Watch this powerful interview by Michel Martin (weekend host of All
Things Considered [NPR]). She interviews Joel Hunter, pastor for about 25 years of a conservative megachurch in Florida. Now he leads a community resource network.
Joel Hunter has been a long time conservative. In 2006, he was elected president of the Christian Coalition (the large, influential Religious Right political organization). But he quickly realized important differences with their agenda and he resigned before his presidency actually began. In 2008, he wrote a book called A NEW KIND OF CONSERVATIVE. He became a friend and frequent pastoral advisor for Barack Obama.
Then in 2016, he voted for Donald Trump!
Now he is a vigorous supporter of Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden (www.prolifeevangelicalsforBiden.com).
Here in this amazing interview, he tells us why he is voting for Biden:
Share the interview with friends and family – – especially those committed Christians still struggling with how to vote.
And as always, invite your friends to join my free blog: ronsiderblog.substack.com.
Forget about the issue of voting, how he speaks, has acted, etc etc; instead think about results realized under President Trump’s Administration to date that align ( that so an ethic of faith) and how that compares with previous same of either party??
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CGV_Jm0JJhV/?igshid=1liuksgiej291
Dr Sider,
I’m so encouraged to see your movement and others like it. I believe they are a huge step in the right direction towards reconciliation and healing in our country.
I would like to ask you what you think about my interpretation of what the Bible says about Christians’ duty with regard to secular law.
In 1 Cor. 5:12-13, Paul states:
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside.
It is clear as he continues in chapter 6 that this judgment is referring not to an abstract passing of moral judgment, but taking real action to regulate behavior.
The implications of this seem crystal clear, but the vast majority of Christians in our country act in a way that does not acknowledge those implications. As citizens in a democracy, Christians have every right to engage within that framework to ensure that our government runs effectively, that their rights are not unduly infringed, and that the rights of others are protected as well.
However, in the case of abortion, I believe that Christians are attempting, in effect, to “judge those outside the church” and force them to adhere to their Christian moral principles. They do so with the noble (and valid) intention of protecting the rights of those without a voice to protect themselves, and to right what they believe is a grave moral wrong.
However, in this case, the nature of this third party, the fetus (and embryo), is not universally agreed upon. To a large degree, there are two general views on the nature of a fetus and the moral implications of terminating a pregnancy. Which view one holds is strongly correlated with whether one is a Christian. (It could be argued that the predominant view of Christians is not the only reasonable one a Christian may hold, but that is not necessary to prove for the primary argument to be valid.) If there were large agreement among society as a whole on the matter (or some aspect thereof), then I think Christians could feel confident seeking legislation that is reflective of their views.
However, in this case, those outside the church largely have a view contrary to that held by most Christians, or more accurately, believe that it is reasonable for one to hold a view on the matter which is opposed to the Christian view. Because of this, they feel that it is morally correct to allow others to make that determination for themselves.
Based upon the passage above from 1 Cor 5, Christians should recognize that they not only have no obligation to act to legally ban abortion, they also have no right (in that it would be against Biblical teachings, and infringe upon God’s rightful responsibility to judge those outside the church). This is not to argue that there is a special constraint Christians are under, which should not also be observed by every other member of our society as well, but only to support that this principle is in agreement with Biblical teaching.
Instead, Christians should commit themselves fully to promoting the kinds of actions (which you have rightly noted that Biden supports) that will serve to address the root causes which lead to women choosing to have an abortion. This will be more effective than a legal ban anyway, both in terms of reduction of abortions, and in overall improvement of outcomes for both women and children born to them. It will also be far more reflective of Christians fulfilling the commands to “love your neighbor as yourself” and to “look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” And of course, if an effective consensus can be reached about particular limitations, such as on elective procedures in the third trimester for instance, Christians should take pride in supporting legislation to accomplish that.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. I understand if you don’t wish to comment publicly in a way which might cause confusion regarding the platform you are heading. If that is the case, I believe you have my email address. Regardless, I appreciate what you are doing and wish you success.
Thank you,
Jonathan Robinson