The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Let’s Get Something Straight About Tea Parties And Evangelicals

Posted on | March 13, 2010 | 23 Comments

by Smitty (h/t Dodgeblogium)

Just How Political Is Christianity?

. . . Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

Mat 22:21

Actual Evangelicals are too busy evangelizing to be political. Separation of church and State, prior to Progressivism becoming the de facto State religion, still means that actual churches don’t fret politics. I’ve yet to ever see a politician near the pulpit in my local house of worship.
Thus, it is with amusement that one turns to Politico’s attempt to sew division in the Tea Party camp, emphasis mine:

The rise of a new conservative grass roots fueled by a secular revulsion at government spending is stirring fears among leaders of the old conservative grass roots, the evangelical Christian right.

Can’t say I’ve heard of any.

A reeling economy and the massive bank bailout and stimulus plan were the triggers for a resurgence in support for the Republican Party and the rise of the tea party movement. But they’ve also banished the social issues that are the focus of many evangelical Christians to the background.

The Federal Constitution is highly libertarian in character. Problems arise when DC thinks “promote the general Welfare” in the Preamble means that interfering with individuals is a good idea.

And while health care legislation has brought social and economic conservatives together to fight government funding of abortion, some social conservative leaders have begun to express concern that tea party leaders don’t care about their issues, while others object to the personal vitriol against President Barack Obama, whose personal conduct many conservative Christians applaud.

Let’s see:

  • Relative to Bill Clinton, BHO is a model husband. (Golf clap).
  • Cigarette smoking, not so much.
  • Utter inconsistency in public statements, (boo hiss).

While not feeling qualified to set myself up in ultimate judgement of BHO as a man, I’m not sure that he’s in great shape by a Biblical measure. Who are these applauding conservative Christians, exactly?

Just How Religious Is Progressivism?

“There’s a libertarian streak in the tea party movement that concerns me as a cultural conservative,” said Bryan Fischer, director of Issue Analysis for Government and Public Policy at the American Family Association. “The tea party movement needs to insist that candidates believe in the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage.”

Mr. Fischer, sir, we need to split the difference here. While I fully, 100% subscribe to the sanctity of life, and I agree that the symbol “marriage” means exactly what you think it meant, means, and shall mean, from alpha to omega, I don’t think individual social concerns are a proper Federal issue, for the following reason:

You go beyond the notion of the Constitution protecting you from the Federal government, and instead assert that the Federal government can and should tell you what to do.

It is a bad enough thing that the 16th Amendment gives DC eminent domain over your wallet, Mr. Fischer. This must be repealed. Also, DC writing more invasive Census questionnaires, fretting about your education, health care, housing, and retirement are false.
Precedent sucks, on the one hand, and morality cannot be legislated, on the other. Let us disabuse ourselves of Al Gore’s notion of legislative redemption. Fret about it at your state and local level.
Drinking Al Gore’s Progressive kool-aid is exactly what the adversary would have you do. Is it possible that Progressivism is a lie from the pit?

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Mat 4:8-9

I’ll serve up those dots, and let the reader connect them.

Conclusion

I go to church, not Tea Party protests, to hear preaching. The notions are orthogonal, and should remain so, in the American context.
Conversely, if I was a Progressive, wetting myself at the prospect of a Great Political Awakening, attempting to divide the house of the opposition against itself by any means available would seem a smart tactic.

For further reading, your attention is drawn to Gateway Pundit, (h/t Left Coast Rebel via Insty)

See also American Power.

For a negative example, the PuffHo.  I understand what “justice” and “social” mean apart, but there seems to be magic in “social justice” that involves legislating morality.  The Christian’s attention is drawn to Romans 7 for an exposition of why the law, in and of itself isn’t the answer.

Category: Abortion, ManBearPig, Progressivism, Religion, Tea Party

Comments

23 Responses to “Let’s Get Something Straight About Tea Parties And Evangelicals”

  1. No Sheeples Here
    March 13th, 2010 @ 2:22 pm

    This post was dead-on, Smitty. Thank you for sharing your cogent thoughts and for doing what any Christian must do-profess his love for the Lord.

  2. No Sheeples Here
    March 13th, 2010 @ 9:22 am

    This post was dead-on, Smitty. Thank you for sharing your cogent thoughts and for doing what any Christian must do-profess his love for the Lord.

  3. Stephen
    March 13th, 2010 @ 2:47 pm

    Forgive me if I’m a bit nit-picky, but one sews a garment.

    One sows discontent (or wheat, as one is inclined).

  4. Stephen
    March 13th, 2010 @ 9:47 am

    Forgive me if I’m a bit nit-picky, but one sews a garment.

    One sows discontent (or wheat, as one is inclined).

  5. Robert Stacy McCain
    March 13th, 2010 @ 3:11 pm

    Wonderful Smitty. However, you may have created the impression that, as Ronald Reagan might say, the right hand doesn’t know what the far-right hand is doing.

