POLITICS: Poverty divides Christians

It’s time to clear some Idaho air here on pastors and politics. What has been lauded as strict adherence to Christ and his teachings in local election cheering and jeering is really nothing more than manipulation of the masses.

People sloppily throw around the word “Christian” and the uninformed unchurched reader thinks all Christians are the same. They’re not. What we are really talking about are “white Evangelicals” and not all Christians.

From Jerry Falwell and his moral majority, to Ralph Reid and his Christian coalition, white evangelical pundits claiming they speak for all Christianity are nothing new. And the similar that has reared it’s head here locally are actually “white Evangelical” organizations and hardly a fair representation of all Christianity.

Jerry Falwell and his moral majority died, but what happened to Ralph Reid of the Christian Coalition? He got mixed up with Jack Abramoff, the K Street lobbyist that was in the bribing Republican congressmen business since they held both chambers nine or 10 years ago. Ralph was the only one photographed with Jack and his buddies at St. Andrews golf course in Scotland that didn’t go to prison last decade. But his guilt by association cost him and the Christian Coalition much.

And the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Ted Haggard, was outed by his gay lover the week before the 2006 mid-term election that played a huge role in the formation of the filibuster-proof U.S. Senate that gave us Obamacare just a few years later. One might argue they have helped Obama more than they have hurt.

Christianity rightly defends the right to life as precious and sacred. On this Catholics, white evangelicals, and evangelical Christians of color agree.

The disagreement with white evangelicals and evangelicals or Christians of color (Latino, Asian and African American) comes with how we as a society love people after they’re born.

I have worshipped in a black Baptist church in South Carolina and a charismatic Latino congregation in California. Neither church supports the party of “Mucho Poverty,” aka Republicans. Are they wrong? Heretical even? I don’t think so. Like any other election, it’s the lesser of two evils.

So why do white evangelicals embrace policies that oppress the working poor and children of the indigent?

Christians of color or the Roman Church generally do not.

And so time and time again, Christianity is wedged apart, even manipulated, over tough talk over Roe v. Wade and other wedge issues, all the while ignoring, even causing what matters much more to people: Avoiding poverty.

Traditional “Biblical” marriage and right to life are nice, but when they’re used as wedge issues to actually elect people to oppress the working poor for four decades, that’s another issue entirely. It’s deceitful, if not completely diabolical. This is the “Great Hypocrisy” of white evangelicals today, and Wall Street shareholders gladly accept their misguided help.

Jesus wasn’t kidding when He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Ninety percent of minimum wage earners are adults. Idaho has a bigger percentage than any other state, yet white evangelicals actively elect politicians that oppress the working poor. Twenty-eight states pay $7.25 an hour which is likely the lion’s share of workers of the 47 percent who pay no taxes, but actually get a handout at tax time.

It’s time to expose this particular unbelief of white evangelicals for what it is: Voter manipulation that augments profit margins.

MIKE RENO

Post Falls