Being that it is Sunday, here is an item worth considering: Texas Pastor Robert Jeffress’ op-ed in the RTD on “Why a candidate’s faith matters.” You may recall that Jeffress is the one who called Mormonism a “cult” and in the past has taken a swing at the Catholic Church as being a front for the Devil.
He’s also made it known that he supports Gov. Rick Perry in the GOP presidential sweepstakes.
His op-ed is a slick piece of writing that basically boils down to this:
Finally, discussion of a candidate’s faith is multifaceted. I believe I have been misquoted repeatedly as telling the GOP not to vote for Romney. I have never made such a statement; I realize I might very well end up voting for Romney if he is the Republican nominee. While I prefer a competent Christian over a competent non-Christian, religion is not the only consideration in choosing a candidate. Frankly, Christians have not always made good presidents. We must also consider whether a candidate is competent to lead and govern according to biblical principles.
During this firestorm I’ve reignited over the role of religion in politics, some have quoted Martin Luther as saying he would rather be governed by a competent unbeliever than an incompetent Christian. Yet evangelicals should remember that the purpose of the primary process is to keep us from having to make such a choice. At this point we have the opportunity to select both a competent leader and a committed Christian.
Elsewhere, Jeffress is careful to say that the state is barred from imposing a religious test upon candidates. But individuals are free to do so, and should.
Folks may indeed impose such tests. It’s their right to do so. As for me, I would prefer a candidate who is competent to lead and govern according to constitutional principles. That’s also a test.
But I propose a different test, one that Virginians ought to take to heart as it springs from one of our most important legacies.
It goes like this…
Read the following statement to each candidate and get their reactions to it:
…that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, more than our opinions in physics or geometry; that, therefore, the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to the offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which in common with his fellow citizens he has a natural right…
Sound familiar? It should, as it comes from the preamble to Virginia’s Statute of Religious Freedom (a prominent foe of which was who? Patrick Henry).
The words will go over the heads of some of the candidates and others might wonder whether it came from the Communist Manifesto. I tend to think Mr. Jeffress would look upon it disapprovingly.
But the ones who understand it, and the rest of the Statute, are keepers.
