The Religious Right has too long claimed that the Republican Party was the only party of God, said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, said on the eve of Tuesday’s mid-term election
“The religious right has repeatedly ordained the Republican Party as the party of God, first by the Moral Majority, then by the Christian Coalition, now by Focus on the Family. The Religious Right has said that voting for Democrats is voting against God,” he said.
Parham said that claim was “wrong” and that it was “a good thing” that Democrats of faith were speaking about the Christian convictions.
“But let’s be clear: Political parties are neither thoroughly moral nor completely immoral. God is neither a Republican, nor a Democrat,” said Parham Sunday before a political rally in Nashville, Tenn.
“Preachers should speak up for justice,” Parham said. “Politicians should work out the irrigation system to ensure that the land flows with justice.”
“All Christians should remember that Jesus warned about people of faith parading their piety and neglecting justice,” he said.
Drawing from the words of Amos, Micah and Jesus, Parham said that justice was “the overarching agenda for God’s people in politics.”
He said, “The Bible says it. That settles it. Now we must be about evaluating politicians based on their commitment to do justice. And we, too, must be about doing justice.”
Video of Parham’s comments, at a rally for senatorial candidate Harold Ford Jr. attended by Sen. Barak Obama, are posted at YouTube. EthicsDaily.com recently began posting video to the popular Web site to capitalize on new technology and expand our audience.
