Posted on 12/18/2004 7:37:17 PM PST by ambrose
I Am A Conservative Christian, And The Religious Right Scares Me, Too
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By Chuck Baldwin
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The Covenant News ~ December 15, 2004 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those readers who are unfamiliar with my biography, let me here provide a thumbnail sketch of my conservative bona fides:
I attended, graduated, or received degrees from fundamentalist Christian schools such as Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan, Thomas Road Bible Institute (now known as Liberty Bible Institute at Liberty University) in Lynchburg, Virginia, Christian Bible College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida.
I am currently in my thirtieth year as the Senior Pastor of the Crossroad Baptist Church (Independent) in Pensacola, Florida. I was the Executive Director of the Florida Moral Majority in the early 1980's. I was an active member of the local Christian Coalition.
I have marched and protested against abortion clinics. I have led several pro-life rallies and even led our church to construct A Memorial To Aborted Babies. I have conducted small and large (some drawing crowds numbering in the thousands) pro-life, pro-family rallies and meetings in the Pensacola area and in many towns and cities across the state of Florida.
When Ronald Reagan was running for President, I helped Dr. Jerry Falwell register more than fifty thousand new conservative voters in my state. I have attended White House functions with former President Reagan and former Vice President George H.W. Bush.
I supported and defended Chief Justice Roy Moore and his fight to display a Ten Commandments monument at a pro-Ten Commandments rally in Montgomery, Alabama and even on national television.
I am an annual member of the National Rifle Association and a life member of Gun Owners of America. I have been the featured speaker at several pro-Second Amendment rallies.
No one can honestly question my commitment to pro-life, pro-family, conservative causes. That being said, the Religious Right, as it now exists, scares me.
For one reason, on the whole, the Religious Right has obviously and patently become little more than a propaganda machine for the Republican Party in general and for President G.W. Bush in particular. This is in spite of the fact that both Bush and the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., have routinely ignored and even trampled the very principles which the Religious Right claims to represent.
Therefore, no longer does the Religious Right represent conservative, Christian values. Instead, they represent their own self-serving interests at the expense of those values.
It also appears painfully obvious to me that in order to sit at the king's table, the Religious Right is willing to compromise any principle, no matter how sacred. As such, it has become a hollow movement. Sadly, the Religious Right is now a movement without a cause, except the cause of advancing the Republican Party.
Beyond that, the Religious Right is actively assisting those who would destroy our freedoms. On the whole, the Religious Right comports with those within the Bush administration and within the Republican Party who, in the name of "fighting terrorism," are actually terrorizing constitutional protections of our liberties.
The Religious Right offered virtually no resistance to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the passage of the Patriot Act, or the recently created position of National Intelligence Director. Neither did the Religious Right offer even a whimper of protest as President Bush and Republicans in Congress created a first-ever national ID card in the new intelligence bill, which eerily has more in common with early Twentieth Century German and Russian intelligence institutions than anything envisioned by America's Founding Fathers.
Another disconcerting feature of today's Religious Right is its attempt to Christianize political entities which it supports and to demonize political entities which it opposes. This trend is especially scary.
When people are told that they are voting "Christian" by voting for Republican Party candidates, it is being intimated that they are voting non-Christian by voting for any other candidate. This is not only silly on its face, it is downright dangerous!
I don't remember anyone saying people voted "Christian" when they elected the outspoken Christian candidate, Jimmy Carter, President. Yet, Carter, in his personal life, demonstrated as much, if not more, Christianity than does George W. Bush. If you recall, Carter even taught Sunday School in a Southern Baptist Church while President.
However, in spite of the fact that President Bush and the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., have repeatedly supported copious unchristian (not to mention unconstitutional) programs and policies, Christians act as if Bush and his fellow Republicans have ushered in the Millennial Kingdom.
More than that, the Religious Right appears to believe that G.W. Bush is the anointed vicar of Christ. But instead of wearing the garb of a religious leader, he wears the shroud of a politico and a military commander-in-chief.
As such, in the minds of the Religious Right, Bush's war in Iraq is a holy crusade. America is fast taking on the shape of the old Holy Roman Empire and President Bush is quickly morphing into a modern day Caesar.
The willingness of the Religious Right to give President Bush king-like subservience is easily seen in the way they demonize anyone who dares to oppose him. This is very unnerving.
Are we heading for a modern day religious inquisition, this one led not by the Catholic Church but by the Religious Right? Are we witnessing the type of marriage between Church and State that America's founders originally feared?
I used to believe that liberals were paranoid for being fearful of conservative Christians gaining political power. Now, I share their trepidation.
