctity of human life.

Now, imagine the outrage and anger that would be directed at any liberals or progressives who called for people to pray for someone to die, because, in the self-righteousness of the one doing the praying, they think they can judge someone else's behavior when they don't conform to their own way of thinking.  They would be called "elitists," and accused of hating conservatives and not believing in God.  The wailing and caterwauling would be endless.  There would be death threats and violence, and there would be those who would make an effort to separate them from their livelihood.   

But the result of Wiley Drake's call for imprecatory prayer against President Obama was some laughter and snickering on the part of the conservative, Evangelical right, and then he was nominated and elected to serve as second vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention.  

That's not really a position with much in the way of power inside the Southern Baptist Convention.  It's usually an office reserved for mid-level influence peddlers as some kind of consolation prize or reward for some kind of favor granting that's been done, or because some of the pompous pastors who are part of the tightly wound inner circle of shot-callers that run the Southern Baptist Convention needed a place to strut for the Baptist press.  There are some who claim that Drake, who frequently approached microphones on the convention floor to make motions and bring up social issue minutia or make political statements, was nominated as a "joke."  

Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that this position is elected on a late ballot when most of the messengers have left the hall for the hallway and exhibits, Drake won the position.  And he set about using the additional publicity and influence that it offered him to continue to push his own causes, especially is call for imprecatory prayer against President Obama.  

Aside from the clear theological error that I pointed out, a call for imprecatory prayer is, as far as Jesus is concerned, equal to murder. Jesus addresses the issue, recorded in Matthew 5:21-22.  As far as I know, though, no one ever addressed this or pointed out to Drake and he completely ignored Jesus' teaching in the New Testament.  He wouldn't have included President Obama in Matthew's application of the term "brother" or "brothers and sisters" but the term is inclusive of all humanity in the manner in which it is used there.  

You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, "You shall not murder" and "whoever murders shall be liable to judgment."  But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, ou will be liable to the council, and if you say, "You fool!", you will be liable to the hell of fire.  

So Jesus would equate imprecatory prayer with  murder.  

Progressive liberals, Democrats, even political moderates, would never be able to get away with that.  But among the conservative religious element that has allowed an ungodly, licentious intruder (See Jude v.4) into the various fundamentalists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Charismatics and non-denominational conservative, right-wing Christian churches in the form of right wing political extremism, it's become the brand.