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Franklin Graham is a hypocrite about Pete Buttigieg, and he's using that hypocrisy to do harm
Source: Washington Post
Franklin Graham is a hypocrite about Pete Buttigieg, and he’s using that hypocrisy to do harm
By Rev. William J. Barber II April 29 at 3:50 PM
The Rev. William J. Barber II is president of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
In 2016, Franklin Graham, the heir to Billy Graham’s evangelistic preaching ministry, invested $10 million in a “Decision America” tour that framed support for Hillary Clinton and other Democrats as anti-Christian. Since then, Graham has stood by President Trump through revelations of serial adultery and deceit, capitulating on basic principles of integrity to support a president whose policies he likes. And yet, last week, Graham wagged his finger at Pete Buttigieg for being a gay Christian, saying that the mayor of South Bend, Ind., and presidential candidate should see his sexual orientation and marriage as “something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized.”
But hypocrisy in the Bible is never simply about the failings of an individual in public life. Jesus and the prophets make clear that hypocrisy is a moral issue because it provides cover for people in public life to advance policies that do great harm to the poor and vulnerable.
“Woe unto you hypocrites,” Jesus said to the religious leaders of his own day. Yes, he was pointing out that false teachers said one thing and did another. But Jesus was not simply angered by their inconsistency. He was outraged by the ways they used religion as a cover for corruption that hurt poor people. “You have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23).
As disruptive as it may have seemed for Jesus to call the sons of his society’s respected religious teachers a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34), it was in keeping with the prophetic tradition they shared. “Woe unto you who legislate evil,” Isaiah the prophet had declared long before Jesus was born. On the connection between religious hypocrisy and policy violence, the prophet Ezekiel had been clear: “Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations” (Ezekiel 22:27-28). When preachers lie to cover up for politicians, it’s not just bad for the preachers and their faith communities. It’s bad for the people who become policymakers’ prey.
-snip-
By Rev. William J. Barber II April 29 at 3:50 PM
The Rev. William J. Barber II is president of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
In 2016, Franklin Graham, the heir to Billy Graham’s evangelistic preaching ministry, invested $10 million in a “Decision America” tour that framed support for Hillary Clinton and other Democrats as anti-Christian. Since then, Graham has stood by President Trump through revelations of serial adultery and deceit, capitulating on basic principles of integrity to support a president whose policies he likes. And yet, last week, Graham wagged his finger at Pete Buttigieg for being a gay Christian, saying that the mayor of South Bend, Ind., and presidential candidate should see his sexual orientation and marriage as “something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized.”
But hypocrisy in the Bible is never simply about the failings of an individual in public life. Jesus and the prophets make clear that hypocrisy is a moral issue because it provides cover for people in public life to advance policies that do great harm to the poor and vulnerable.
“Woe unto you hypocrites,” Jesus said to the religious leaders of his own day. Yes, he was pointing out that false teachers said one thing and did another. But Jesus was not simply angered by their inconsistency. He was outraged by the ways they used religion as a cover for corruption that hurt poor people. “You have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23).
As disruptive as it may have seemed for Jesus to call the sons of his society’s respected religious teachers a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34), it was in keeping with the prophetic tradition they shared. “Woe unto you who legislate evil,” Isaiah the prophet had declared long before Jesus was born. On the connection between religious hypocrisy and policy violence, the prophet Ezekiel had been clear: “Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations” (Ezekiel 22:27-28). When preachers lie to cover up for politicians, it’s not just bad for the preachers and their faith communities. It’s bad for the people who become policymakers’ prey.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/04/29/franklin-graham-is-hypocrite-about-pete-buttigieg-hes-using-that-hypocrisy-do-harm/
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