Despite the best protestations from religious right leaders and ministers, most of the country realizes that political machinations are at the heart of evangelical Christianity. While the Baptists, for example, used to proudly stand for the separation of church and state, many of their leaders now advocate specifically for a theocracy.
Abortion, LGBTQ rights, and raking in scads of cash via the “prosperity gospel,” have been weighed heavier in modern day Christianity than protecting the sick, the poor, and immigrants. These charlatans are even defending Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore against allegations of sexual assault and child molestation by citing scripture, blaming LGBT people, and comparing him to Jesus Christ.
“Is Roy Moore a hill on which Evangelicals are prepared to die?” asked evangelical theologian Rev. Dr. Peter Heltzel, Associate Professor of Theology at New York Theological Seminary at a press conference announcing the new “Boston Declaration.”
Over 300 hundred Christian theologians attending the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature signed on to the new statement. Many attendees dressed in sackcloth and ashes at the press conference to call for repentance.
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“During difficult days in our nation, The Boston Declaration calls Christians to follow the Jesus Way, bearing prophetic witness to Christ through fight racism, sexism, poverty and all forms of oppression,” Hetzel continued.
“Evangelical is a category I can’t use any more. Evangelicals have come to misrepresent Christianity,” added Rev. Dr. David Wilhite, professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. “Evangelical Christianity has become white, male Christianity. And for this we need to repent.”
“It is a Christianity that literally enables hate, hate for people of color, for immigrants, for those of other religions, for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender human beings, for women and girls, for the poor and the most vulnerable among us,” continued Susan Thislethwaite, professor of Theology and President Emerita of Chicago Theological Seminary.
“And why do these so-called Christians do this? Not out of obedience to the teachings of Jesus, because Jesus taught the exact opposite of their hate-mongering. No, they do it for power, for political gain. Jesus asks, ‘What does it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul?'”