Biblical values and American politics

#1171 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 27 December 2015

For good or ill, we will continue to be bombarded by media reports of the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. federal election. Sadly the gap between party rhetoric and the professed faith of candidates has never been wider.

During a recent Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, Governor Chris Christie was given a chance to answer a recorded question from a young woman who wanted to know how biblical teaching about caring for orphans aligned with Republican party talk about banning all Syrian refugees.

He replied indicating that it didn’t, adding that although the Bible calls for looking after widows, the San Bernadino massacre shows that women can be terrorists, and therefore national security trumps biblical demands for compassion to widows. Other candidates made similar arguments.

The message seems clear: The moral demands of Christian faith do not apply to government officials in their public responsibilities, but only in their private lives – unless, of course, the issue is abortion, or marriage.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.