Speaking for God

Well, I thought I'd blog about Social Security. Then I thought I'd blog about health care again. But I ended up finding a short article by Jim Wallis entitled, "Does one party speak for God?" and decided to pass that along. I'm a great admirer of Jim Wallis. I heard him speak at the Cathedral in Oklahoma City a few years ago and we had a long talk afterwards about the social responsibility of the Church. Jim is mistakenly referred to as a "liberal Christian". Actually he is pretty conservative theologically. But he believes in peace and justice and he further believes that the institutional Church has a sacred obligation to work for both. Needless to say, he does not believe that the Republican Party speaks for God. Here's an excerpt:

Who speaks for God in the highly charged American battleground over religion and politics? Apparently, James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, thinks he does. And Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, thinks that he does too. So too do Prison Fellowship's Chuck Colson and Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler. They planned the "Justice Sunday" telecast from a mega-church in Kentucky last weekend, with the message that those who don't support the president's judicial nominees are hostile to "people of faith."

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist also thinks he speaks for God. Frist joined leaders of the Religious Right by video to get political support for his effort to end the long-standing Senate practice known as the filibuster -- originally designed to delay a vote on the most controversial issues in order to protect strong minorities from being overrun by thin majorities. The GOP leader and the others claim the Democrats' use of the filibuster to delay the vote on a small number of very conservative judges is "a filibuster against people of faith."

Despite the fact that nobody has yet found references to the filibuster in the Bible, the Republicans and their religious allies are saying God is on their side.

The article takes a look at the way God has been co-opted by the Republicans and names that tactic for what it is: blasphemy and idolatry. I agree.

Do read the whole article. It's short. And worth it.