Our guest today on BlogTalkRadio is Randall Balmer, author of Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right. In this book, Balmer traces the origins of the conservative movement among Christians and how we were drawn into politics. Regardless of your political affiliations, it is formative to know that the things that led Christians into politics didn’t just happen. They were calculated by men who wanted Christians to have more influence in government. This is not at all a bad thing, as long as that influence is driven by biblical principles and by Jesus’ teaching. Unfortunately I don’t believe this was. It was driven more by fear and anger and politicians’ formula for winning than anything. There was a huge need to have a safe place in the world and the Christian subculture provided that place.
Now we are at a crossroads. It appears the abortion issue is no longer the driving force it once was. The Supreme Court reversing Roe v Wade has created a backlash among many who feel their rights have been taken away. The Christian right has lost some steam, and those politicians who tethered themselves to it are finding that they may be tethered to a losing cause.
Rather than wait for the politicians to find a new issue to rally people around, I appeal to all of you who want your politics to be informed by your faith to not let someone else to determine what you should care about, but study your Bible and find those things that God cares about like caring for the least these, and looking after orphans and widows, and providing for the strangers and foreigners among you, and being peacemakers, loving you enemies and going the extra mile, to name only a few things. Let’s carry the standard of the cross and find those policies that line up best with those things that God cares about. Let your heart be moved by what moves the heart of God.
And be sure and check out our 30-minute interview with Randall Balmer. Just click on BlogTalkRadio and you’ll be connected. I also encourage you to get his book, Bad Faith (listed above). It will help you think through your involvement in the world.
John Fischer The Catch 
So true about the Bible and what it tells us about anything. It should always be the driving force and following Jesus anytime anywhere no matter what is happening in the world of politics. Take care, God Bless, and have a great evening.
Wow, there’s a lot to take in, a lot to chew on from todays interview.
Mr. Ballmer’s description of the evolution of the evangelical movement over the last 50-years – including everything from issues concerning segregation to abortion, to backroom meetings that brought national exposure to Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, to the elections of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, to the “see what sticks” approach of manipulating Christians – is a troubling eye-opener.
I say “troubling” because my spiritual relationship to Jesus was born during those days of courting when Church conservatism eventually swooned and crawled into bed with right-wing politics.
I dare say that I’m a spiritual child of that union and that at the time, being a babe in Christ, I thirstily gulped the milk offered by those whom I thought had my best interests at heart: intense men and women whom I accepted as wise and compassionate leaders who must have had a closer connection to Christ than I, right?; smiling preachers, pastors, and prophets whom I trusted to always tell the truth for no personal gain – again, right?; erudite teachers and laymen who taught that our God-given liberties were threatened and that America was on the path toward spiritual annihilation.
And, yes, I believed. I drank it all up and down to the last drop.
I believed and I marched in goosestep to the alarmists’ calls to crush those insidious liberals (aka: suspected communists) and anyone else whose religion (or non-religion) didn’t align with the beliefs of the Christian right. By God, we’d fight to restore this nation back to Godliness – we are soldiers of the Cross, PTL!!!
Meanwhile, in God’s own timing…
Even though they officially promoted it, I don’t think most of those pietistic puppet-masters ever really expected me (or many of my fellow newborns) to actually read the Bible – at least not without the guidance of THEIR interpretation.
Yet, I wanted to learn directly from the source of wisdom myself.
I was hungry. Hungry for more than mere milk and tasty trifles.
I wanted real nourishment. I wanted bread. I wanted meat. I wanted wine. I wanted salt and pepper. I wanted herbs. I wanted a buffet. I wanted a banquet!
And there it was, right in from of me all the time: God’s smorgasbord!
His Word.
Damn! There’s a lot of Scripture that talks about mercy, forgiveness, unconditional love, patience, turning the other cheek, blessing your enemies, sacrificing oneself, tending to the needs of the least of these, trusting God in contentious circumstances, being peacemakers, relying solely on His love and provision, something about a Golden Rule and so forth and so on.
While those topics all sound noble and all that, they don’t seem to be the sort of crowd-drawing money-making issues expounded on by the populist priests on FOX or CNN or CBN or TBN or too many other broadcasters these days.
Before I further make it sound as if those who led me and fed me through my early Christian years were some sort of a part of an Axis of Evil, they were not.
Many were truly dedicated souls who did have the best intentions for me and for advancing Christ’s Kingdom as they best knew how and were instructed.
Whether it’s sad or providential, after a few acrimonious church splits and job relocations, I’ve not had contact with any of them for over three decades. Many are probably dead by now.
But, still, I thank God for these souls who played a major role in introducing me to our Living, Loving Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior and Best Friend.
For as Paul wrote to the Philippian Church:
“Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.”
~ Phil. 1:18
No longer troubled by my past it does trouble me to think that many others from that time either never “grew up” or grew away from the shaky and false doctrines that enraptured many followers; or, worse yet, that many of them simply abandoned Jesus because they eventually realized the groundwork of their faith was built on foundations of sand.
I’m looking forward to your next discussion with Mr. Ballmer concerning the value of future Christian involvement with politics and whatever hope(s) may ensue.
Shalom, Peace…
🙂
Bless you, bless you, Robert. Thank you for chronicling your journey. Truth does prevail in the end. Such a beautiful story of how God’s word led you. I hope you can share this journey with others. It’s so important and so needed.
At the time I came to Jesus (the early 70s), Christian broadcasts were in their infancy, as was contemporary Christian music. At that time, politics and mass appeal hadn’t come into play yet.
As I grew in Christ, Christian TV and Radio, with a few exceptions, lost its hold on me. I did follow the music though, and was drawn to those performers that focused a spotlight on a belief system that was abandoning its “first love.”
I’m thinking of Amy Grant (I Have Decided), Don Francisco (The Steeple Song), Petra (Rose-Colored Stained Glass Windows, For Annie), Scot Roley (Mansion of Opinion), Russ Taff (Not Gonna Bow), and you John ( Lord of The Dance). The words to these songs struck a deep chord within me that still resonates, though sometimes it grows faint.
In our music ministry, we covered many of those songs in an effort to wake up our audience to the need that surrounds us…to the responsibility believers have to recognize it and minister to it as Jesus would.
Through those lyrics, we stuck pins into sanctimonious balloons and tried to light a fire under them. Through them, the Holy Spirit also called us to a higher level of living out The Gospel as we ministered.
Thank you for sharing your story Bob.
Thank you, Sandie and John.
Music – the artists Sandie named above and many others – was one of the saving graces that kept me in the game.
Even today, when things aren’t making sense or my stress levels are through the roof or I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed… if I listen to one of those troubadours from our past my blood pressure goes down and my sanity somewhat restored.
Amy, Don, Russ, John, even Pat Boone and others, after all these years, still minister to my soul through their songs of the era.
🙂
I will shout a loud AMEN! to that!
Apologies…that D should be an S!
Bob, there is more than one way to strengthen yourself in the Lord. Music is for you as nature is for me.
My journey, while taking a different form, hits the salient points you make about spiritual growth. I too thank God for helping become Christ like and not stopping at salvation. As I have said before, only one out ten finishes strong in their relationship with God. As the saying goes, ‘you chose the road less travelled by’! For most that road is too difficult but you never turned back and kept plodding along right into God’s open arms. Praise God!!!
As Pat Boone croons, On a day like today I pass the time away writing love letters in the sand’. I view God’s word as 66 love letters, some filled with tougher love than I care to listen to. I know this song is a romantic love song, but being in love with God and writing love letters to Him is also an interesting way to deal with the stress you talk about.
Thank you for your story.