Posted on 03/31/2007 6:03:17 AM PDT by FairOpinion
Is Fred Thompson a member of the Church of Christ?
As the 64-year-old former Tennessee senator reportedly mulls a bid for president, a number of readers have e-mailed The Christian Chronicle with that question.
The 106th Congressional Record listed Thompson’s religious affiliation as “Church of Christ (Stone Campbell).” In an interview with the U.S. News and World Report this week, Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo said: “Thompson is indeed a Christian. He was baptized into the Church of Christ.”
Corallo did not immediately return calls from the Chronicle seeking additional information about the politician and Law and Order actor’s religious background.
David Pinckley, treasurer of the Pulaski Street Church of Christ in Thompson’s hometown of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., said the two grew up together.
“We went to school together, played football, went to church for many years here in Lawrenceburg,” Pinckley told the Chronicle on Friday.
“I don’t know his religious status right now, but we were both baptized around 1951 … 1952 maybe,” Pinckley added. “We were either 10 or 11 years old then. He was baptized at the First Street church in Lawrenceburg. It’s a non-institutional church now, but it wasn’t then.”
Thompson spoke in 1997 at a fund-raising event at Freed-Hardeman University, a Henderson, Tenn., college associated with Churches of Christ. Thompson used his speaking fee to create an endowed scholarship at Freed-Hardeman for history and political science students, said Stephen Morris, assistant professor of political science and university counsel.
The Robert and Ruth Thompson academic scholarship – named after Thompson’s parents – offers freshman scholarships worth between $2,500 and $5,000. His father is deceased, but Ruth Thompson lives in Franklin, Tenn., and remains a member of the Church of Christ, Pinckley said.
Thompson’s faith became an issue in the national media when Focus on the Family founder James Dobson appeared to throw cold water on a Thompson candidacy in an interview with U.S. News.
“Everyone knows he’s conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for,” Dobson said of Thompson. “(But) I don’t think he’s a Christian; at least that’s my impression,” Dobson added, telling U.S. News that such an impression would make it difficult for Thompson to connect with the Republican Party’s conservative Christian base and win the GOP nomination.
Focus on the Family later issued a clarifying statement, saying that in the U.S. News interview, “Dr. Dobson was attempting to highlight that to the best of his knowledge, Senator Thompson hadn’t clearly communicated his religious faith, and many evangelical Christians might find this a barrier to supporting him. Dr. Dobson told (the reporter) he had never met Senator Thompson and wasn’t certain that his understanding of the former senator’s religious convictions was accurate. Unfortunately, these qualifiers weren’t reported. … We were, however, pleased to learn from his spokesperson that Senator Thompson professes to be a believer.”
According to U.S. News, Thompson has said he is leaving the door open for a presidential run and has won plaudits from conservatives who are unenthusiastic about the Republican front-runners. A Gallup-USA Today poll, released Tuesday, showed Thompson in third place among Republican and Republican-leaning voters, behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Divorced since the mid-1980s, Thompson married Jeri Kehn, a political and media consultant 24 years his junior, at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Naperville, Ill., in 2002. They have two young children. Thompson also has two grown sons and five grandchildren.
All the discussion about Thompson’s possible Church of Christ ties prompted a humorous challenge on the blog of Mark Elrod, a Harding University political scientist, at http://www.markaelrod.net.
In a post titled “The ‘I Saw Fred Thompson at a Church of Christ’ Challenge,” Elrod offered Web immortality to the first person to provide him “with a somewhat believable Fred Thompson sighting at an assembly of the Church of Christ (Stone-Campbell) in the last 20 years.”
Elrod asked specifically for any information on Thompson teaching a Bible class, presiding at the Lord’s table or leading singing.
“If it was 728b and you can prove it,” Elrod said of Thompson leading singing, “I’ll give you $100.”
Meanwhile, a few readers have contacted the Chronicle asking if Democratic president candidate Barack Obama, an Illinois senator, is a Church of Christ member.
The answer on that question is a bit clearer: Obama belongs to the United Church of Christ, a liberal denomination that ordains women and gays and supports same-gender marriage equality. The mainline Protestant demonination was formed in 1957 when the General Council of Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reform Church merged.
Ronald Reagan was a member of the Disciples of Christ, and so was LBJ. DOC is kind of the middle ground between UCC and COC. Church of Christ is the more conservative fraction of the 3, and UCC is very very left wing. I grew up in the DOC so thats where I will stay.
Ronald also went to a DOC college, even though I think he changed denominations to Presbyterian later in life, but he was babtized into the DOC. My uncles dad went to school with Reagan at the DOC college in Eureka Illinois.
Reagan wasn't evangelical, so does that mean that Dopson didn't support him? (I may get flamed for this)But I believe from what I have read about Reagan is that he didn't attend to church that often while in the White House, and started back up again once he left and moved back to Cali.
Actually, I find that stooping to your level and incessantly attacking a person over their choice of words or typos/misspellings while ignoring the substance of what the person was posting to be the sign of a small and simple minded person.
"I am sick of people saying that Fred won't campaign."
