By Samuel Smith, Christian Post.
Screen capture of Russell Moore at a speaking engagement.
Christian ethicist Russell Moore has said that congregations too afraid of being political to speak out against acts of immorality, like abortion, are similar to churches in the 1800s that remained silent on the issue of slavery.
As the featured speaker at the Institute on Religion and Democracy’s fifth annual Diane Knippers memorial lecture, Moore, the president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, criticized mainstream Christian congregations that have relaxed their teachings on key issues of sexual morality and other social issues in order to blend in with the “ambient culture” and appeal to today’s society.
Moore explained that religious conservatives need to “preserve” the biblical truth for future generations. Although secular society likes to claim that Christian conservatives are on the “wrong side of history,” Moore told the audience that Christian conservatives should not be afraid to have their biblical convictions conflict with mainstream society and that they should really embrace the distinctive Christian message.
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When are people going to catch on that divisive issues are only being used as platforms to consolidate power? Slavery and Sodomy, as issues, bear no resemblance.
Moore has admirable convictions. It’s too bad that he’s used his standing to come out against Trump.
Read Hosea and see that Adultery made Gomer a slave under a master
And that is the penalty for her unrepentant sin. She had to be bought out of slavery; a picture off what Jesus Christ did for us. Oppressing others in allowing one to be “master” over another person is sin. Encouraging others to be a slave to sodomy or any other sinful behavior is also wrong.
In Hosea we see God going to great lengths to get His people to turn back to Him. It is not about divisive issues, it is about getting people to seek God and not “idol” comforts that cause us to move away from God.
Have you read how Trump speaks about the sacrament of communion? “When I drink my little wine — which is about the only wine I drink — and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed,” he said. “I think in terms of ‘let’s go on and let’s make it right.'” He said this after commenting that he does not ask God for forgiveness.
If politicians who know practically nothing about the Christian faith (Trump and Obama would fit that category as well as others), if they would just stop pretending to have any kind of deep personal piety it would be so refreshing. It makes them look totally ridiculous when they say things such as what Todd quotes here from Donald Trump. I am not a big fan of Ben Carson, but it is obvious that the man is a Christian, and that he knows how to talk intelligently about his faith. For that I am thankful.
Theology might not be his strong suit. But at least he’s willing to share something of his faith.
I don’t think Trump would claim to have a deep grasp of theology. But he at least his willing to share his faith and take traditional Christian stances on abortion and marriage.
My problem with Moore critiquing Trump’s faith is that he seems to hold Trump to a higher standard than past candidates in terms of his personal life and his ability to articulate his faith.
I agree with you, Greg, that there is a double standard in regard to Trump. Personally, I consider Barack Obama far worse than Donald Trump in this matter, and Hillary Clinton even worse than Obama. I also think that Russell Moore may be guilty of a sin that politically conservative Christians sometimes commit, i.e. trying to ingratiate themselves to left-wingers by picking out an object of the left’s scorn, like Trump, and then piling on … I’m a conservative, they seem to be saying, but I’m not a conservative like him! I’m afraid that Russell Moore has shown a tendency to this kind of thing on more than one occasion since replacing Richard Land as head of the SBC’s religious liberty commission. And always, and in every instance, sucking up to left-wingers in hope of currying their favor is a foolish thing to do.
I am afraid when you cut away all the posturing and show, it would probably be impossible to classify Trump as a conservative…I fear he shares little with most of us as far as true convictions and values….but maybe that is just my fear?