Of course, the sad truth is, neither George W. Bush nor the Republican Party in Washington, D.C. represents genuine Christian or even conservative principles. If they did, they would take their oaths to the Constitution seriously and then neither liberals nor conservatives would have anything to fear, for the U.S. Constitution protects the rights and freedoms of all men.
Unfortunately, when the seed of Bush's unconstitutional policies come to fruition, it will produce large scale fallout economically, socially, and politically. And sadder still will be that, instead of blaming Bush's infidelity to constitutional government and conservative principles, people will blame Christianity and conservatism itself. The result of this miscalculation will doubtless be a massive tide of support for more and greater unconstitutional government, but only under a different name.
Chuck Baldwin chuck@chuckbaldwinlive.com Chuck Baldwin Live http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com
And how would Chuck Baldwin fight the War on Terror? Everytime I read one of his articles posted on FR, he is only complaining about George W. Bush.
Therefore, no longer does the Religious Right represent conservative, Christian values. Instead, they represent their own self-serving interests at the expense of those values.
Uhm, Pastor...how do you draw a specific conclusion (the "therefore" part) from two fuzzy, gratuitous generalizations (the RR is a propaganda machine, and Republicans have trampled some undefined principles the RR is suppose to stand for)?
Sir, you may have quite a list of accomplishments, but unfortunately your ability to reason is somewhere on par with a little girl that wants more candy.
I needed to read no further to understand you have no business advising anyone beyond "play nicely, and eat your vegetables."
The author of this long article criticizes the Patriot Act and the Intelligence Bill but can't even put together one sentence on the specifics or any specific of what he dislikes about said bills.
You think that's likable?
"out of context"
Well .. not really! But the scripture is in Psalms 105:15.
However, if you start at the beginning of the Chapter, and read the whole thing, you will find in Verse 7 - "He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth." And .. if you're able to continue reading .. it says in the following Verses - 13. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people; 14. He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; 15. Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."
My comments were to explain that GOD is not a slackard that He cannot deal with his own children. For the President to be accused of using the religious right for his own purposes is crass to say the least.
Most people are not willing to study it out - but there are specific rules to be followed to bring charges against another Christian. As a Pastor, I would EXPECT Baldwin to know that .. which means that he should already know he's out of line. But .. GOD is more than able to deal with it.
"By their fruits ye shall know them" Jimmy could talk up being a Christian and even thump the Bible regularly. But he always sided with communists over Christians in action.
Jimmy Carter teaches Sunday School but he needs to be a student instead. He was arguably a worse prez than Slick Willie and is saying something.
Recommendation: Don't!
" the Religious Right has obviously and patently become little more than a propaganda machine for the Republican Party in general and for President G.W. Bush in particular. "
This line tells you all you need to know about how much $#!* he's full of.
Isn't this the guy that was trying to make Ann Coulter out to be some sort of intellectual suicide bomber just after "Treason" came out?
If so, forget him. That guy was the mental equvalent of those kids up in Virginia preaching at the top of their lungs at everyone who didn't beat them up.
Bizarro. I voted for Bush because he was the best option on the table by a mile. I most definitely do not support or even condone his positions that are in conflict with my Christianity, though.
He also loses a lot of credibility when he touts Carter's Christianity. It's one thing to publicly claim Christ, but Carter consistently takes positions that I simply cannot reconcile with the Bible.
MM
I always thought that the "Religious Right" is the boogeyman and whipping boy of the left
Same old tune. In fact he has not written anything original for years.
http://www.covenantnews.com/baldwinfile.htm
Please see my post #102, and tell me if you need more specifics. You may be impressed by his Martha-ing, but he sure doesn't Mary very well.
He's not asking you to....why you (or anyone else) believe that is ridiculous--& no, don't tell me that voting for anyone other than a Repug is the same as voting for a Dim, 'cuz it ain't true!
He was Michael Peroutka's running mate for the Constitution Party in the '04 election. His criticism of the GOP is right on the money: their allegience to the Constitution is minimal, w/ the possible exception of the very honorable Representative RON PAUL (God bless him!), & maybe a handfull of others.
" You two are using the typical and finely honed tactic here on FR; when you don't agree with something someone writes, smear him personally, attach him personally, call him names, but don't rebut any specifics. You trying to label him a Liberal or Democrat or Hollywood type simply shows your ignorance. "
Now who's name-calling?
Who is Chuck Baldwin anyway? Pat Buchanan type?
But your actions in the 2nd paragraph gave a slap in the face to the principles you wrote about in the 1st!
I don't recall, really. I think I mixed him up with someone else who died some time ago. Silly me.
I think you must be right. And I agree.
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