Bible Authority And American Politics As A Religious Movement

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When American Politics Becomes A Religious Movement

In “‘Republicanity’—The GOP Transformation is Nearly Complete,” Gary Laderman makes a case that the “Republican Party is no longer a political party—it’s a full-fledged religious movement.”

His short post is filled with insightful assessments of the deliberate collapsing of any efforts to separate religion and politics. I recommend it highly.

Bible Authority In Republicanity

I want to emphasize one point that he makes about the role of authority in this brand of political religion and religious politics.   Read more…

Do Evangelicals Hate Jesus? Evangelical Christianity And The Bible Authority Of The Social Gospel

Phil Zuckerman and Dan Cady wrote a provocative article, Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus. 

“The results from a recent poll published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveal what social scientists have known for a long time: White Evangelical Christians are the group least likely to support politicians or policies that reflect the actual teachings of Jesus. It is perhaps one of the strangest, most dumb-founding ironies in contemporary American culture. Evangelical Christians, who most fiercely proclaim to have a personal relationship with Christ, who most confidently declare their belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, who go to church on a regular basis, pray daily, listen to Christian music, and place God and His Only Begotten Son at the center of their lives, are simultaneously the very people most likely to reject his teachings and despise his radical message” (Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus). Read more…

The Amorality of Fundamentalist Bible Interpretation: How Salvation For True Believers Means No Salvation For Earth

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

Jonathan D. Fitzgerald makes the case that the focus on personal salvation in evangelical belief results in amoral concern about life in this world in his post, “The Unfortunate Effects Apocalyptic Beliefs Can Have On Morality.”  

He begins with his childhood understanding of “The World” as a threat to the salvation of Christians. Read more…

What Is The Freedom Story You Are Seeking?

Looking For Your Freedom Story

What freedom story are you seeking? What do seekers seek? Why do people go from church to church, and from churches to ashrams, from temples to yoga studios, from Presbyterianism to Scientology? Why do Christians convert to Islam? Why do black Baptists become Black Muslims? Why do Catholics stay home and Lutherans consult tarot cards? Why do people join cults? Why do people flock to evangelical megachurches? Why do they replace the Bible with “The Course In Miracles?” Why do seekers put their hopes in “The Secret” and purported revelations from channeled entities? What are people seeking to find with all of this coming and going? What are you looking for?

Continued on Freedom From Bad Bible Bullies

For Your Freedom,

 Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

American Politics And The Pilgrims’ Escape From “Unbiblical” Socialism: A Creative Retelling Of History By Representative Todd Akin

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

American politics witnessed another example of Bible Babble Politics in the creative retelling of history by Representative Todd Akin on Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims Escape From “Unbiblical” Socialism

In Akin’s version of history, the Pilgrims came to the New World to escape “unbiblical” socialism.  Read more…

The Biblical Inerrancy Claim At The Heart Of Evangelical Faith: Why You Can Believe It But You Can’t Prove It

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

The claim of biblical inerrancy of the “Word of God” is the foundation of Bible authority for Evangelical Christians. However, this faith claim can be believed but not proved. Read more…

Fundamentalist Bible Interpretation In American Politics: John Shimkus Declares That The Earth Will End Only When God Declares It’s Time To Be Over

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

What happens when fundamentalist Bible interpretation becomes the source of policy decisions in American politics? It produces bad government policy and more examples of Bible Babble Politics. 

For a prime example of Bible Babble Politics, consider the words of John Shimkus, who wants to be the chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce when the Republicans assume leadership of the House of Representatives. Shimkus claims that he is “uniquely qualified” to lead this committee. Read more…

Bible Authority Questions About King James “Godspeak” As Biblical Language

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

Bible authority questions about the King James Version must consider the connection between biblical language and “Godspeak.”

What Is Godspeak?

I am a fan of crossword puzzles. Occasionally the New York Times Crossword will provide a clue for a “biblical” word. The correct answer will be something like “shalt” or “hath.” Although I don’t get too annoyed by clues in crossword puzzles, every time I see this, I see it as a perpetuation of the idea that King James English is authentic biblical language in a way that ordinary English of the early 21st century is not.

Instead of calling this type of language “biblical,” I am going to call this “Godspeak.”  Godspeak is a unique and strange language, spoken only inside certain churches and used on the pages of the King James Bible.

For some Christian believers who consider the “Authorized” King James Version as the official “Word of God,” King James English is also considered somehow as the official language of God. This means that all communication with God must be conducted in Godspeak.

….

Post continued on Freedom From Bad Bible Bullies blog.

Subscribe to “Bible Babble Politics Email Newsletter” to find out how radical claims about Bible authority hijack political freedom in American politics.

For Your Freedom,

Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

Revised version of post originally published on Impolite Topics

Did You Vote For Bible End Times Candidates Without Knowing It?

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

Bible end times candidates are winning elections in American politics. However, many of these candidates are very careful about revealing what they believe about religion and government and Bible end times. You might have voted for Bible end times candidates without knowing it.

Unfortunately, many observers of the American political process don’t quite understand the religious ideology behind these right wing candidates. Those who do understand are few and far between—and they are concerned.

No one understands the Bible end times ideology better than Frank Schaeffer, whose father Francis Schaeffer was one of the founders of the Religious Right.

I still see a religious connection in public policy though that I think a lot of commentators miss — for instance, that lots of the energy behind this mid-term election came from the ghosts of the Religious Right.

 ….

What I am saying is that unless you take the time to understand the End Times folks you will never “get” the mid-term election result (Schaeffer, End Times.)

Schaeffer’s article, “End Times” — Election Results Reflect Biblical Republican Paranoia”  is powerful reading about the connections between American politics and the particular kind of end times religious fundamentalism that is shaped by the kind of bad theology that is based on Bad Bible.

Feeding the paranoid delusions of people on the fringe of the fringe contributes to a dangerous climate that may provoke violence in a few individuals. It’s also one of the big reasons that the nutty fringe is now the “center.” If you believe the Bible is literal and true and that this is the “End” then the crazies look sane and the sane look crazy. Welcome to the new congress (Schaeffer, End Times.)

Subscribe to “Bible Babble Politics Email Newsletter” to find out how radical claims about Bible authority hijack political freedom in American politics.

For Your Freedom,

Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

How Biblical Exegesis and Biblical Hermeneutics Ignore Public Bible Education

By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.

Biblical exegesis and biblical hermeneutics are the most important words for Bible interpretation. Responsible Bible education needs both. Read more…