  6. Robert Stacy McCain
    March 13th, 2010 @ 10:11 am

    Wonderful Smitty. However, you may have created the impression that, as Ronald Reagan might say, the right hand doesn’t know what the far-right hand is doing.

  7. Joe
    March 13th, 2010 @ 3:41 pm

    Founders such as Frankly believed in upward mobility, access to opportunity, and assistance from individuals to individuals to assist, but NOT a welfare state. There is definitely a difference.

  8. Joe
    March 13th, 2010 @ 10:41 am

    Founders such as Frankly believed in upward mobility, access to opportunity, and assistance from individuals to individuals to assist, but NOT a welfare state. There is definitely a difference.

  9. Joe
    March 13th, 2010 @ 3:42 pm

    Franklin, keyboard typo. I doubt anyone called him Frankly.

  10. Joe
    March 13th, 2010 @ 10:42 am

    Franklin, keyboard typo. I doubt anyone called him Frankly.

  11. Joe
    March 13th, 2010 @ 3:47 pm

    End Times!

  12. Joe
    March 13th, 2010 @ 10:47 am

    End Times!

  13. Thank You Saturday Link Fest « The Daley Gator
    March 13th, 2010 @ 11:06 am

    […] The Other McCain? Another Hall of Famer! I mean, just check out their analysis of the “Tea Party/Evangelical spilt” […]

  14. ExurbanKevin
    March 13th, 2010 @ 4:36 pm

    Let’s go Old (Testament) School with this as well, from 1 Samuel 8.

    —–

    Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

    But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

    When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

    ——
    Wouldn’t it be great to get back to the point where government took ONLY a tenth of our possessions?

  15. ExurbanKevin
    March 13th, 2010 @ 11:36 am

    Let’s go Old (Testament) School with this as well, from 1 Samuel 8.

    —–

    Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

    But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

    When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

    ——
    Wouldn’t it be great to get back to the point where government took ONLY a tenth of our possessions?

  16. FMaidment
    March 13th, 2010 @ 5:34 pm

    Some of the most ardently libertarian people I know are also some of the most religious. Libertarianism is about throwing off the shackles of a tyrannical government and being allowed to live life as oje sees fit. This false notion that libertarians don’t like religious conservatives is only true if those conservatives attempt to legislate their particular brand of morality.

    Social Libertarians, on the other hand, attempt to claim the “libertarian” label and often associate with true libertarians. These individuals buy-in to the “freedom to live as one chooses” but then about-face and try to use government to force acceptance.

    The great thing about the Tea Parties is that they are neither conservative nor moderate nor libertarian. They are ONLY about throwing off our legal and economic shackels, forcing back this tide of over-reaching, over-bearing government.

  17. FMaidment
    March 13th, 2010 @ 12:34 pm

    Some of the most ardently libertarian people I know are also some of the most religious. Libertarianism is about throwing off the shackles of a tyrannical government and being allowed to live life as oje sees fit. This false notion that libertarians don’t like religious conservatives is only true if those conservatives attempt to legislate their particular brand of morality.

    Social Libertarians, on the other hand, attempt to claim the “libertarian” label and often associate with true libertarians. These individuals buy-in to the “freedom to live as one chooses” but then about-face and try to use government to force acceptance.

    The great thing about the Tea Parties is that they are neither conservative nor moderate nor libertarian. They are ONLY about throwing off our legal and economic shackels, forcing back this tide of over-reaching, over-bearing government.

  18. We lose an hour this week so I’m going to be crabby at Bride of Rove
    March 13th, 2010 @ 12:45 pm

    […] Smitty tackles god and politics. I go to church, not Tea Party protests, to hear preaching. The notions are orthogonal, and should remain so, in the American context. […]

  19. A Rejoinder to Smitty: Why we NEED to fight social issues at the national issue « Smash Mouth Politics
    March 13th, 2010 @ 1:20 pm

    […] Leave a Comment Smitty, the better looking blogger at “The Other McCain” wrote an excellent article today, but I believe that while his premise is correct, he draws the wrong conclusion.  Allow me to […]

  20. Thrasymachus
    March 13th, 2010 @ 6:48 pm

    Progressivism is *very* religious. The left loves it when ministers, rabbis, priests and nuns tell you you’re going to hell if you’re not a liberal.

  21. Thrasymachus
    March 13th, 2010 @ 1:48 pm

    Progressivism is *very* religious. The left loves it when ministers, rabbis, priests and nuns tell you you’re going to hell if you’re not a liberal.

  22. Ran / Si Vis Pacem
    March 14th, 2010 @ 2:47 am

    Chris,
    Thanks, and more here as we help Michael Ledeen fisk Brooksie.

  23. Ran / Si Vis Pacem
    March 13th, 2010 @ 9:47 pm

    Chris,
    Thanks, and more here as we help Michael Ledeen fisk Brooksie.