Fred can put it to rest by announcing and getting out on the stump. IMHO, the more he dallies, the more doubts will be raised about his fire-in-the-belly to be POTUS. It's a lot tougher job than acting. (It also pays a lot less).
Why do YOU get to decide that he's dallying? It is HIS decision when the best time to get in, not anybody else's.
I think he already has a game plan worked out that includes all the different things that need to be considered.
"Awards and decorations: Silver Star, Bronze Star w/V device, Bronze Star for Meritorious Service, Air Medal (16 awards), Meritorious Service Medal (2 Awards)Vietnamese Gallantry Cross w/bronze star. Also, I have been awarded the Navy Civilian Superior Performance Medal and the Navy Civilian Meritorious Service Medal. "
I salute you sir!
And your post is dead on target!
"But as the juvenile tone of this Romper Room discussion continues to escalate, I may become an AdminModeratorBot."
For certain, the QUALITY of political discussion on FR has declined a lot since 1998.
The QUANTITY of inane repetitive posts and inane arguments has gone up.
Somebody posts a book summary, or political article by a well known figure. Get 20 to 30 replies, at best.
But Anna Nicole or Dr. James "misspeak" Dobson gets repeated ad infinitum. Most people have this to say--"yes he is, no he isn't."
Then somebody says: "you can't say that. If you do, I'm going to go home and tell my mother."
I don't know much about the Church of Christ or the United Church of Christ, but the Unity, Unitarian, and Congregational Churches are the most liberal of churches, even denying the divinity of Christ.
One is not baptised into the church of ANYthing. One is baptised as a physical statement of his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior; a washing away of the old sin self, and the emergence of the brand new person in Christ.
More important than Fred Thompson's (or any other candidate's) Church membership is the question of that of his parents. Raise up a child in the manner you would have him be, and he will not depart from it. Our nation was built upon the word of our Triune God, and our President should be a man who will preserve that.
Thank you for both comments.
There's a lot more, but one that I think should be pointed out....Ronald Reagan was raised in the church of Christ.
No, being a member of the Church of Christ is not a bad thing unless you think following the instructions for salvation provided in the Bible is a bad thing.
If you cconfess your faith that Jesus is the Son of God, repent of your past sins and are baptised for the remission of those sins, you are a Christian starting a new life following Jesus through the days of your life. Jesus paid the price for man's sins since man can never be perfect enough to dwell with God. So God sent His Son as the one time pure sacrifice to pay for the sins of man. We just have to accept the ultimate gift of salvation and follow the instructions to receive the gift.
Confess your belief, repent of prior sins, be baptised for the remission of those sins and you arise to walk with Jesus the rest of your days.
Now - any that find fault with this - might do well to refer to the Bible - God's inspired word to find the answer, not to a creed developed by a few men, not by a human instilled with power over the masses, but go direct to God's Word - the Bible and find out for yourself what instructions are given.
Yes, I had written a complete refuttal to the claim of a church of latter saints, or mormonism or something.
Think they get confused with the International Church of Christ which is no part of the Church of Christ and is a cult.
But, I thoroughly resent posters disparaging God's christians by lies and misconceptions.
If members of the Church of Christ are not Christians than guess the Bible needs to be thrown out. We could do no more to try and do as God has instructed regarding receiving salvation. And if something different is required for those readers here - they might need to recheck what the Bible tells them to do to become Christians.
How funny and how true I'm afraid.
Most of it is due to misconceptions of where people are coming from.
It is really simple - go to the Bible and try your best to follow what you are told. But, remember, we are not to add to or take from the scriptures written there. Also, it is dangerous to just pull ones out that confirm your particular view and choose to ignore the ones a little different.
Ronald Reagan was raised in the Disciples of Christ, not the Church of Christ. Even though they are from the same fractions, there is a big difference between the 2.
Yes, Church of Christ members follow the bible more close than any other church I know. They won't even allow organ music or choir during their services because the bible does not mention it.
I don't get to decide, but I do get to opine. I thought that was the purpose of this forum.
My oh my! People are awfully cranky here today.
Reagan, a nominal Catholic, was raised by his mother in the Disciples of Christ denomination. He attended Eureka College which is associated with the Disciples of Christ. The Church of Christ is an offshoot of the Stone-Campbell protestant movement and has the same roots as the Disciples of Christ, as does the United Church of Christ and other independent Christian Churches.
I fail to see how that ties Fred Thompson to racism or sexism.
WHO CARES?????
Total unadulterated BS. All the pro-Rudy folk I know will support and vote for whoever the party ends up nominating. I want it to be Rudy but I'll be almost as happy if Fred is nominated, less so if it's Romney or Hunter, because I don't think they're as electable.
It's those of you who want EVERYTHING your way or you'll pick up your ball and go home who will split the Republican party.
Certain people are working overtime to make Fred look like a big, lazy sloth. A man who went to law school nights, worked during the day, and started a family at 17 is NOT lazy.
Having read some of his writings, he is also brilliant.
I think that such a man deserves to set his own timetable when
taking such a step toward being the most powerful man in the world.
That is just plain lying.
We don't want "everything". Rudy has almost NOTHING that appeals to me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.