Civil Commotion

I am reading William Manchester’s biography of H.L.Mencken just now, The Life and Riotous Times of H.L. Mencken. As everybody interested in these sorts of things knows, Mencken was a columnist for Baltimore’s Sun Papers for decades, and immensely controversial because of (among other things) his unapologetic contempt for the clergy.

At one point they organized against him, denouncing him by name from pulpits all across the city.

Mencken was ready. For weeks, with the aid of a clipping service, he had been collecting news stories of ministers accused of various crimes throughout the country. These he printed, with ripe insinuation, as the hubbub grew. At length, as the storm surged toward a climax, he scored an astonishing victory with the help of his old friends at police headquarters. A Methodist clergyman, head of the local vice crusade and an attacker of The Free Lance [Mencken’s column],” was seized at the local Y.M.C.A., closeted with a naked Boy Scout.

The more things change, the more …et cetera, et cetera.

At the turn of the last century, there was a freethought organization in New York that published an annual yearbook which chronicled the arrests of clergy, and just last year Jeri Massi published a book partially cataloguing the Baptist preachers arrested for sex crimes; my understanding is that she intends to update it annually.

Five or six years ago, for a period of about 10-months, I published a Web site by the name Piety, Inc., which was a daily update of links to news stories of clergy committing various crimes (usually sex-related).

Make no mistake: It is not a case of “Well, there are hypocrites everywhere,” or any such insipid apologia. The problem inheres in Christian thought, and the sort of person who is drawn to it; it is ontological.

As in past years, pastors and church leaders will indeed be arrested, but not for [not] marrying same-sex couples. These men of God will make the front pages of their local newspapers, arrested for crimes such as child abuse, sexual abuse, rape, sexual misconduct, and sundry other crimes. These issues will be shoved under the rug, replaced by fake outrages and boycotts. These liars for Jesus will continue to reveal that at the heart of conservative Christianity lies hatred, bigotry, homophobia, and racism.

Bruce Gerencser

Evangelical Christian leaders, motivated by political self-interest, are cozying up to a leader who has placed bigotry and malice at the center of American politics. They are defending the rights of their faith while dishonoring its essence. Genuine social influence will not come by putting Christ back into Christmas; it will come by putting Christ and his priorities back into more Christians.

Michael Gerson

This is true, but incomplete and misleading. When hasn’t Christianity been intensely political, and preoccupied with gaining and asserting power?

Keep in mind that the idea of separation of church and state was unknown to the 1^st-century Jesus Movement, that the spiritual and political were bound together (as in modern day Islam), that Jesus mobilized a downtrodden underclass and told them their poverty was a sign of virtue, that their obsequiousness elevated them. Demagogues like Trump have been exploiting the folk on bottom ever since.

I must be getting old, or something, because I find myself in the discomfiting position of feeling sorry for Russell Moore, Albert the Odious’ oleaginous understudy.¹

A few weeks back, Moore rightly argued for the right of Muslims to build mosques, a position consonant with American ideals and the traditional Baptist distinctive favoring separation of church and state. And for months he has quite rightly — alas, on theological grounds, instead of something substantive and respectable — insisted that Donald Trump is unfit for the presidency.

What’s not to like? In spite of the fact that he’s a Southern Baptist he has managed, despite that small-minded, ignorant, and anti-intellectual heritage, to put himself on the right side of things.

Naturally, other Southern Baptists are battering him for it.

The hypocrisy of Russell Moore oozes from his tweets. The man has frankly lost all “ethical” credibility. (Outraged Baptists ought also see to the loss of his ivory towered lobbying job, too.) Moore’s liberal social agenda has aligned the SBC with everything from Muslim mosque builders to the very crux of apostasy on the planet, a/k/a Rome … but he’s gonna blast attendees at an American political rally? (Anyone remember when Moore lauded the Pope being named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year?)

Calling out those in Trump’s attendance for applauding rightly identified charlatans, Moore fails to acknowledge his own applause and fawning over Pope Francis. ((Is that aroma called “Papal Eau de self-righteousness?” Where does he buy that … and, is it paid for with tithes and offerings or is it a love-gift from the Vatican?)

How is it a more egregious sin to meet with a man that may become our President, and applaud those in attendance, than it is to intentionally – not by invitation only – hand-hold with Islam or voluntarily back slap with the antichrist of the Tiber?

So there you have it: Moore isn’t crazy enough for r-e-e-e-a-l Christians.

How can you not love this?

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¹   Sometimes, in the search for precision, alliteration just happens.

Well. It seems that a United Church of Christ thought it would be a nice gesture to wish Muslims well on Ramadan.

And just who, pray, is Matthew Jansen, and why would he encourage morons to make nasty phone calls to this friendly church? Take a look at his Twitter page.

A Trump delegate to the national convention. Keep it up … Please!