Troubling politi-church spectacle

[Jerome]

Chattanooga church endorses local GOP candidates, raising questions about tax-exempt status

Four local Republican candidates took to Calvary Chapel’s pulpit during a Sunday morning service to campaign for the worshippers’ votes in the upcoming election.

www.local3news.com

Calvary Chapel Chattanooga's "Missions and outreach civics leader [???] Adam Calabrese introduced all four:
Michele Reneau for reelection as state representative
Ashley Dillon for Hamilton County District 3 School Board
Derek Greene for Tennessee State Executive Committee
Weston Wamp for reelection as Hamilton County Mayor
But before he gave them the mic, he said there were not any Democrats on stage that morning by design...[and that] Democrats have 'forfeited the right' to manage government."

 

[DaveXR650]

This was troubling too, if it weren't so funny.

 

[Salty]

Seem like its okay for some churches to do so!

I would never turn my pulpit over to a politician!

 

[DaveXR650]

From what I have heard it is unwise to name names of political candidates from the pulpit. However; that doesn't stop people with really big pulpits from getting their message out while functioning in the office of their "churches". The black churches in America have done so for years, as did the Moral Majority, and as you can see, others too.

I don't see anything wrong with churches judging the positions of politicians or parties, and saying so. But Christian churches and colleges will one day lose their tax exempt status no matter what at this point. In fact, the usefulness of some of these other groups is the only reason it has not happened already.

 

[xlsdraw]

We've already made available a voters guide for our primaries. And will do so again for the midterms. There is a big difference these days between candidates even within their own parties. It's foolish not to vet the candidates.

 

[JonC]

I would have an issue with my church using the pulpit for secular politics, even with voter guides.

The reason is when it comes to politics churches tend to demonize (perhaps rightly) one party or platform while glorifying (always wrongly) the other.

I would prefer to preach the Bible and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Jerome]

On one Sunday in 1994, Jerry Falwell had Democrat women's rights advocate Sylvia Clute at Thomas Road Baptist Church! (she was running for U.S. Senate)

Here's a clipping from the Liberty Champion (student newspaper):

 

[DaveXR650]

On one Sunday in 1994, Jerry Falwell had Democrat women's rights advocate Sylvia Clute at Thomas Road Baptist Church! (she was running for U.S. Senate)

Here's a clipping from the Liberty Champion (student newspaper):

Yeah. Liberty U. also was open minded. You know, like a university is supposed to be. They had Bernie Sanders as a speaker when he was running for President I believe. And the students treated him nicely and respectfully as a guest should be treated. Reasonable Democrats are and have been weeded out by their own party, not by hateful fundamentalists as the narrative goes. One thing that we need to watch is there is a tendency among decent people to always frame everything in conciliatory, and let's all be reasonable terms. That should be our default position but it doesn't always work. The days of Ronnie and Tip Oneil going at it and then getting dinner together at the end of the day are long gone, unfortunately.